Why are substance abuse triggers so hard to avoid?

In addiction treatment, therapists work with clients to help them cope with common addiction triggers. Dealing with triggers in recovery is not easy.

Relapse triggers include both internal triggers and external triggers. An internal trigger is something inside that makes you think about substance use.

Emotional triggers are examples of internal addiction relapse triggers. For example, you might remember something that brings up strong feelings, leading you to consider returning to drug use.

With a little help, you can learn how to deal with triggers in recovery. Often, it is a matter of learning to avoid major external triggers, and learning to deal with the internal triggers. To do so, it is important to learn about internal vs. external relapse triggers & warning signs.

Coping with addiction triggers is one of the main focuses of drug addiction treatment.

In substance abuse treatment, clients are taught how to use various tools for relapse prevention. For example, a simple tool to help deal with external triggers is to simply learn to avoid them.

An external trigger can be a person, place, or thing that brings up strong memories of drug abuse. A common relapse trigger might be driving by the place where you previously bought drugs or alcohol.

As soon as you drive by and take a look, you feel a strong craving. Often, the recovering addict, in early recovery, goes out of their way to visit people and places that they associated with their drug use.

Unfortunately, if you expose yourself to external triggers often, your risk of relapse increases. An external trigger could even be a smell. In fact, smells can be powerful triggers, because the olfactory sense is strongly associated with emotional memories.

Alcohol addiction triggers are particularly difficult to overcome.

In addiction recovery programs, such as at an alcohol addiction treatment center, counselors advise clients to avoid bars and liquor stores. While these locations seem like obvious triggers, there are many more alcohol triggers to identify.

Unfortunately, alcohol seems to be everywhere. There are ads for alcohol on television and online.

Every store, from convenience stores to gas stations, to grocery stores, sells some form of alcoholic beverage. It sometimes seems as if alcohol is everywhere. Seeing alcohol on the shelf, across from the bread in a supermarket, is a common trigger.

Recovering alcoholics often find that going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings can be comforting, because the meetings are one of the few places where everyone agrees that alcohol is something to avoid. For someone recovering from years of alcohol abuse, holding on to sobriety can be difficult in the beginning.

What does a cocaine addiction treatment center do to help prevent relapse?

Cocaine addiction is a particularly difficult substance use disorder to overcome, because the triggers are especially powerful, digging deep into feelings and memories. While cocaine is not legal, and not at every street corner, like alcohol, it lives in the cocaine-user’s memories, leading to frequent internal triggers.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a tool used in mental health treatment to help reduce addictive behavior and learn to deal with internal triggers. CBT is an important part of a relapse prevention plan at many addiction treatment programs.

Family therapy can also be helpful, by making it clear to family members that triggers have an effect on their loved ones. By being aware of external triggers and internal triggers, such as emotional triggers, family members can be more supportive.

What does a heroin addiction treatment center do for addiction therapy to prevent a return to opioid use?

Heroin is an illicit opioid, only available from street dealers. There is no legal use of heroin in the US.

While heroin, and street fentanyl, can be avoided by avoiding drug dealers, there are other, more accessible opioids to be avoided as well. For example, a mild opioid pain pill, such as tramadol, can trigger opiate cravings.

When cravings are triggered, the recovering opioid addict may be driven by strong urges to return to heroin or fentanyl use. Similarly, kratom is an opioid-like plant-based supplement that can trigger opioid cravings.

People who are overcoming an opioid addiction find it difficult to accept that they must do their best to avoid opioids in nearly all situations. For example, they are often concerned about what will happen if they require emergency surgery.

Narcotics Anonymous meetings are safe places where someone who is no longer using opioids, cocaine, meth, or any other addictive substance, can feel safe from many addiction triggers. However, people on methadone therapy or Suboxone therapy must be careful in NA meetings, because those treatments are shunned by the NA program.

If you are looking for an addiction recovery coach in Fort Lauderdale to help overcome opioid cravings, or other drug cravings, we can help. Coaching during Suboxone therapy can help greatly to support long-term success, and a drug-free, fulfilling life.

Are there triggers for other kinds of addiction?

There are many types of addiction beyond substance addiction. For example, there is gambling addiction, sex addiction, video game addiction, social media addiction, and food addiction. For example, eating a piece of cake can lead a food addict to an all night food binge.

Each type of addiction, and each individual will have unique triggers to learn about. While many external triggers, such as people, places, and things, can be avoided, internal triggers are difficult to avoid, so they must be dealt with.

Avoiding relapse is critical to success in long-term recovery, and the key is avoiding triggers in recovery. When a thought or feeling leads to an addiction craving, the person must realize that cravings pass within a short time.

If a trigger leads you to have an addiction craving, the best thing to do is nothing. Take no action that might lead to a relapse. Then, it is a good idea to make a phone call to a trusted friend or therapist to talk about the craving and the difficult feelings that arise.

Coping with triggers in recovery is not easy at first, but over time, triggers lose their power. Managing triggers in recovery will help greatly in achieving long-term success.