Many people are still shocked when they discover how prevalent the use of illicit drugs is. In the United States, more than a fifth of the entire population, used illicit drugs in the past year. On top of that, more than nine million people 12 and older misused opioids in the past year.
One of the biggest reasons that so many people misuse illicit substances is that they are often addictive. Many people discover that they have built up a long list of addiction triggers after using substances for a while.
When the time comes that they decide to overcome their addiction, they find it seems like almost anything can trigger a relapse. However, many people have learned to succeed by identifying their addiction triggers. With the right process, anyone can learn to do the same.
So what can you do to recognize addiction triggers and avoid them? Read on to learn all about the top tips for managing addiction triggers!
Be Patient When Managing Addiction Issues
After you have spent a few weeks or months trying to overcome your addiction, you will have learned a lot. Knowing this, it also follows that there is a lot about battling addiction that you will not know when you are first starting out.
Because you have so much to learn, it makes sense that it will be more difficult for you at first to try to overcome your addiction. As a result, one of the most important things to cultivate when you begin overcoming an addiction is patience.
This goes double when it comes to dealing with your addiction triggers. You might end up having literally dozens of different triggers that you will have to become familiar with. It is impossible for you to understand all of these triggers in detail on the first day that you decide to battle your addiction.
To a certain degree, it is inevitable that you will become more familiar with your addiction triggers through a process of trial and error. Even when you relapse, this means that there is a silver lining. When you have a relapse triggered by a new trigger, you can take some solace in the fact that you have discovered another vulnerability.
Although you might end up having many triggers, there will still be a finite number of them. Every trigger you discover is one step closer to overcoming your addiction!
Learn About Common Drug Addiction Triggers
There are two approaches to learning your addiction triggers. One is to observe your own experiences and learn about the unique details of your specific triggers. The other approach is to learn about triggers in general.
At the end of the day, you are going to need to understand your own specific triggers with a great deal of detail. However, you might be able to identify your triggers faster if you review some of the most common triggers that people have.
For example, many people find that certain people in their lives act as addiction triggers. Learning about this can help you reflect on the people in your life that might increase the chance that you relapse. This can save you from having to discover these triggers through a painful process of trial and error.
Many people also find that certain emotions act as triggers for relapses. In most cases, people seek out addictive substances as an escape from some kind of unpleasant experience.
Some people are triggered by loneliness while others are triggered by self-criticism. Other people find that thoughts of loss or uncertainty sometimes increase the chance that they will relapse.
Learning about the common triggers that other people experience can help you identify many of your own triggers in advance. Of course, there will still be some idiosyncratic triggers that you will have to encounter through your own unique experiences.
Speak With Others Struggling With Alcohol Addiction
As you build up your list of triggers, you will also need to build up a series of plans for how to respond to each trigger. One of the best ways to do this is to speak with others who have gone through the same process.
First, they can often give you inspiration for how you can respond to triggers to avoid relapsing. Many people have come up with surprising strategies that work better than you might think.
On top of that, forming relationships with people who have dealt with similar struggles can provide you with a great plan for responding to a trigger. Try to find people who are willing to take a phone call from you when you are struggling with a trigger or temptation.
Let Your Addiction Treatment Plan Grow With You
You might find that you need to come up with multiple plans for how to respond to some triggers. Other responses to triggers might not turn out to be as effective as you hoped. However, it is important to persevere and keep changing your plan until it gives you the strength to overcome your addictions.
Invest in Detox and Rehab Help
In some cases, you might need the assistance of a quality rehab center to help you learn how to manage your addiction triggers. Many people find that nothing else provides as much help as the resources of a professional drug and alcohol detox center.
Learn How to Handle Addiction Triggers
One of the most important parts of overcoming an addiction is learning how to deal with your addiction triggers. Although this can be a difficult process, it can also be a rewarding one. Learning more about your triggers will help you understand yourself better and develop resilience and self-discipline.
To learn more about how you can find the best help for overcoming alcohol or drug addiction, reach out and get in touch with us here at any time!
