Preventing Relapse: Identifying Your Personal Triggers
One of the keys to preventing relapse is understanding your personal external and internal triggers: the people, places and situations that elicit thoughts or cravings associated with substance use, as well as your internal thoughts and emotions.
Once you identify your biggest triggers, the next step is to create a plan to prepare for or avoid them. Strategy
Here are 5 of the most common relapse triggers and tips for how to manage them.
Stress:
Stress is an integral part of our lives. We try to balance work, family, friends, pets, hobbies, personal goals, chores and more, and as if that wasn’t enough, life often throws in extra problems and responsibilities we weren’t planning for.
While it’s impossible to remove all stressors from our lives, it’s important to notice our reactions to stress. Does a hard day at work make you want to unwind with a drink? Does stress keep you from sleeping, which in turn makes it harder for you to say no to social events that spark cravings?
Having a stress management plan is vital for combatting our daily stress as well as managing periods of heightened stress. Make a list of 5 enjoyable, stress-reducing activities that take 15 - 60 minutes and plan to engage in them at least 3 times a week to manage your general stress levels. This list can include taking a yoga or fitness class, reading a book, taking a walk with your dog or going for a run, playing with your kids, making a new recipe, knitting or drawing. During times of heightened stress, turn to these activities, even for just 10 minutes, when you feel a substance craving creep in. Often getting past that initial urge while simultaneously doing an enjoyable, stress-reducing activity is enough to keep you on track.
Related: 5 Awesome Ways to Beat Stress and Restore Balance
Environmental Cues:
It’s normal to associate bars with drinking, but if you routinely drank in a friend’s backyard or at a local park, visiting these places can also trigger hard to resist cravings. Make a list of places that you formerly used substances and make sure to avoid them, even if that means taking a new route to work or home to avoid passing tempting places. For example, don’t plan a dinner at the local bar and grill that you used to drink in – it will be much harder to resist having a drink than if you stay home and cook a new recipe or check out a new restaurant that you don’t have a history with.
People Who Use Substances:
This might seem obvious, but avoiding people who are using substances is another key to maintaining your own sobriety. It’s much easier to remain sober if everyone else around you is, and the converse is also true.
For most people, this means replacing your old drinking buddies with new sober and sober-supportive friends, and joining a support group can be a great place to start. While not all of your friends have to also be sober, it’s best to avoid gatherings with substances if you find them triggering, and always have a sober drink plan for the social events you do attend.
Emotional Distress:
There are many causes for emotional distress, from traumatic experiences to losing a friend or loved one to relationship issues, and experiencing depression and anxiety are unfortunately common symptoms post detox. It is normal for emotional distress to make you feel like burying your feelings with a return to substance use, and having a strong support system is key for navigating these feelings and getting to a healthier mental state. Surround yourself with sober-supportive friends and family who you can talk to about your struggles, and work with a therapist or counselor who will listen to your challenges and help you learn new coping skills, habits and thinking patterns to manage emotional and other triggers that might lead you to relapse.
Losing a Job:
This is one of the most challenging stressors to navigate while maintaining sobriety. Not only does it escalate your financial stress, but you suddenly lose your normal routine and have more time for the activities you are trying to avoid.
Need help applying for jobs? Fill out our brief Get Connected form, and one of our staff members will contact you with resources and assist with applications.
It is important to maintain your typical schedule as much as possible while looking for a new job. Use the time you would be at work to apply for new jobs and take interviews. If you still find yourself with extra free time, you can use it for constructive hobbies, completing house projects or volunteering in the community.
Looking to better understand and manage your finances? Attend a Free Financial Strength and Wellness workshop, hosted by our partners at HeadQuarters.
What are your current triggers? As you move along your recovery journey, your triggers can change, so we recommend checking in with yourself, and ideally a therapist, regularly to assess how you’re managing current and new triggering thoughts, events and situations.
Looking for more guidance on how to identify and navigate your personal triggers?
Our Equine Assisted Learning program is designed to help you become more aware of your thoughts and feelings, allowing you to know when old habits are surfacing and adjust course so you can live to your fullest potential. You’ll also build confidence, self esteem, and valuable communication and problem solving skills along the way.
Written by Liz Haas, Recovery Resources Outreach Specialist
