Triggers we need to avoid!

Advice & Questions
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TRIGGERS

Make a list of the triggers you need to avoid at all costs.

People rarely relapse out of the blue. There is a string of events that lead up to that moment, like dominoes. Once the first one is knocked over, they keep falling until the moment when you finally relapse.

In order to stay sober, you need to avoid tipping the first domino over. Your task is to identify those dominoes (triggers) so you can avoid them.

Answer these questions to determine which external triggers (people, places, objects, and situations) are associated with your drug and alcohol use.

Who are the people you drink with?

What places do you normally drink at?

Where did you usually buy your alcohol?

What time of day did you often drink?

What things remind you of drinking? (Ex: online, favorite chair, shot glasses, mugs, bar signs etc.)

What situations make you think about drinking? (Ex: driving, parties, holidays, sporting events, dancing, concerts, being home alone, weekends, payday, after an argument, etc.)

What other triggers can you think of?

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My strategy for this was not have triggers. There’s no external force that can cause me to drink. Only I can do that, and as long as I stay true to my program then I’ll be good. Now if I become complacent or lazy. Those aren’t triggers, those are just me not valuing my sobriety.

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In the beginning, it was about people, places and things. If it had to do with alcohol…it was gone. As time went on…being sober, for me, transformed into recovery…and some of the people, places and things could re-enter my life. To be honest, very little came back. Recovery changed what I wanted out of life.

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Once i did the steps and service work and the craven and obsession was removed triggers didnt bother me , i stayed away from drinking places in early sobriety common sense hang about these places eventually youl lift a drink, new mind set is needed with a good network . otherwise when the triggers appear you wont have any defence

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For me triggers were just excuses to be sh*t faced all the time. The word itself would get me on edge, opening my eyes, life in general anything that would allow me to keep in my addiction was justified, so i did the work to change my view on things. When the compusive desire to drink was taken from me i was able to really continue on in my recovery.

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I drank with myself
I drank at home
I bought drink from the closest shop ( or in the next village if it was before 10am)
I drank all day some days

So me and my house and all day and the shop is my triggers by these questions :thinking::thinking::thinking:🤷🤷🤷

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MUSIC and REMINICING can trigger or tempt me the most.

NEGATIVE THINKING

GATHERINGS

FEELING like I’m the odd one out.

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As someone who has just had to reset and is back to day 2 :cry: after a 2 week stretch of being sober and clean.

I have spent the day reflecting and what triggered my poor choices that day .

I’ve also over the 2 weeks been putting on some internal work to dig up why I feel the need to drink till I black out and take drugs .

My main trigger is people and wanting to make them happy or like me , I’m a people pleaser and when my self esteem dips I seek approval and validation from others. Even when I have a good and loving support system I go out looking for it elsewhere , I want to be seen as the fun one and person others want to be around, with a lot of my “friend” circle that means drinking and drug using. I’m very insecure deep down but I’m looking for surface validation and I recognise it now and the most important people who do love me really love me for all me quirky habits, flaws and all value me as a person. #putting in the work :blush::blush:

Anyway my triggers : unfortunately certain people, social media, fear of missing out, wine , vodka, places where I used to drink like bars and people’s houses, WEEKENDS & boredom, fear of missing out.

I am working mostly at the moment on being strong and not feeling guilty about saying NO to people and not folding under pressure .

Hope everyone has a beautiful Sunday :+1::smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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I used to drink from friday to saturday late night, alone at home while being online in Second Life. I got my drug usually from a market that was just some steps near my apartment. I drank out of boredom and I was lost.
Feels good that those triggers are gone, all of them.
Still: here in Germany you can buy alcohol in every grocery store or even Kiosk. So my first domino always is my mental state. I work on it, I appreciate it, I dance when I feel the need and I box in my pillows or in the air when I feel the need. I feel everything from love to anger now, and that keeps me sane.
I stopped underestimaging my addiction.

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