A lapse or collapse?

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Gordon Alan Marlatt was a pioneer in addiction and alcohol dependence research. He led the movement for a new approach towards treatment.

Marlatt’s research became known as the Abstinence Violation Effect.

A violation occurred when there was a break in the abstinence. What took place thereafter was the effect.

How would people respond to the lapse in sobriety? Would the violation cause someone to return to their old-pattern of drinking and their old ways, or would the violation simply be a one-time lapse? 

Having a lapse was a huge indicator of someone returning to a full relapse, but it was not inevitable. Marlatt uncovered that there was one major difference between people who had a lapse or slip and those who suffered a relapse or collapse, which was a full return to substance use.

The difference between a lapse and a collapse was due to one important mental skill. This mental skill is required if we want to rally. It’s the same skill used whether winning major championships, staying sober, or achieving any goal.

It isn’t the fall from grace, it’s the fall OUT from grace that causes the complete collapse. The one mistake causes the lapse. However, the one mistake does not cause the collapse. It’s our response to the mistake.

The mental skill that Marlatt found to be the elixir of alcoholics and addicts suffering a collapse was… confidence. If people believed that they could overcome and stay on track, and that mistake would not define them, then they only experienced a lapse, not a collapse.

Confidence is KING!