The new year serves as a turning point, often offering the perception of a clean slate, a fresh set of goals, and a renewed sense of motivation. For those in recovery, this includes goals that will help maintain the sobriety they’ve fought so hard to achieve. But with another year of life events, gatherings, and potential triggers ahead, how can a person in recovery achieve social fulfillment without compromising their well-being?
At ASAC, we understand this challenge and the many other hardships that come with substance use disorder, treatment, and recovery. We’re here to offer insight into identifying triggers, managing temptations, and building resilience on the road to recovery.
Substance Use Disorders and the Brain
Before a patient can overcome a substance use disorder and begin recovery, it’s important that they understand the truth: it is a disorder. What many don’t realize is that those experiencing a substance use disorder feel like they are at the physical and emotional mercy of that substance.
For instance, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) explains the link between the brain and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), the most common substance abuse disorder in the U.S.:
“Alcohol produces chemical imbalances in specific neurocircuits and can be neurotoxic. Chronic heavy drinking can, for example, damage brain regions involved in memory, decision-making, impulse control, attention, sleep regulation, and other cognitive functions. Once AUD develops and progresses, these and other brain changes can make it very difficult to stop drinking without assistance.” – NIAAA
Despite the facts, there is still a negative stigma that sometimes surrounds substance use and can lead to feelings of hurt, shame, guilt, and more. Unfortunately, those feelings can prevent someone from seeking help and can even become triggers in recovery. For this reason, it is even more important for individuals in recovery to remind themselves that addiction is a disorder — not a lack of willpower.
The good news is that the same characteristics of the brain that change during AUD can also contribute to health, healing, and recovery.
Recovery: Identifying Your Triggers
To maintain sobriety in recovery, individuals must learn to cope with uncomfortable feelings without relying on substances. These feelings, or triggers, are any emotional, behavioral, environmental, or social situation that can trigger cravings and threaten progress.
Emotional and Psychological Triggers
Things like stress, loneliness, and anxiety can become triggers for individuals in recovery, as well as strong emotions like anger, grief, or even immense joy. Existing challenges with mental health, negative thoughts and beliefs, and self-doubt can also lead to setbacks without a strong support system and plan in place.
Behavioral Triggers
Staying busy with healthy activities and outlets is important in recovery, so when a person finds themselves with too much idle time, it may become easier to return to old habits. Unhealthy habits, like not getting enough sleep, eating poorly, or breaking healthy routines can also lead to decreased wellness and increased urges.
Environmental Triggers
Something as seemingly simple as a location can be a huge trigger. For instance, a bar you used to frequent or a friend’s house where you would use substances can be nostalgic, triggering a desire to revisit those settings. Any environment with easily accessible substances can test a person’s resilience in recovery — and if a person isn’t ready yet, it can lead to a setback.
Social Triggers
Social elements can play a major role in recovery success, both positively and negatively. Oftentimes, people remove themselves from the friendships that perpetuated their substance use, which can result in feelings of isolation, sadness, and even grief as they readjust and build new, healthier relationships. Negative outcomes, like breakups or conflicts with friends or family, can also stir up intense and uncomfortable feelings.
While positive social interactions can be a source of support and strength for someone in recovery, they can also bring well-intentioned temptations or misinformed statements that can be hurtful to a person’s feelings and recovery. Not to mention, the simple act of attending a celebration can become a setback for sober individuals.
Healthy Strategies for Staying Resilient
Unfortunately, a few of the triggers mentioned above are either inevitable or out of one’s control. This is why learning how to cope in healthy ways is a major part of recovery. Not only that, but learning to anticipate triggers, preparing a plan for success, and prioritizing what is needed to take care of yourself, too.
Self-Care
Spending time getting comfortable with oneself again is a huge part of recovery. Yoga, meditation, or journaling are effective ways to practice self-reflection, accountability, and gratitude. Journals can also help track thoughts, feelings, and patterns relating to triggers.
Taking it back to basics is also a big part of self-care. For instance, good hygiene, a regular sleep schedule, lots of water, and staying active are key factors when it comes to keeping the body and mind aligned.
Anticipate and Plan
Once triggers have been identified, they can be anticipated more accurately. If a person is attending an event or seeing a person that may become a trigger, they can consider a plan of action in advance. Coming prepared with a plan serves as a safety net in difficult moments.
An action plan may look like this:
Create a list of positive coping skills. This could include taking deep breaths or counting to ten. Utilizing an immediate coping skill will allow the individual time to process the trigger and reaffirm their desire to abstain from substance use or gambling.
Determine where an alternative, safe place to go may be. This allows the individual to remove themselves from the trigger. For example, going to the bathroom or outside for a breath of fresh air.
Identify a positive support person that can be contacted. This could be a sponsor, peer recovery coach, or family member. Call that individual for support and to brainstorm the next steps together.
Practice refusal skills or statements. These can be shared with someone who may be encouraging substance use or encouraging the individual to stay in a triggering environment.
Seek a Strong Support System
Individuals should surround themselves with friends, family, or therapy groups that understand, uplift, and support them and their sobriety. Simply having someone to call or visit can reframe a person’s mindset and equip them to prevent potential setbacks.
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