Is there something that causes a jolt? Some might call it a sudden cue that makes you think of using. What are addiction triggers? How do you overcome them?
Cues are Different for Everyone
The majority of people would equate running into the old peer group with a strong trigger sensation. These were the people you used to hang out with when you still did drugs. Similarly, they might have been your drinking buddies. Seeing them again creates a sudden urge.
What are Addiction Triggers, and How Do They Work?
Cues become triggers when you associate a feeling or sensation with substance abuse. In the case of the peer group, it might be the memories surrounding shared experiences. At work, you may remember how alcohol was your usual go-to when stress mounts. It doesn’t take much for a memory to become one of your relapse triggers.
Many people report that they have a physiological sensation at the moment of a trigger experience. It might feel like a jolt of energy went through your body. Others say that they suddenly feel warm all over. Next, there are mental aspects.
You begin thinking about drug use. You remember only the good times. Besides that, you start rationalizing that one time couldn’t hurt you. This is one of the most dangerous relapse triggers.
Detox and Rehab Prepare You for Healthy Trigger Responses
Did you know that relapse prevention training begins on your first day of detox? When you check in for treatment, addiction specialists work with you on long-term sobriety planning. Typical modalities include:
- Medical detox therapies that minimize pain and promote comfort
- Residential treatment program as a way to immerse yourself in the therapeutic environment
- 12 Step program participation to enlist peer support and accountability for relapse prevention
- Behavioral therapies that enable you to swap areas of dysfunction with healthy ways of responding to stressors
- Yoga for stress relief and breathing exercises that benefit people with stress management problems
What are addiction triggers if not memories of improper responses to stress, stimuli, and social conditioning? During your time at rehab, you learn to navigate them with alternative answers. In addition to the modalities you already learned about, therapists might also use the Matrix Model. Similarly, there may be family programs to help with diffusing relapse triggers that root there.
Don’t Forget to Participate in Aftercare
It’s so tempting to do recovery on your own after graduating from a good-quality rehab program. You’re ready to reclaim your life. Similarly, you want to prove to yourself and others that you can do it. However, don’t forget that sobriety is a marathon and not a sprint.
Excellent facilities will offer access to sober living homes or recovery coaching. They might also provide regularly scheduled aftercare groups that meet for support at the facility. There, you share relapse triggers and receive input as well as encouragement.
So, what are addiction triggers? They’re the sudden memories that tempt you to use again. Overcome them today by working with a rehab facility. Contact Serenity Light Recovery by calling (281) 431-6700 now. It can be hard to stay sober once you leave rehab. It can make all the difference in your recovery to know addiction triggers that may have you back in your old ways. Make the call today and get sober to stay sober.
As our CEO, Heather’s main calling is to stay true to the vision of the organization, which is saving lives and striving to redefine statistics by raising the standard of care with evolving treatment methods. Heather studied psychology at LSU and both the main and Clear Lake campuses of the University of Houston, and she is a certified IASIS provider and CPI instructor. She’s been helping people in recovery since 2011. Heather’s motto to live by is “I am not what I’ve done; I am what I’ve overcome.”
