Maintenance
In the maintenance stage the change is now integrated into everyday life so the person can start to think about other things. Lapse or relapse is still a live issue – temptations will still be there, especially when things are going either very well or very badly. There needs to be an ongoing awareness of potential issues and difficult situations and how they are going to be handled. A common reason for lapse is to do with the client’s need to prove that they are able to handle things now. The person may seek out a high risk situation (walking through an area where drugs are sold) to prove that they are over it – he or she may succeed or maybe not.
