Triggers are things we see, hear and people we come into contact with, in other words: people, places and things. Triggers initiate cravings to drink and/or use. It could be driving or walking past a favorite bar or friends house, arguing with our spouse/partner, getting mad at a boss at work or just plain old rejection of just about any kind.
Just how intense cravings are, varies from incident to incident, and if intense enough, can and does drive us into relapse, to the bar or a dealer. Cravings give us urges to drink or use and we need to recognize them. Most of us will get these urges in early recovery and we need to find a way to fight back before the urges become actions. Saying the Serenity Prayer is one way of fighting off these urges, and delaying actions to postpone, refocus or override the cravings is another. Call someone, a sponsor, a friend in recovery or just get yourself to a meeting.
One thing to remember is that no matter how bad you might think a situation is, you can never make it better by drinking or using. Recognize your triggers and urges, and plan ahead before they come up, on how to deal with them.
Here are a couple of links that might help you combat your triggers and there are a lot more on the web and in books. Take the time BEFORE they happen to find out how to combat them.
My Reflections in Recovery for today.
Milkman Mike
http://www.personal-recovery-tools.com/sobriety-prayer.html
http://recoveringaddict.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-make-a-relapse-prevention-plan
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