Relapse Prevention Model (Marlatt)

Marlatt's Relapse Prevention reframes relapse from unpredictable catastrophe to predictable process with identifiable warning signs. The model maps: high-risk situation → inadequate coping → decreased self-efficacy → positive outcome expectancies → lapse → abstinence violation effect → relapse. Key intervention points: identify personal high-risk situations beforehand, develop specific coping responses for each, build self-efficacy through early successes, and reframe lapses as learning. Marlatt's concept of 'seemingly irrelevant decisions' is powerful—choices appearing unrelated to the target behavior (driving past the bar, buying snacks 'for guests') actually set up future high-risk situations through rationalized chains.

When to use it

When maintaining a behavior change long-term is the challenge. When previous changes have succeeded initially but failed at 3-6 months. When needing to anticipate and plan for vulnerability to old behaviors. When designing sustained behavior change programs.

How it can help

Map your personal high-risk situations for any maintained change: stress, social events, emotional states, environmental triggers. For each, develop a specific coping plan. Watch for 'seemingly irrelevant decisions'—if reducing spending but browsing shopping sites 'just to look,' you're setting up a high-risk situation. For leaders, this applies to organizational change relapses: identify conditions under which teams revert to old processes and build specific countermeasures.