The road to recovery can be a long and arduous one, and it is a journey that will continue for the rest of your life. The most difficult aspect of staying on this journey for many is preventing relapse by avoiding triggers and learning how to keep yourself going if you’re exposed to those triggers. Unfortunately, triggers can appear at any time, even when everything seems to be going well, and if you’re in recovery, you’ll need a lot of support and guidance along the way.
That’s why learning about, preventing, and addressing triggers as much as possible is an essential part of overcoming a substance use disorder in the long term. In part, this involves learning to remain calm and confident in a situation of great stress or trauma. Understanding your personal triggers of relapse and how to avoid them will help you stay in recovery for years to come.
Common Relapse Triggers
Before learning to avoid your personal relapse triggers, it’s important to get an idea of how your triggers may manifest. There are many common situations that can push people toward a relapse. Some of these situations involve personal stressors, traumatic experiences, or bad habits that have yet to be broken. Other circumstances are more general and can potentially apply to anyone struggling with a substance use disorder.
HALT Triggers
“HALT” stands for “hungry, angry, lonely, tired.” This acronym covers a range of risky situations in which a person may become stressed and more likely to return to substance use.
In fact, these are so common that remembering to HALT during a craving – considering whether you are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired – is a key strategy for identifying what is triggering the craving.
Each of these states is linked, and experiencing one can make you more likely to experience another, compounding the problem.
Hunger
Being hungry causes more than discomfort and a lack of energy; it can also alter your mood and make you act irrationally. Being “hangry” is a real problem because hunger can cause irritability and anger.1 When someone is hungry, they’re less likely to handle stressful situations appropriately.
Anger
Being angry can make people more impulsive and less likely to listen to reason. Anger can be caused by a lack of food, sleep, and social support. It’s heavily linked to the other mood states and is, as a result, difficult to avoid.
Loneliness
Loneliness has a serious impact on a person’s psychology. Being lonely is linked with higher rates of paranoia, low self-esteem, depression, feelings of meaninglessness, and more. 2 Additionally, if someone is feeling alone, then they lack a trusted support system they can reach out to when they need help, making it much more difficult to get the assistance they need to prevent a relapse. Ultimately, loneliness is a serious thing to overcome when trying to avoid substances.
Tiredness
Being tired is another state that can make someone act irrationally, especially if it’s related to a lack of sleep. Poor sleep can lead to cognitive dysfunction, which makes good decision-making hard while also making it more difficult to calm down. This is why poor sleep is linked with deeper feelings of anxiety. 3
People, Places, and Things
One common yet individualized trigger involves specific people, places, and things. This can happen due to experiencing a trauma related to those people or places or due to the people or place being associated with substance use. Objects can also trigger similar memories.
If people are your triggers, it can be a difficult reality to deal with. Realizing that who you surround yourself with may play a role in your substance use and taking action to avoid these specific people is never easy for anyone. These people might be close friends and family members who may not understand or respect your efforts to recover. In other cases, being around certain people may trigger unpleasant or traumatic memories, or memories of substance use. Regardless of why these people act as a trigger, understanding the problem and distancing yourself as much as possible is often necessary to stay healthy and happy.
Specific places can act as triggers as well, due to the memories attached to them. Returning to a place where you once used a substance may tempt you to seek that same experience as you relive nostalgia and memories of fun times and friends. Alternatively, the place may have negative memories attached to it, in which case, returning can be a source of stress and anxiety. Staying away from places that you associate with substance use or traumatic memories is an important part of staying in recovery.
Triggering objects can include any number of things. For example, pill bottles, alcohol containers, and needles can remind people of their substances. Certain items may be associated with specific traumas or fears, such as a weapon or a car. Events in the media can also be triggering, as they may depict substance use or a situation similar to a traumatic experience.
Stress
Stress is a universal obstacle everyone has to deal with. Many triggers can induce stress, but stress itself can act as a trigger. The release of stress hormones can put you into an alert and action-ready state, triggering anxiety and restlessness – two things that often lead to substance use. 4 Stress can be overwhelming and scary, especially if it lasts for long periods of time, and coping with stress is a common reason many people turn to substances in the first place.
When you’re recovering from a substance use disorder, suffering from severe stress without a healthy coping strategy to fall back on can result in a relapse.
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Not taking care of your physical needs, such as eating right and sleeping well
Workplace-related troubles, such as losing a job or being berated by a boss
Financial troubles, such as not being able to pay the bills or having to cut back on your budget
Relationship troubles, such as breaking up with a partner or being involved in a family argument
Losing a loved one
Other health-related concerns, such as you or someone you know developing a life-threatening disease or suffering from a serious injury
Being stressed can cause a wide variety of symptoms and side effects, which can make it even more difficult to stay in recovery. Stress can lead to illnesses, struggles with cognition, gastrointestinal issues, and more. 5 That’s why it’s so important to find a good way to cope with a stressful situation without falling back on substances.
Avoiding Triggers
Learning to identify your personal triggers is just one part of staying in recovery. The other part is learning to avoid these triggers and to take care of your emotional and physical needs in a healthy way. Handling stressful situations correctly can make it much easier to avoid a relapse, even when the triggers come unexpectedly or at a time when you’re already dealing with stress. Other methods can reduce the risk of getting stressed while helping you make good decisions.
