Danielle K. Morrison

Dr. Mitchell

Danielle, thank you for calling in today. Your message said it was urgent. Can you tell me what's happening?

Client

[pause] I relapsed. Last night. I'd been clean for eight months and... I don't even know how it happened. I was at my sister's house for dinner and she had wine out and I just... I had one glass. And then I drove to the liquor store.

Dr. Mitchell

First, I want you to know that reaching out right now is the right thing to do. You're safe, you're here, and we can work through this. How much did you drink?

Client

Most of a bottle of vodka. I woke up on my bathroom floor this morning. I called in sick to work.

Dr. Mitchell

Are you physically okay? Any injuries?

Client

No. Just the worst hangover of my life and... the shame. God, the shame. Eight months. I was so proud of eight months.

Dr. Mitchell

Eight months is real. Last night doesn't erase eight months — it's one night. Relapse is part of many people's recovery. What matters is what happens next. Are you having any thoughts of hurting yourself?

Client

No. I'm angry at myself, but no. I want to fix this.

Dr. Mitchell

Good. Let's talk about what happened at your sister's house. You said you didn't know how it happened — but let's slow it down. What were you feeling before the first glass?

Client

Lonely. Everyone there was coupled up. My ex was supposed to be there — we broke up three weeks ago and nobody told me he wasn't coming. So I'm sitting there, the only single person, and everyone's being careful around me, which made it worse.

Dr. Mitchell

So the trigger was emotional isolation compounded by an unexpected reminder of the breakup. That's a powerful combination. In your relapse prevention plan, what was your strategy for high-emotion social situations?

Client

Call my sponsor. But I didn't want to ruin the dinner. I told myself I could handle it.

Dr. Mitchell

"I can handle it" — we've talked about that thought before. It's the permission thought. It doesn't mean you're weak. It means the addictive part of the brain is sophisticated.