substance abuse recovery, relapse triggers
1. Old Friends- One of the biggest obstacles to substance abuse recovery and one of the most common triggers for a relapse is old friends. These are friends that you use to drink or do drugs with, and just seeing these friends and hanging out can weaken your resolve to stay clean.
2. Old Haunts- One of the biggest relapse triggers is visiting places where you use to go and abuse substances. This place may be a neighborhood bar, the house of a friend who used to use with you all the time, or even places that you associate with your substance abuse for some other reason.
3. Old Thoughts-Part of successful substance abuse recovery is changing the way that you think, and if you start finding old thoughts coming back then this can trigger a slide backwards. If you experience moodiness, or you start to feel selfish or find yourself thinking what about me then additional counseling may be needed to avoid a relapse.
4. Missing Meetings and Counseling Sessions- One of the relapse triggers that many people report is missing meetings and counseling sessions. Recovery is a long process, and these sessions and meetings help you stay strong against the alcohol or drug.
5. Remembering Substance Abuse in a Favorable Light- If you are in substance abuse recovery then one warning sign of a possible relapse is viewing your past use in a favorable or positive light. You may start to romanticize your past substance abuse activities or experience a sense of nostalgia for the old days.
