The 4 Easy Steps to Conquer Internal Triggers of Distractions

Yet, the person who is new to recovery must think of themselves first. By looking at the times on the distraction tracker, you might be able to detect a pattern. Perhaps you’re more often distracted in the morning, or you always seem to struggle with distraction in the 30 minutes after a meeting.

You can avoid all the external triggers in your life and still have internal triggers that make you think about drug abuse or alcohol abuse again. Many people find that visiting certain places causes intense triggering in them. This can be somewhere traumatic, such as a childhood home, or it can just be a building or even a neighborhood where substance use happened. https://ecosoberhouse.com/ 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. Learning to cope with external triggers involves developing strategies to avoid or deal with these triggering situations. This might involve steering clear of specific locations or individuals that could trigger a relapse.

Have a Safety Plan in Place

Another useful side effect of our technology-steeped society is that distraction is easy to come by. Pull up a video on YouTube, play a mobile game or scroll social media until you can get away from the trigger. An easy way to deal with the gas station or corner store trigger is to avoid that location, if possible. If there are many alternative routes to get around that do not take you past a location that triggers you, you should avoid those locations.

Effective management of internal triggers often involves learning new emotional regulations and coping strategies. These may include mindfulness practices, cognitive-behavioral techniques, and self-care routines. By developing these skills, individuals can better navigate their emotional landscape, reduce the power of internal triggers, and ultimately internal and external triggers support their journey to lasting recovery. The clinicians should support the patients attempts at recovery regardless of how many times they tried in the past (and relapsed). Because addiction is a chronic relapsing disease, relapse can occur, though, at any time in the recovery processsome people relapse after having been in recovery for years.

What is a Trigger?

For example, a news report covering a trauma similar to what you experienced might trigger symptoms of PTSD. However, other cues are more subtle reminders that you might not even notice until after you’ve had a negative reaction. There are many possible coping strategies you can try, but all should focus on reducing the impact of the trigger and the strength of emotional reactions.

Asking the right questions and taking the correct steps can enable people in recovery to healthily transition to their normal life without risking a relapse. It’s important for people in recovery to be aware of the internal triggers they struggle with the most and have a plan in place to seek support when needed. While holidays are a time of celebration for some, they may be a struggle for people in recovery. Family and friends often tempt those in recovery to consume alcohol because they are under the misconception that one deviation from the treatment plan will not be detrimental.

Relapse Risk Factors

Explain to yourself that you recognize the trigger, you’re taking steps to remove yourself from the situation and you don’t allow the trigger to have any power over you. After a period of poor self-care, someone in recovery will likely experience some of the mental signs of relapse. They may begin to feel discontent with their progress and restless in their disintegrating routine. Without the proper structure and routine, a person is more likely to start thinking about using again. This “increased risk” category contains three different drinking pattern groups. Overall, nearly 20% of people who drink in this category have alcohol use disorder.

• If you have not been formally diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, a healthcare provider can assess your symptoms and determine the best treatment options for your particular situation.
• Those in recovery often have a hard time finding new ways to have fun, and it may cause them to glamorize or ruminate on their past substance abuse.
• After removing the corticosterone-producing glands from the rats, researchers observed a lack of relapse behavior after triggering them with low doses of cocaine.
• Avoiding your triggers is the most effective way to avoid having PTSD symptoms.