A relapse trigger is any person, event, place, or object that sets off an alcohol craving in a recovering alcoholic. Newly recovering alcoholics are more prone to relapse triggers than those with longer term sobriety, but people with longer sobriety can also find themselves in dangerous waters if they use poor judgment and aren’t aware of their relapse triggers so they can avoid them.
Things are trickier for the newly recovering alcoholic fresh out of a treatment program than they are for those with long term sobriety. This article will focus on some common relapse triggers to avoid.
The newly recovering alcoholic is a babe in the woods when he/she leaves the safe confines of the treatment center and returns to the minefields of his former drinking life. A mine may explode when he least expects it. An old drinking/using buddy drops by without warning and brings beer. He goes out with a former drinking buddy at work for lunch and the friend buys him a drink. He may panic before he sets the friend straight. An innocent sounding activity like going to a major league baseball game can seem harmless until the newly sober person gets there and realizes he hasn’t been sober at a baseball game in more years than he can remember.
Eat when you are hungry. Don’t skip meals or go on fasts. Don’t let anger simmer. Talk out disagreements. Pray for those you resent. Go for a jog to clear your psyche of resentments that won’t clear. Don’t become a recluse. Get to the meetings and be with other recovering people. Go out for coffee afterward, especially if you live alone. Don’t let yourself get too tired. Exhaustion thinks it needs a drink when all it needs is a good eight hours of sleep. meetings a week, that you don’t make enough time to sleep. It’s important to your health and to your continuing sobriety.
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