Understanding and Avoiding These Common Relapse Triggers

What is a Relapse Trigger?

One of the important aspects of your overall recovery is to put together a plan that includes not only addressing the root cause of your addiction but a plan for relapse prevention. Unfortunately, if you don’t take steps to prevent relapse, you’re more likely to give in to the temptation that comes along with the emotions that you may feel in a difficult moment. There are several potential relapse triggers. It’s important to remember, however, that they are not insurmountable. With the right type of addiction treatment, you will learn what you can do to work through these difficult moments so that your sobriety is never put in jeopardy.

Stress

Stress can come from seemingly every aspect of your life. There are countless people that struggle with an addiction who have stressful jobs or stresses associated with their family life that boil over and trigger their addiction. For many, it’s easier to give in to their addiction than to deal with those stresses. When you’re working through an addiction treatment program, you will learn to manage those stresses in a healthy way and what you can do to avoid getting to the point where you feel so stressed out that you give in to your disease.

Peer Pressure

Many times, it’s not uncommon for a client to express the fact that they live with or they are surrounded by people that don’t believe that addiction is a disease. When you’re regularly interacting with these people and you aren’t working with addiction recovery experts such as the ones at Resurgence, you are more likely to give in to the temptation to use our drug or drink of choice.

Boredom

There is an old saying which states, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop”. When a person is bored, their mind may drift toward their addiction simply because they are looking for something to do and they don’t know another way to entertain themselves. Picking up a new hobby or going to a 12-step meeting are wonderful alternatives that will help you to prevent relapse and take steps toward making healthier decisions in your life. Doing so will also give you the opportunity to learn more about yourself and your likes and dislikes as a sober individual.

Anger

Anger is one of the biggest relapse triggers that you will have to manage as you navigate through your recovery. Anger can come in many different shapes and forms. For example, many people feel angry because they feel as though no one else around them understands them. Others feel angry because the car in front of them cut them off and use it as an excuse to consume their substance of choice for that day.

Surroundings

A huge trigger point for many people is to be in an environment where your addiction was prevalent. One of the important factors in your relapse prevention plan will be to change the people, places, and things around you that may have impacted your sobriety. Taking an inventory of possible relapse triggers is critical so that you know what situations you can manage at the moment and what you should avoid.

How Resurgence Behavioral Health Can Help

The Resurgence Behavioral Health team can assist you in putting together a relapse prevention plan that will help you to remain focused on your goal for your sobriety. Our team will help you put together a holistic treatment plan that will help you to learn more about yourself and the steps that you can take to live a healthier life without the influence of drugs or alcohol. When you’re ready to take your first steps, please reach out to us at (855) 458-0050.

David Rofofsky
After growing up in New York, David chose to get help with substance abuse in California because of the state's reputation for top-tier treatment. There, he found the treatment he needed to achieve more than nine years of recovery. He's been in the drug and alcohol addiction rehab industry for eight years and now serves as the Director of Admissions for Resurgence Behavioral Health. David remains passionate about the field because he understands how hard it is to pick up the phone and ask for help. However, once the call is made, someone's life can be saved.

Research | Editorial