Is Relapse Part of Recovery?

Is Relapse Part of Recovery?

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation between coach Blu Robinson and athletic director Marissa Robinson digs into one of recovery’s biggest questions: is relapse really “part of” getting clean? Right from the start, coach Blu pushes back on the familiar saying that “relapse is part of recovery,” calling it out as a dangerous excuse.

As he puts it plainly, “sometimes those relapses can kill you.” Instead, they draw a clear line between a slip and a relapse. A slip is framed with their acronym SLIP – “sobriety’s lost its purpose” – often short, honest, and followed by course correction. A relapse, by contrast, looks like “throwing in the towel”, hiding use, and sliding back into old patterns of lying and manipulation.

You’ll hear them talk through boredom and stress as major warning signs, along with triggers that can come out of nowhere: a smell in the air, cash in hand, a song on the radio. They share real stories of athletes who were blindsided by triggers they never thought to write on any worksheet. The episode also leans into purpose.

Instead of just saying “my purpose is to be a mum” or “a healer”, they tease apart the deeper values underneath – service, nurturing, creating – and how those can shape a sustainable, meaningful sober life. Coach Blu jokes that he thought he was “born a loser” until he realised how good he felt turning up to help others.

For families and “muggles”, there’s straight talk about how to respond when someone slips: avoid catastrophising, ask “what can I do to support you?”, and help them do a “relapse autopsy” to find the why. The message is clear: “no one’s too far gone”, you’re not starting from zero, and a relapse can become part of a powerful comeback story if you use it to learn. So what kind of comeback are you planning for yourself?