Understanding Triggers and How to Deal With Them in Recovery

It’s possible for any external trigger to happen without you being aware of the event that caused it. For example, visiting a family member’s home may make you uncomfortable, but you don’t know why. Years later, you may work with a therapist to uncover the abuse that occurred there. If you’d like to learn more about our sober living houses and outpatient support options, please contact the Eudaimonia Recovery Homes admissions team today. Avoid spending time with people who use drugs or abuse alcohol.

These triggers may involve people who influence cravings, such as drug dealers, coworkers, friends, spouses, partners and employers. Even people who are incredibly close to you may act as relapse triggers. That’s one reason that it’s so important for your loved ones to be on board with your recovery. For those struggling with substance abuse and addiction, it isn’t uncommon for the affected person to return to alcohol or drug use. This return to their substance of choice is called relapsing. About 40-60% of those struggling with addiction relapse following treatment. While holidays are a time of celebration for some, they may be a struggle for people in recovery.

Recognizing the Signs of Addiction

Dialectical behavioral therapy builds on the ideas behind CBT, emphasizing paying attention to our thoughts and feelings. It uses mindfulness and other techniques to help people reevaluate negative thoughts and emotions and reduce stress.

The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. internal and external triggers It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers.

Negative Feelings Trigger Relapses

Addition treatment will help patients learn how best to utilize these strategies while forging their own recovery path. The solution to overcoming this relapse trigger is to learn how to channel your positive feelings in a positive way, without the use of substance abuse. Believe it or not, some of the closest people to you can trigger a relapse.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy aims to address the mental health disorders which can accompany addiction. It is effective at treating depression, anxiety, as well as marital problems. Identify what internal triggers — emotions, thoughts, or memories — are liable to trigger cravings. When you experience them, recognize them for what they are and then allow them to pass. Various forms of meditation and mindfulness can be useful for this. An addiction trigger refers to any event that causes a person in recovery to want to use.

Mental Health Conditions Affected by Triggers

Everyone will have different internal triggers, but by recognizing some of the common ones you will be better equipped to avoid or address your internal triggers. Empty Pill Bottles– For those who were previously addicted to an opiate, relapse triggers may include pill bottles that are reminders of the bottles that opioids come in. Someone who finds that this is a https://ecosoberhouse.com/ trigger may benefit from placing their prescription medications in a weekly medication planner instead of taking them from traditional medicine bottles. Our brain stores memories by associating them with other memories. Often a place may trigger a memory of an event, or smelling something, such as a particular cologne, may trigger your memory of a loved relative.

When you’ve worked this hard to get into rehab, through detox and onto recovery, you don’t want triggers to have so much control over your future. That’s why many therapists and counselors recommend facing your triggers. Addiction cravings and triggers can be very specific to you. For example, someone in recovery from heroin addiction who is suddenly exposed to the substance during a visit to a friend’s home is at a very high risk of experiencing a trigger. Just the sight or smell of the substance can create deep, hard-to-stop thoughts of using. Enroll in a sober living program to receive continued support after rehab.

Instead, you are setting yourself up for relapse with unhealthy emotional responses and poor-self care. This relapse stage is typically characterized by the acronym HALT, which stands for hungry, angry, lonely, and tired. The places you used to use drugs or drink alcohol carry strong memories and may cause you to linger on thoughts of using again. Whether it’s a friend’s house, a bar or club, or a particular neighborhood near your home, it’s normal to feel a need or want to return to those places. One of the biggest obstacles people face when they are suffering from a substance use disorder are triggers that cause relapses. Dr. Ashish Bhatt, MD explains how to recognize these triggers and avoid relapse. Triggers are easily identifiable by the way someone reacts to something.

You also need to learn new ways to cope with the relapse triggers as well as your cravings so that you can overcome them and avoid relapse. If you or a loved one struggles with addiction to drugs or alcohol, you are not alone. At Canyon Vista Recovery Center, located in Mesa, Arizona, you will learn the skills needed to gain sobriety. Using a combination of medical, clinical, psychiatric, and holistic approaches, our highly skilled professionals will help you heal your mind, body, and spirit. Although external ones are often powerful, many times they are avoidable. An individual usually has some control over external addiction triggers. For example, they can end relationships with certain people, purposefully avoid certain places, or not attend an event where a particular person will be.