Relapse is a very common thing in addiction recovery. You need to be committed and patient during recovery, and it’s not always possible because life happens. We encounter many ups and downs, and keeping to your recovery schedule can feel like a distant dream. So, even if you’ve completed your treatment at one of the top Nashville treatment centers, you may still relapse. Because recovery doesn’t end the day your treatment does, it is an ongoing process as people relearn how to live without turning back to substances.
In many cases, relapse occurs when a person encounters triggers. These triggers can be either external or internal stimuli that immediately revive their craving for a substance or bring back a pattern of behavior associated with addiction.
Many things can be triggers for someone in recovery from addiction, and triggers may vary by person. What may drive a thirst for drugs in one person may not even register with another. However, most triggers fall into these 4 broad categories:
Physical triggers arise from what is happening in the body. When your body is tired, sick, or depleted, your ability to deal with stress and emotions naturally wanes. At such times, patients often have their brains looking for a fast way to relieve stress and often crave the substances or behaviors that once brought relief.
One of the most common triggers that causes relapse is known as HALT (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired). If you feel hungry, angry, lonely, or tired, your mood and decision-making ability drop immediately, and your body starts craving what it had been addicted to. For example, if you have not been sleeping properly for days or have not eaten well, your body will naturally want to indulge in substance use.
Physical illness also creates a vulnerability. If someone feels physically ill, he or she may recall how substances once numbed pain or discomfort. Even common concerns like chronic pain, headache, or recovery from injury can make old habits seem alluring again.
Some other physical triggers are:
Taking care of your body is one of the best relapse-prevention tools there is. Eating regularly, staying hydrated, getting enough sleep, and keeping up with your medical care can all help to increase emotional stamina for when things are tough emotionally. A lot of people in recovery also find that exercise, yoga, and regular routines stabilize their mood and energy levels.
Many other emotional states can also matter. Cravings can be triggered by sadness, anger, anxiety, boredom, loneliness, guilt, and shame. Even positive emotions, sometimes like excitement or celebration, may lead to substance use to hit that high.
Another powerful trigger is memory or romanticizing of past drug or alcohol use. When the brain recalls just the ‘good’ parts of substance use, it can produce a false sense of nostalgia.
Overconfidence can also be risky. After months or years of sobriety, you might feel like you have total control and start testing the limits, thinking you can handle ‘just one’ drink or drop back into familiar old haunts safely.
Some common psychological and emotional triggers are:
The only way to avoid psychological and emotional triggers is to keep your emotions controlled. Regular therapy sessions with your counsellor, journaling, meditation, or mindfulness activities can help you understand your emotions and have better control over them. You should try engaging with support groups or recovery communities to communicate with other people who are going through a similar emotional state and learn from their experiences.
An environmental trigger originates outside the body. There are certain places, individuals, or social scenarios that can trigger a person into re-living their past substance abuse in the form of craving. For example, returning to a bar where someone drank heavily or going back to the town where one got into drugs will trigger very strong memories. Even subtle triggers like certain genres of music, smells, or social environments can bring you back to square one.
Social situations are particularly difficult. Parties, celebrations, or other places where there’s drinking tend to make one buy in.
Big life changes can also serve as a trigger. Things that are supposedly positive, like a promotion or a new job, can bring nervousness, stress, or expectations.
Some common environmental triggers include:
You must draw a line. Try to avoid every space, person, and situation that can evoke your negative emotions. Many people in recovery cut off toxic contacts and avoid places where they used to indulge in substance use. Also, you can form social circles around healthy habits like yoga, workout sessions, marathons, etc.
Behavioral triggers refer to habits, routines, and relationship patterns that may quietly lead back into using drugs. Isolation is one of the most common risk factors when it comes to behavioral triggers. When people think they are stable enough to stop receiving help from their friends, families or recovery groups, they usually withdraw emotionally. But little do they know that these connections are what helped them stay sober.
Relationships can stir so many emotions all at once. Conflict, breakups, or the unhealthy dynamic of a relationship are all straight paths to relapse. Sometimes it is those small changes that people make in their daily lives, like not attending support meetings, dropping healthy habits, or staying with those who indulge in substances, that bring about relapse.
Common behavioral triggers can include:
Consistency is essential in recovery. You should mingle with people who are helpful, attend meetings or therapy sessions, and develop healthy routines to protect yourself against relapse.
The better you lay out a balanced life (meaningful relationships, hobbies, purpose), the less likely those old auto responses will rear their heads again.
Acknowledging relapse triggers doesn’t signify weakness or a predestined relapse. You should keep yourself aware of these triggers to know how to avoid them and keep yourself safe from any unpleasant relapses after going through that hell of a treatment.
Recovery never means to perfect yourself. It’s a process of learning, adapting, and moving forward even when you find resistance.
Reference:
https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/treatment-recovery
https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTHLIBRARY/tools/reducing-relapse-risk.asp
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