Alcoholic Triggers: Common Causes of Relapse

Your surroundings can influence you tremendously. While some environments can have a positive impact on you, certain atmospheres can actually trigger negative and harmful behaviors. Environmental triggers can cause relapse to occur.

Of course, triggers are different for everyone. But some examples of environmental alcoholic triggers might include sports events or particular places and settings. People may be tempted to consume alcohol while at Super Bowl parties or out bowling with friends. Often, such events are paired with alcohol use. But, these can be dangerous settings for those who are recovering from alcohol abuse.

Some people may have difficulty avoiding relapse at home due to family members drinking. For others, certain cities, states, or buildings may trigger thoughts of using alcohol. For example, being in a city where you used to drink may cause you to consider drinking again.

A person’s home environment may also be triggering if they live with an abusive individual. If verbal, physical, or emotional abuse is present in the home, this can certainly be triggering for those who are recovering from addiction.

Some people may be triggered by other individuals. Being around people who drink excessively can be problematic. Also, spending time with people with whom you used to drink alcohol can lead to relapse.

In some cases, family members and friends who mean well can still be triggers. They may speak about alcohol, consume it in front of you, or bring up your past struggle with alcoholism in casual conversation. These can certainly cause issues to arise.

Pressure to use alcohol can come from one’s social life. Alcohol is usually available at social gatherings. Birthday parties, family gatherings, holiday parties, work events, and other social assemblages all typically involve alcoholic beverages. As such, social events are likely alcoholic triggers.

Also, drug abuse and alcohol use are so incredibly present in social media, movies, and TV shows. As a result, entertainment can prove to be quite triggering for people who are recovering from substance use disorders.

In addition to social events and media, social problems can be triggers for recovering alcoholics. Individuals who are recovering from addiction often have trouble building or maintaining interpersonal relationships. They may struggle to have healthy relationships with their family members. Or, they may have difficulty becoming romantically involved with others. These issues can be triggers for those who are working to recover from alcohol use disorder.

Believe it or not, natural emotions and feelings can be triggers for alcoholism. Everyone experiences hunger. Anger is also a natural emotion that everyone tends to feel from time to time. Most people experience feelings of loneliness here and there. Tiredness is inevitable. Still, these very natural occurrences can be triggering while in recovery.

While a person certainly can’t avoid feeling these emotions and discomforts, it is important to know how to address them. The brain of a recovering alcoholic can associate overall discomfort with a solution from the past: drinking. Since the brain learned to depend on alcohol when challenges arose in the past, it will likely revert to this idea when discomfort is present. So, hunger, anger, loneliness, and tiredness can definitely trigger thoughts of drinking. But, preventing these feelings from leading to relapse is crucial to a successful recovery.

If you live in an unhealthy home, it is important for you to relocate. If there’s any kind of physical, emotional, or mental abuse or any sort of substance misuse, you should get out of that living situation.

Having a peaceful, healthy, and happy living environment is essential to your overall well-being. It is also crucial to a successful recovery.

If there are human triggers in your life, addressing this issue might be very challenging. You’ll need to analyze your relationships with these individuals. Then, you’ll have to determine whether or not you should continue being around them.

Human triggers can come in various forms: an old drinking buddy, a family member who drinks excessively, or maybe a friend who doesn’t support your recovery journey. You will need to figure out whether or not you want them in your life. In most cases, it’s best to distance yourself from such individuals.

Media can be very triggering for those in recovery. So, it may be time to log off social media. Perhaps, you should limit how much time you spend watching movies or tuning into the news.

Also, be very careful about where you hang out and who you hang with. Choose to spend time with people who support your recovery, not just in words but in deeds. In other words, you’ll want to avoid people who say they support you but continue to abuse drugs or alcohol in your presence or don’t understand the importance of helping you avoid triggers.

At some point, you will feel hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. But, when these feelings arise, you’ll need to be prepared. Combat boredom by finding a healthy hobby. When you are hungry, eat nutritious foods that increase your energy and improve your mood.

If you get angry, practice calming methods, speak with a friend, or spend some time in self-reflection. If you start to feel lonely, phone a comrade from group therapy or speak with a helpful family member. Combat triggering tiredness by getting enough sleep.

It all boils down to taking care of yourself. Do your best to look after yourself, address your needs, and surround yourself with people who will help you in this way.