Relapse Prevention Plan Template

Triggers
Late night alone

Warning signs
Scrolling in bed

If-then rules
If I am in bed with my phone, then I put it in the kitchen.
If it is after 11 pm, then I charge the phone outside the room.
If I feel lonely, then I text one person.

Contacts
A friend

If I slip
Log it, note the trigger, restart tomorrow.

Written by Muneeb Rana · Medically reviewed by Safi Allah Khan · Last updated 24 October 2026

How to use the relapse prevention plan

1. List your top 3–5 triggers (take the relapse risk quiz if unsure).
2. List early warning signs (staying up late, skipping the gym, 'just checking' social media).
3. Write if-then rules for each trigger.
4. Add two people you can message and one professional or helpline.
5. Write your reset plan for after a slip.
6. Download, print, and review it every Sunday.

Why if-then rules work

Implementation intentions, plans in the form "If situation X, then I will do Y", help people act on goals by linking a cue to a response in advance (Gollwitzer, 1999). Relapse prevention also treats lapses as learning points rather than total failure (Witkiewitz & Marlatt, 2004).

plan = {triggers[], warning_signs[], rules[{if, then}], contacts[], reset_steps[]}
validate: >=3 rules, each 'then' is a concrete action

Example plan

If…	Then I will…
I'm in bed with my phone after 11 pm	Put it on charge in the kitchen
I feel lonely on a weekend night	Text a friend or go to the gym
I see sexual content while scrolling	Close the app and start a 10-minute urge timer
I've had a bad day at work	Walk for 15 minutes before going home

Reset plan: log the slip in Raze, write one sentence about the trigger, change one rule, restart the streak the same day.

Keep the plan alive

A plan you never read won't help. Review it weekly, update rules that didn't work, and share a copy with an accountability partner if you have one. After a slip, read relapsed on NoFap? What to do next.

Related: Trigger Map · Common Relapse Triggers and How to Handle Them · Urges and Relapse · NoFap Relapse: What to Do Next

Sources

• Gollwitzer (1999), Implementation intentions, American Psychologist: doi.org (accessed 24 October 2026)
• Witkiewitz & Marlatt (2004), Relapse prevention for alcohol and drug problems, American Psychologist: doi.org (accessed 24 October 2026)
• Bowen et al. (2014), Mindfulness-based relapse prevention RCT, JAMA Psychiatry: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (accessed 24 October 2026)