8 Triggers to Watch Out For When You Are in Addiction Recovery
An important part of addiction recovery is learning how to recognize triggers and coming up with ways to manage them in advance. The people who successfully stay sober and transform their lives have learned what to watch out for. Addiction recovery can be a long and difficult road, but having the right support system is essential. Here are 8 triggers to watch out for when you are recovering from drug or alcohol addiction.
Toxic People
Toxic people are bad for you. They can be friends, family members, or co-workers and have the ability to drain your energy and make you feel stressed, anxious, and worse. Just because they are family does not mean that they get to treat you poorly. It’s important to recognize who these toxic people are and to limit interactions with them if possible. If you need to be around them, learn ways to ignore their bad behaviors. While in therapy, many addicts learn to more easily recognize who these people are and to better cope when they are around instead of turning to drinking and/or drugs. If you need to go to rehab, you can find more info at Next Level Recovery or another similar facility in your area.
Your Old Hangout Places
You may find yourself going back to your old hangout spots. You might even feel like you need to go there and see if the old group of friends is still hanging out. This can be a very dangerous trigger because it is easy to slip into old habits when you are around people you used to drink with or do drugs with. If you’re wanting to stay in recovery, don’t go. If it means finding new routes to get to places, then that’s okay.
Spending Too Much Time on Social Media
Did you know that scrolling on social media is addictive in and of itself? When you’re recovering from drug and alcohol addiction it can be easy to want to substitute. It’s easy to get caught up in scrolling through your news feed, watching Reels, and checking out what everyone else is doing. Avoid spending too much time on social media to help you out.
Negative Thought Processes
Your own thoughts can be a major trigger when you are in addiction recovery. Negative thought processes can lead to negative self-talk, which can lead to depression and anxiety. If you are in addiction recovery, it’s important to change your thinking patterns so that they’re more positive and realistic. Tell yourself you made mistakes but you are working on doing better instead of the old habit of telling yourself you are a loser and a failure. Tell yourself that you past may have been dark, but your future is bright, instead of telling yourself you are stuck and going nowhere.
Unhealthy Conflict at Home
Learning how to fight fairly is important for relational health. It’s also important for addicts in recovery because poor fighting habits can also be a trigger. It’s important to learn how to handle conflict in recovery and to get therapy if there are other unhealthy relational dynamics present. Learn to work through problems and get to the root of the issue without hurting the other person.
Bad Health Habits
Smoking, playing video games 24/7, and eating junk food are unhealthy habits. When you’re in recovery, you want to set yourself up for success mentally and physically. Eating healthy food, exercising more, and even finding other hobbies besides video games is an important part of the recovery journey.
Isolation From Family, Friends, and Support
Isolation is dangerous for people in recovery. Instead of staying alone, go be with friends and family. If they aren’t available, attend a meeting or reach out to your sponsor. It’s vital to stay connected with people who are cheering you on and want to see you succeed.
Lying About How You Are Doing
When you are lying to yourself and others about how you are doing, it can lead to other bad behaviors. For example, if you tell someone that everything is fine when it’s not, then that person may not think to reach out to you and then you could feel more isolated and alone. Tell the truth if you aren’t doing well. Being able to be honest is an important part of addiction recovery because so much of your time was likely spent lying about the situation you are in.