In mental relapse, there is a war going on inside people’s minds. Part of them wants to use, but part of them doesn’t. As individuals go deeper into mental relapse, their cognitive resistance to relapse diminishes and their need for escape increases.
These are some of the signs of mental relapse:
1) craving for drugs or alcohol
2) thinking about people, places, and things associated with past use
3) minimizing consequences of past use or glamorizing past use
4) bargaining
5) lying
6) thinking of schemes to better control using
7) looking for relapse opportunities
8) planning a relapse.
Oh, I didn't know they plan their relapse.
There's a defense mechanism called 'externalization'. Blaming the external factors can easily lead to relapse.