Our society places moral blame on addicts, and often views sobriety as a matter of personal willpower or desire. Sentiments such as If they really wanted to get clean, they would! abound. But the truth is, addiction is a chronic, progressive disease that alters and damages the brain. There is no silver bullet for “curing” addiction, and much like other sufferers of chronic disease, recovering addicts must be aware of the possibility of relapse. To an extent, those in recovery don’t have total control over relapse. But they do have control over how they respond after a relapse.   After leaving their addiction treatment center, recovering addicts face a barrage of triggers and challenges. As they return to their homes and daily routines, constant reminders of drugs and drug abuse crop up. There’s a neurological component to this—repetition of behaviors and rewards (such as meeting a dealer on a certain street, or snorting drugs in a particular place in the house) creates an association in the brain. So the next time you pass that street corner or go into that room, your brain fires up the old feelings of euphoria associated with drug use. Spotting drug paraphernalia triggers cravings in a similar way. Drug rehab gives clients coping mechanisms and strategies for these situations, but sometimes the cravings can be overpowering.   So the worst happens: after a month, or two, or 26, of hard-fought sobriety, you relapse. The craving…