Anyone who works in a helping profession will deal with success that often is followed by the person being helped sliding back into his or her old ways. The setback then needs to be addressed and dealt with. Their self-defeating behaviors have to stop if success is to be maintained

When a person initially stops the problem behavior for a brief period of time we say that the person is in remission. Remission is an initial period during which there is no recurrence of the problem behavior. Relapse, however, is any return or recurrence of the problem behavior.

A slip is different. A slip is an initial, brief, recurrence or lapse of the problem behavior during remission. It does not last. It is not a full emergence of the behavior. When he or she goes back to their old ways that is a relapse.

There have been many studies of the relapse problem. For example, depending on the study, about 80 percent of people in treatment for alcohol may relapse. Maybe 85 percent of smokers may relapse. Possibly 85 percent of people suffering major depression may develop depressive symptoms after two months. About 80 percent of people trying to lose weight may fail. Fighting the traps, temptations, and self-defeating behaviors that lead to relapse takes determination and effort to accomplish and maintain the desired change.

Psychologists have developed a variety of theories to try to understand how and why people fail to achieve and maintain the changes that they insist that they want. One approach is that if the person is exposed to people, situations, substances, foods, etc that were associated with the problem behavior, there is a significant probability of slips, if not relapse.

Another approach to relapse looks at the personality of a person who ultimately fails to maintain success. People who are negative and pessimistic may expect to fail, thereby setting themselves up to fail. They may develop a why bother trying attitude. Then there are people who tend not to stick to or persist at much of anything. How much they typically persist or try at anything can suggest how well they will try to do things that are necessary to overcome and improve a particular problem.

Finally, a person’s general level of self-control and impulsivity will also determine how long they may resist temptation.

There are a variety of addictions that may be thought of as chronic relapsing disorders. A general definition of addiction is an inability to stop oneself, or to resist, using or doing something, no matter what the consequences may be. There are drug addictions, alcohol addictions, video game addictions, food addictions, sex addictions, etc. One of the toughest things I have to deal with in my work is trying to help someone to lose weight. Dealing with a mentally ill, violent person is frequently much easier than getting someone to actually lose weight.

Psychologists know that they should first focus on relapse potential, or what a person actually does that contributes to relapse. The best potential for success is to not just to understand how to succeed.

It is understanding how you fail, addressing the self-defeating behaviors, and getting rid of them first. That clears the way for developing the good behaviors that will produce and maintain success.

Identifying and addressing your faults opens the way to success, accomplishment, and eventually good self-esteem.

— Dr. Joseph Switras provides clinical psychological services at United Health District in Fairmont to people age 5 and up.