Treatment for alcohol or drug addiction can provide you with
a major change of direction for the better, but you must maintain that newfound
health and wellness after you complete your treatment program. You may find
yourself confronting individuals, environments, and cultural biases that tend
to rekindle those unwanted urges.
Once you know how to recognize these potential triggers, you
can employ sensible strategies to avoid them or minimize their effects on your
resolve. Here are some particular kinds of stimuli that might threaten your new
way of life, along with smart responses that can help you remain healthy and
happy.
Addiction and Destructive Relationships
The bonds you maintain with friends and family members may
prove critical for your recovery, but in some cases they can also imperil it.
If you grew up with abusive, domineering, or unsupportive parents, for
instance, you may find that family reunions trigger a desire to numb the
recurrence of old feelings.
Friendships may also pose problems during your recovery,
especially if peer pressure to abuse drugs or alcohol played a major role in
those relationships. Some friends may feel that you have changed in ways that
they don't like, which can cause emotional friction and trigger the urge to
abuse substances.
Both cognitive therapy and group therapy can help to prepare
you for these eventualities. You can also seek out a positive-minded and
supportive friend to help you rehearse how you'll react in specific family
situations or social gatherings. You might even decide to end particularly
toxic relationships for your own good.
Addiction and Public Places
Some individuals in recovery discover that specific
environments set off their substance abuse triggers. For instance, you may have
memories of past drinking or drug use attached to a particular bar, house,
street, or neighborhood. Even a specific restroom, freeway exit, or workplace might
set off your triggers.
Fortunately, you can remove many environmental triggers
simply by avoiding them. Think carefully about where you used to drink,
purchase drugs, or hide contraband. You may need to alter your weekday commute,
frequent different shopping areas, or take other steps to keep yourself away
from these triggers.
Addiction and Your Home
If you regularly abused drugs or alcohol in the privacy of
your home, even this escape from the outside world can stir up associations
that make you want to resume your old behaviors. While some people might
actually choose to move, many others don't have this option readily available
to them.
You can remain in your beloved home despite its ability to
trigger your addictive behaviors as long as you make some necessary changes to
it. These changes may involve basic cosmetic alterations. When you repaint
walls or rearrange furniture, you can have a home that no longer presents
obvious visual triggers.
Addiction and Popular Media
Modern media often portrays alcohol or drug abuse in an
amusing or harmless light, from humorous statements related to mommy wine
culture to the sharing of countless social media posts that enthusiastically
endorse these behaviors. Various movies, books, and songs have all romanticized
substance abuse.
You may find it especially difficult to escape the deluge of
such media in today's Internet-dependent world. Studies even suggest
that choosing to like, share, or comment on social media posts related to
substance abuse may actually reinforce chemical dependency. Over time, the
brain becomes conditioned to accept them as normal attitudes.
Problematic media may include more than just social media
channels or websites. Certain books, movies, or TV shows which you once enjoyed
while under the influence, or which specifically address substance abuse in
their content, might set off your addiction triggers.
Avoidance of media-based triggers, at least in the short
term, can help you build up a resistance to their effects on you. Remove
certain bookmarks or avoid specific websites that concern themselves primarily
with substance abuse. Resist the urge to like or share social media posts that
celebrate drugs or alcohol.
You don't have to escape from everyday life to master your
addictive behavior; you just need the right guidance and forethought to create
and maintain the life you truly want. Contact
Oak Arbor to get
started on your path to recovery.
