Triggers are psychological stimuli that prompt recall of a previous traumatic experience that might not necessarily be frightening or traumatic.
Triggers could range from financial problems to pressure from family to the feeling of loneliness to the anniversary date of a loved one’s death to even walking into a building that hold gruesome memories of the past.
Patients on the recovery journey from addiction tend to suffer triggers a lot of time as the graphic images, odors, or feelings of their past tend to creep upon them.
Handling triggers is a necessary aspect of addiction recovery in which the first step to handling it is identifying your triggers. Everyone has triggers that differ but recognizing them will help to know the best solution to be proffered.
Some triggers could be seeing someone who is drunk or using drugs, another person’s triggers could be seeing people arguing or fighting.
The next step to handling triggers is staying open and receptive to the fact that they are existent and could come up at any time. Living in denial when trying to handle triggers is a dangerous step to take as it could break the individual down when it finally comes.
Furthermore, after knowing what your triggers are, desist from testing yourself. If it is staying in a bar, do not go to one or even attempt lurking around one as a test to see if you can now withstand it.
In conclusion, it is necessary to have a trigger plan. It could either be by involving a family or friend to check up on you from time to time, or it could be by spending time with positive people. Also, patients dealing with triggers should learn to take enough rest as it takes your mind off a lot of issues that could induce their triggers.
