Recovering Alcoholics have set personal patterns that are based around short-term solutions. How would someone ever do something that results in long-term gain when they have to avoid short-term gratification they have been chasing their whole lives?

Not by giving up...

I can think of dozens of people I have met in treatment centers over the years who DATE while in a 28 day program. Most programs try to break it up as fast as possible. This is poison for the new recovering addict/alcoholic. I would not consider this a relapse trigger, I would consider this a step that is involved in relapse, the start of the relapse. This is one of several reasons who relationships are so dangerous for the new ones.

• What kind of person is a sick person going to attract?
• Isn’t the whole purpose of getting sober to change?
• How do you change when you spend all your time focusing on someone who mirrors yourself?

It is suggested in recovery that people who are new wait a full year OR until they have completed the 12 steps, before getting into a relationship.