Learning to identify relapse triggers is important in recovery because it helps you prepare for difficult situations. Relapse triggers are things that cause an involuntary response, often an emotional association or physical craving for substances you once abused. With help, however, you can identify these triggers and control your response instead of letting them control you.
What is a Trigger?
Triggers are, as their name suggests, something that prompts an involuntary response. This can be a:
- Location
- Smell
- Sound
- Person
- Event
- Word
- Image
Whatever form it takes, a trigger will prompt strong emotions and subsequent potential action.
Why Identify Relapse Triggers
It is important that you identify relapse triggers because these represent the things that, for you personally, are most likely to elicit a strong enough emotional response that you are driven to relapse.
Everyone has different triggers, but if you can identify relapse triggers during the course of your treatment and your path to sobriety, you will be able to avoid certain triggers at the beginning of your sobriety and then cope with them in other ways throughout the rest of your life.
Trigger Examples
Let’s look at the example of Tom to better understand how triggers work and how to find ways to cope with them.
Tom used to use drugs with three of his friends. They would always go to the same apartment to get high and then hang out. So for Tom, some of his relapse triggers include:
- Seeing those same friends
- Going to that apartment complex
- Driving the same roads he used to take to and from the apartment complex
- Sitting on a leather couch (which they used to do while taking drugs); in particular, the feel of the leather and the sound it makes when shifting positions
Let’s examine these triggers more closely.
#1: His Friends
For Tom, early in his recovery, he might find that hanging out with those same friends is very challenging because they are not in recovery, and while they are not pressuring him to use again, they occasionally forget and offer him drugs. Generally, all they want to do when socializing is to get high and sit on the couch like they once did.
Tom learns through his individual and group therapy sessions that he might need to find other associates for the time being, not just because it’s important to have sober activities and friends who are supportive of his sobriety, but also because this set of friends is a significant trigger for him.
#2: The Apartment Complex
The apartment complex where his friends live is a popular complex. It is in a relatively nice area, affordable, and near the university they all attended. When Tom was looking for a new apartment after drug rehab, they had availability and accepted his application.
But Tom realized that living there was a problem for him. The location was a significant relapse trigger for him. He had too many associations with only doing drugs there and nothing else.
It was difficult for Tom, but he had to find somewhere else to live.
Eventually, Tom was able to apply other coping skills in conjunction with mindfulness, meditation, and music therapy so that visiting friends at this complex wasn’t an issue.
#3: Driving
Driving the route that led to and from the apartment complex from his old home was a trigger, too. Tom didn’t realize this for a while because it wasn’t as obvious.
During group therapy, Tom discussed how he would start in a good mood but found that once he turned left on his way to sessions, he would get very irritable and want to use drugs again while driving the next several miles. He would feel better once he arrived at sessions but still be irritable.
With help, Tom discovered that the several miles of cravings he experienced were along the same main road he used to take to get high.
Once he was able to identify relapse triggers like these, Tom drove a different road until he learned to manage his stress in other ways, like turning on music that calmed him.
#4: Leather
For Tom, the sound and feel of a leather couch was a particularly strong relapse trigger. A simple fix was to avoid having leather furniture. However, Tom could not go so far as to control whether or not leather furniture existed in other facilities or homes, and as such, he had to learn to apply techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy, seated meditation, and stress management tools to help him overcome this trigger.
These helped him avoid negative automatic thoughts and recognize the association for what it was. From there, he was better able to avoid an impulsive relapse and reflect.
Managing Triggers with Treatment
With trauma-informed treatment from facilities like Ava Recovery, you can learn how to identify your personal relapse triggers. Moreover, Ava Recovery staff works with you to provide long-term coping mechanisms that you can apply to any situation where you are triggered.
Identifying relapse triggers is important for your long-term success because it will help you recognize the things that you need to avoid and the things for which you need to apply coping mechanisms. This will look different for everyone, which is why professional treatment can be very helpful.
Ava Recovery is a drug rehab in Austin, Texas, that offers individualized substance abuse treatment programs. Contact Ava Recovery today to learn more about our individual and group therapies.
