Which statement best describes a relapse prevention plan?

• A. It focuses solely on medication management.
• B. It is a plan to avoid treatment.
• C. It includes trigger identification, coping strategies, contingency plans, and steps to re-engage treatment.
• D. It identifies triggers and coping strategies only.

Answer: (C)

A relapse prevention plan is a proactive, practical guide that equips someone to maintain recovery by addressing the full range of risk factors. The best description includes identifying triggers and high-risk situations, outlining coping strategies to use in those moments, creating contingency plans for cravings or slips, and detailing concrete steps to re-engage treatment if a lapse occurs. This broad approach reflects how relapse prevention works in real life: you anticipate what could challenge sobriety, have tools ready to handle it, know what to do if things slip, and know how to return to support promptly. By contrast, focusing only on medication misses the psychosocial skills, planning to avoid treatment contradicts the recovery goal, and listing triggers and coping strategies without contingency and re-engagement steps is incomplete.