During the detoxification process and in the first days & months (and years, for that matter) of your recovery, you are absolutely going to experience triggers and cravings that temporarily put you at a much higher risk of relapse during these events. The intensity of such events can be quite high, and for a few moments you will again experience that sense of madness, or insanity, that you may have felt when you were in active addiction.
It is absolutely crucial to be educated about these topics so you can develop tools and strategies to effectively deal with them and retain your sobriety despite these events
CRAVINGS
Addiction to most narcotics is typically characterized by two distinct types of cravings. The first of which are physical cravings, which are the symptoms your body exhibits and associated with withdrawal. These symptoms can include sweating, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, a racing heart and many others. This type of craving also causes emotional symptoms such as irritability, restlessness, insomnia, and others.
The second classification of cravings are mental, or psychological, cravings. This type of craving is associated with your emotional attachment to a substance and can occur simultaneously with physical cravings in the earliest stages of recovery, but as time moves on and your physical dependence on the drug begins to wane, the cravings you experience will be of this latter classification.
TRIGGERS
Triggers are very closely related to cravings, as a trigger is defined as an event that causes a craving to take hold. As was the case with cravings, there are two main classifications of triggers: internal and external.
It is very important to know how to identify the triggers that affect you the most so that you can develop a strategy to avoid putting yourself into a situation in which you may be triggered, or at the very least minimizing the impact that such a trigger may have on you.
External triggers are defined as people, places, actions, or objects that induce thoughts and cravings related to your particular drug of choice.
People that you associate with your addiction, such as friends you may have used with, your connect(s), or even friends and family that may cause a heightened level of stress put you at risk of being triggered.
It is very important in recovery to develop a strategy that allows you to be successful; Unfortunately this may mean that you have to intentionally cut some people out of your life, at least temporarily. The people you directly associate with your drug use need to be the first to go. This may feel like abandoning your friends, but it is absolutely critical that you keep yourself away from the temptations that may lead you to relapse.
Similarly, you need to try to avoid places that you associate with drug use. The parts of town you used to visit to buy your drugs should generally be avoided. When they cannot be avoided you should never go there alone. At the very minimum, call someone in your sober network to stay on the phone with you while you drive through the area until you a safe distance away. This may sound silly or unnecessary, but it is crucial.
Make a list of the people, places, activities (activities may include concerts, games, anything that you used to do while you were using that may make you want to use again), and things that you associate with your drug use and write down ways that you can eliminate or minimize your contact with them. Again, when contact cannot be avoided, don’t go it alone. Have somebody healthy for your recovery ride along with you or keep them on the phone until the risk has passed.
Even more dangerous to your recovery, however, are internal triggers. This is because internal triggers are associated with your thoughts and emotions and thus cannot be simply avoided or minimized as I had suggested with external triggers.
Almost any emotion such as fear, guilt, anxiety, loneliness or even more positive ones such as excitement, happiness, arousal can be met with an increased desire to use. Boredom, relaxation, tiredness, and others still can all cause one to go into a craving.
The best way to handle these types of triggers, and you may be noticing a pattern here, is to have a healthy member of your trusted sober network on call at all times to be able to talk you through a period of dangerous thoughts.
Building a sober network and developing a fellowship with other recovering addicts is one of the best ways to manage triggers and cravings effectively. This is the main way that organizations such as NA are able to help their members, and anyone familiar with them will attest to that.
Cravings and triggers are NORMAL in recovery
I think that it is important to note that when (not if, when) you experience a trigger and/or craving for a substance it is completely normal. It is par for the course for a drug addict and you don’t need to add to your already overflowing sense of guilt and shame just because you have the desire to use. Everybody in recovery deals with these things and you are not alone.
So the next time you feel you are being triggered or having a craving, just as calmly as you can make a phone call to a trusted member of your sober network. Meet up with them if you have to. Whatever you do, don’t try to handle it alone. You are not stronger than your addiction and you will not be able to handle it by yourself. Do yourself a favor and let go of any reservations about asking for help, and call somebody that can help you through it.
If you can manage to do this you will be so much more successful in your recovery.
I have had a rough couple of days this past week with regards to cravings. I call somebody that can help me and I know that they will pass. Despite the thoughts my disease tells me, I don’t use no matter what. And it is in this way that I know I will be okay.
Have a great day today.
G.M.C., 1.29.2020, Day 71
Daily Recovery 