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1. A PLAN IN ADVANCE: While we should never plan on slipping, we must have always have a relapse prevention plan in place for if it ever happens. This will help us fight the guilt and the 'eff-it' effect. 

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2. GET OUT OF THE SITUATION IMMEDIATELY If a slip does happen: Staying in a high risk situation any longer is almost always a terrible idea because you'll find yourself getting into a vicious cycle of more use and more guilt. 

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3. LEARN FROM THE SITUATION: A slip is an opportunity to take step back and identify the emotions, situations and most importantly your decisions that led to the slip. Learn from it -  Avoid these situations in the future if possible and come up with coping plans to deal with them should they ever arise again. 

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4. REACH OUT: Reach out to people who are supportive and be open about your slip up. Mistakes happen even to the best of us. There is no shame in admitting it. Your supporters might be able to help you come up with a plan to prevent further slips. 

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5. DON'T RESET YOUR COUNTER:  Keep powering forward on your recovery. It's not a competition. If you have become even a little better today than you were yesterday, you have already made progress and you have every reason to make even more progress. Don't let a little slip up take all that away. Learn from it and make better decisions. 

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