People in recovery need to be careful about handling triggers.
- Most addicts have experienced, at one point or another, short-term victory over their addiction, only to find themselves right back into it again.
- And I’m sure we’ve all asked ourselves, “how did I get back here to this place?”
- Last week we talked about how relapse is a process, not an event.
- Emotional, Mental, and then Physical
- And today, we’re going to talk about the personal emotional and mental elements that can lead us down the track to relapse.
- We call these personal elements “triggers”
- Triggers are unique to each individual
- Addiction triggers are probably one of the most difficult things to understand for the non-addict.
- Most non-addicts just think an addict should be able to make a decision and simply stop using.
- They fail to realize that for most addicts, if they could simply choose to stop with a snap of their fingers, they would.
- Triggers are the reason that recovery itself is a process, not a snap decision.
- Learning what our triggers are and how to avoid them is crucial in the battle against relapse.
- Hopefully our conversation today will be helpful not just for the addict to identify triggers, but also for those who don’t understand how addiction works.
- So, what is a trigger?
A trigger can be anything that brings back thoughts, feelings, or memories that have to do with our addiction.
- Anything that can eventually lead us to craving our addiction again would be considered a trigger. And they can be external or even internal.
- External triggers are the persons, places and things that remind you of the days you used. These need to be avoided at all costs.
- Examples (from experiencerecovery.com):
- Being in specific locations (e.g., bars, neighborhoods associated with past use);
- Spending time with people who actively use drugs or alcohol;
- Experiencing financial problems or stress from work or other things
- Experiencing conflicts such as romantic breakups and divorce
- Emotional occasions such as vacations, anniversaries, celebrations, and holidays
- Seeing marketing through ads, social media, TV, or movies that is related to your addiction
- It is crucial to recognize your personal external triggers and be vigilant about avoiding them.
- Sometimes it takes a great deal of sacrifice to steer clear of external triggers.
- But we need to put the same amount of effort into our recovery as we did into our addiction.
- Internal triggers are the emotions and thoughts that surrounded your desire to use in the past.
- Examples (from experiencerecovery.com):
- Feeling lonely or isolated;
- Feeling overwhelmed by activities and responsibilities;
- Facing rejection or criticism from others;
- Feeling powerless in certain situations;
- Being too hard on yourself for mistakes made in the past;
- Reduced self-esteem due to the unrealistic portrayal of real life on social media;
- Hearing songs associated with the addiction;
- Experiencing strong emotions such as anger or joy;
- Experiencing intense worry, fear, and uncertainty about sobriety;
- Frustrated with their progress in recovery.
- Understanding our internal triggers comes with developing emotional intelligence and maturity.
- Journaling can be really helpful to recognizing our emotions and how they affect us.
- We also will require a lot of help from others in this area, such as a mentor or sponsor to talk these things through with.
- We also need God’s help in identifying areas we cannot clearly see ourselves.
How you can avoid the triggers:
- Pray. Recognize the temptation and pray for strength to say “No!”
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- Matthew 26:41 (NLT) Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”
- Submit to God. Choose God’s will instead of allowing your emotions and thoughts to lead you.
- James 4:7 (NLT) So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
- Stay accountable to a sponsor or mentor. You need someone who can ask the hard questions and hold you accountable.
- Proverbs 11:14 (NLT) Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers.
- Change your lifestyle. Create new habits and a new way of doing things.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
