If you or someone you know may need help dealing with triggers, Agape offers an environment focused on recovery. To discuss treatment options, contact admissions today and speak with one of our local addiction experts. While some triggers may create a nearly-unavoidable craving, in many situations the trigger can be removed or escaped with enough time to stop potential https://ecosoberhouse.com/ use.

Common Substance Use Triggers and How to Handle Them

When people in recovery succumb to triggers, their brains create reasons to use substances despite knowing that they must remain abstinent. This ongoing fight increases their vulnerability to cravings, which may result in a potential relapse. If you or a loved one has experienced a relapse, or are just considering treatment options, we are here to help you. There are two main types of triggers that can start someone towards the path of relapse. Professional support can be invaluable in helping individuals recognize and navigate external triggers. Therapists and counselors can provide tools and strategies tailored to each individual’s unique circumstances and triggers.

People Who Influence Cravings

Research suggests that people who have used drugs in order to mitigate stress in the past are likely to return to this behavior when future stressors arise. This would suggest that someone in recovery could be prone to relapse due to an elevated level of stress in life. Sometimes memories that we perceive to be happy are deeply intertwined with addictions or past addictive behaviors, which can lead to reminiscing about one-time use. This reminiscence of times when the addiction was in control is often a sign of the addiction trying to external triggers examples take over the brain again. If this is not immediately stopped, it can lead to current use and erosion of recovery.

Stress as a Powerful Internal Trigger

A daily journal can be your trusted companion on the road to recovery. Find a convenient place to jot down your thoughts and feelings each day, reflecting on the moments that brought you joy or gratitude. By taking just a few minutes of your time, you’ll cultivate positivity in your life. Effectively handling substance use triggers requires a well-rounded approach.

Ready to Break Free From Addiction?

No matter what stage of recovery someone is in, there will always be the risk of relapse due to exposure to internal and external triggers. Internal and external triggers are the factors that can induce an individual to want to use or otherwise create a temptation in them to use their drug of choice again. Knowing how to combat these triggers can help prevent relapses. Long-term drug use creates an association in the brain between daily routines and drug experiences.

How Does This Trigger a Relapse?

• Visiting these places can be triggering for many people, and while many times they can be avoided, there are situations in which they can’t.
• We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.
• Understanding your triggers strengthens your ability to take proactive steps when faced with challenging situations and reinforces your commitment to sobriety.

The Massachusetts Center for Addiction specializes in helping individuals understand their triggers and build the emotional skills needed for recovery. For more information or to start a treatment program, reach out to our team of addiction professionals. Recognizing external triggers is the first step toward managing them. This involves being mindful of one’s surroundings and understanding how different elements in the environment might affect their state of mind and emotional balance. Part of setting up a safe recovery environment entails eliminating as many triggers as possible.

• Learning tools to manage triggers can make a big difference in how you respond to — and ultimately cope with — them.
• If the sight of junk food in your pantry is triggering unhealthy snacking, consider reorganizing your kitchen.

Social Pressure

The first step to managing triggers is to mindfully note when you are triggered. Sometimes the trigger can induce a subtle passing negative thought that takes root and grows in your mind, such as self-pity or resentment. You cannot manage triggers if you do not know you are being triggered. Once you note the trigger, tell yourself that you are in trouble and act to protect your recovery.

First, know that experiencing triggers in recovery is not a sign of failure. It is common for people in recovery to face triggers in their journey to wellness. But whether it’s a one-time event or a series of traumatic events, trauma affects each person differently. In fact, the same event could cause two people to respond completely differently. While one person might reach a point of acceptance about an unsettling experience, the other person might develop PTSD.

Call in your support system

It’s not enough to address just one type of trigger; we need to consider the entire ecosystem of influences on our behavior. Emotions in general are often highly triggering for many people, and are often the leading examples of internal triggers. Not just negative emotions, but emotions that people find challenging to deal with in general are frequently to blame for returning to addictions after periods of sobriety.