Understanding what might trigger you to relapse as well as having a plan in the place for these triggers are the first steps toward prevention. Here are five triggers you need to consider and talk to your therapist or counselor about. Subscribe Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts One way to prepare for this trigger is to evaluate the stress you’re experiencing. Although you can’t eliminate everything and everyone from your life, you can avoid situations that cause you extreme stress. As a result, it may help to list all the people, places, and things that cause you excessive stress. For instance, are you in a toxic relationship or do you have a financial situation that is stressing you out? It’s also important to learn positive ways to successfully manage the stress. You might be able to reduce or manage your stress by:
Practicing mindfulness and engaging in relaxation training Managing your time more effectively to avoid operating in panic mode Increasing healthy behaviors by incorporating moderate exercise and healthy eating
Reducing the likelihood that stress will trigger a relapse not only involves finding healthier ways of dealing with stress, but being able to recognize when you are in a stressful situation and doing something to alleviate it. A therapist or counselor can help you learn to listen to your mind and body to identify when you’re feeling stressed as well as help you develop healthy coping mechanisms. When you’re reminded of your addiction, it’s important to have effective ways of handling your feelings. For instance, if you’re an alcoholic and a group of drinking buddies ask you to go out, or you see people from work going to happy hour, it might help to have a specific response ready. It also may help to have a healthy activity that you can do instead like going for a run, seeing a movie, having dinner with a sponsor, or reading a good book. Realize that those negative feelings you’re having don’t have to be a sign of an impending setback. Everyone feels negative or challenging emotions. The key is how you deal with them. View these emotions as an opportunity for growth and understanding. You can learn a lot about yourself by taking an inventory of what you’re feeling and asking yourself why. In fact, learning how to face your emotions without escaping into addiction is invaluable. So, try journaling, meditating, or even praying when you are feeling negative. Find a healthy way to release your negativity and boost your mood. An addictions specialist or another mental health professional can help you develop additional coping strategies. For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. Wanting to fall back into your addiction is normal. After all, it’s a familiar place for you. But, recovery is not just about “quitting” and “abstaining” as much as it’s about building a new life in which it is easier—and more desirable—not to use. Focus on the new life you’re building and the changes you’re making. Think about the negative consequences that you experienced while participating in your addiction—the people you hurt and the relationships you lost. You may think you miss your old life when you see these reminders, but in reality it only brought you pain and hardship. Having a substitute behavior like going to a yoga class or taking a long bath also can be helpful when you’re feeling triggered. Even reciting positive mantras or doing relaxation exercises, may help you resist these urges as well. For additional ideas, work with your counselor or therapist about how to effectively deal with these reminders. People who struggle with addiction frequently lose their capacity to know when to stop. Therefore, that one drink could turn into a binge. Or, treating yourself to one, unnecessary new pair of shoes could lead to a shopping spree. Having a buddy can help in situations where you are at risk of relapse. Find someone you trust and respect to kindly, but firmly, persuade you to stop what you’re doing if you do start to relapse. With your counselor or therapist, put together a plan on how to handle the temptations that come with fun events like parties, weddings, holidays, and more. If you go into the situation unprepared, you’re more likely to relapse. Remember, relapse is not a sign that your recovery failed. You’re navigating a new and unfamiliar path. So, with continued therapy and support you should be able to build stronger defenses against common triggers.
