How to Identify and Cope With Your PTSD Triggers

In this blog post, we’ll discuss what a relapse trigger is and identify the different types of triggers. Life goes on, and you will eventually find yourself in the presence of an Sobriety external trigger, plus you have internal triggers. Sometimes there are physical things or items that create the desire to use in an individual or otherwise trigger their addiction.

Reset Your Mind: Benefits of Inpatient Mental Health Care

• Overconfidence in recovery can be dangerous, as it can lead to a false sense of security, making you more likely to take risks and eventually relapse.
• Believe it or not, some of the closest people to you can trigger a relapse.
• For instance, internal triggers might include unexpected anxiety or financial stress 1.
• Triggers are a crucial aspect of addiction recovery, and understanding how they work is essential for maintaining sobriety.

Facilities like Ikon Recovery Center offer support tailored to both types of triggers. Through trauma-informed care and specialized therapies, they help individuals build the strength needed for lasting recovery. Interestingly, both positive and negative experiences can serve as triggers 12. For instance, getting a promotion might spark the urge to “celebrate” with substances, just as feeling stressed or anxious might. These triggers are the thoughts, feelings, and mental states that can lead to urges to use substances.

How can I manage stress and anxiety during my recovery?

Internal triggers originate from within oneself, often linked to emotional factors. External triggers, on the other hand, stem from environmental factors. Recognizing and understanding both types of triggers can significantly enhance an individual’s recovery progress and help prevent relapses. By creating a plan, individuals can identify their triggers and cravings, and develop strategies to manage them. They can also build up their coping skills to help them better handle difficult situations.

Avoiding High-Risk Areas

With a Master of Social Work degree, LCSW license, internal triggers examples and extensive training in Rapid Resolution Therapy under her belt, she brings a wealth of expertise to her role. Her unique combination of education and experience allows her to provide exceptional care to clients and lead her team with confidence. Stephanie’s joy comes from witnessing the moments when her patients creatively connect the dots and bravely move toward reclaiming their power. Her purpose is to help individuals understand their past so they can create a future full of hope, growth, and success.

• Tracking emotional patterns and staying consistent with these strategies can make a huge difference.
• Flashbacks may be caused by triggers, but they are not the same thing.
• Remember that different coping strategies may work for different triggers and emotions.
• After removing the corticosterone-producing glands from the rats, researchers observed a lack of relapse behavior after triggering them with low doses of cocaine.

• Specialized programs help individuals recognize their triggers and build strategies to cope effectively.
• Therapists in rehab facilities can offer individuals tools and ideas that can be helpful while battling troubling emotions and compulsions.
• Understanding and addressing these triggers with professional support can strengthen recovery and reduce relapse risks.
• It requires introspection, patience, and, often, the guidance of a mental health professional.
• Triggers can cause individuals to develop a “flight or fight response.” Since this reponse can cause great distress and anxiety, it is often suggested for those struggling to get help.

A NIDA study maintains that exposure to drug-related objects may influence a former addict’s behavior. The brain registers these stimuli and processes them in the same areas involved in drug-seeking behavior. The behavior that emerges after a trigger can range from relatively minimal (crying) to serious (acts of violence). Someone exposed to a trigger may experience impaired judgment or awareness.