Eat Right
A healthy diet provides you with the nutrients you need to be at your best. Some nutrients that can help you recover, feel good, and reduce stress include:
Amino acids
Magnesium
Vitamin C
Potassium
Probiotics and prebiotics
B vitamins
Antioxidants
Planning healthy, nutrient-packed meals ahead of time will help you stay on top of having a nutritious diet. 6
Sleep Right
Getting plenty of sleep can do wonders for your mood, cognitive functions, and your ability to react appropriately to problems. If you want to get on a healthy sleep schedule, consider these steps: 7
Reduce how much screen time you have each day, especially at night. Bright screens act as stimulants and make it harder to sleep.
Get to bed at a regular time. Sticking to a healthy sleep schedule will allow your circadian rhythm to adapt.
Avoid stimulants, such as coffee, in the afternoon. The effects can linger and make it difficult to relax.
Relax before you go to bed. This can include taking a hot bath, which slows you down and helps you prepare for sleep.
Make sure your bedroom is a comfortable and stress-free environment.
Build a Good Support Group
While some people can make us more likely to relapse, other people will do the opposite. It’s important to find a support group of people you trust, feel comfortable being around, and can turn to when you need help. There are three main kinds of supports you may be able to find and develop.
Family and friends. Having a network of people you can rely on in your daily life can prevent you from feeling alone and helpless. Being able to count on your family and friends means that you can trust the people you’re closest to, and they can help you stay in recovery and avoid things that trigger you.
Therapy groups. By joining a therapy group, you can share your experiences with others who have been through the same or similar situations. Additionally, you’ll be able to listen to their stories. Both of these activities can make it easier to stay in recovery — you’ll no longer have to feel alone in your struggles, and you’ll be able to empathize with yourself and others.
A good mentor and therapist is also important. Building a relationship with a trained professional who can help you keep up with your recovery, work through negative experiences, and provide you with the resources you need to be successful is a valuable part of avoiding a relapse. Your therapist can also get you to safety with a psychiatric hold if you feel like you’re in danger.
Mindfulness is another important aspect of learning to cope with your problems in a healthy manner. When you adopt mindfulness strategies into your relapse prevention plan, you can teach yourself to handle stress and triggers with self-compassion, better cognition, and reduced amounts of stress and anxiety. 8 Practicing mindfulness is all about being aware of your surroundings and behaviors, but not judging them or yourself. This way, you can combat negative emotions and come back with a clear head.
Common mindfulness techniques and accompanying holistic therapies that are known to help with substance use disorder recovery include: 9
Meditation, which can take various forms and centers heavily around accepting yourself, accepting others, and being at peace
Cognitive behavioral therapy, which teaches you to reframe the way you think and act
Body and sensory scans, which ground you in reality and allow you to acknowledge things without judgment
Art therapy, which allows you to be creative and incorporate your emotions into something constructive
Exercise, which has stress-relieving benefits in addition to helping you stay physically healthy
Recognize and Avoid Triggers
Coping with stressors and triggers is essential, but being able to avoid those triggers entirely can help you stay safe and happy without having to rely on coping mechanisms. While not every trigger can be avoided forever, especially if it’s related to certain people or objects, it’s a good idea to take the necessary steps to reduce how often you come into contact with these triggers. Your therapist can help you recognize and avoid your triggers.
Set Goals
Staying motivated when recovering can be challenging, which is why it’s important to set goals for yourself. If you celebrate milestones and give yourself things to work for, it’s easier to fight through the tough days. You’ll be aware that a reward is just around the corner if you keep going, and your recovery won’t seem so long if you don’t focus on the larger process.
Find a New Way to Have Fun
Sometimes, substance use isn’t just about stress and negativity. Some people associate their substances with having fun, so they need to find new ways to find enjoyment without experiencing a relapse. By developing safe hobbies, spending time with trustworthy friends, listening to music, going to new and exciting places, and other activities, you can redefine what it means to have fun and make the recovery process a lot less daunting.
Alternative to Meds Center for Relapse Prevention
If you or someone you know is in recovery, it’s important to know that there’s hope and help available to anyone who needs it. At Alternative to Meds Center, we’re here to help you stay on the path to long-term recovery and happiness. With a wide range of holistic therapies, science-backed approaches to eliminating toxins and cravings from your life, and a host of proven coping strategies, we offer multiple methods of relapse prevention for a comprehensive road to recovery. Read more about our mental health and addiction treatment services.
1. Swami, V., Hochstöger, S., Kargl, E., & Stieger, S. (2022). Hangry in the field: An experience sampling study on the impact of hunger on anger, irritability, and affect. PLOS ONE, 17(7), e0269629. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0269629
2. Horigian, V. E., Schmidt, R. D., & Feaster, D. J. (2021). Loneliness, mental health, and substance use among US young adults during COVID-19. Journal of psychoactive drugs, 53(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2020.1836435
3. Waters, F., & Bucks, R. (2011). Neuropsychological Effects of Sleep Loss: Implication for Neuropsychologists. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society,17(4), 571-586. doi:10.1017/S1355617711000610
4. Ranabir, S., & Reetu, K. (2011). Stress and hormones. Indian journal of endocrinology and metabolism, 15(1), 18–22. https://doi.org/10.4103/2230-8210.77573
5. Yaribeygi, H., Panahi, Y., Sahraei, H., Johnston, T. P., & Sahebkar, A. (2017). The impact of stress on body function: A review. EXCLI journal, 16, 1057–1072. https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2017-480
6. Iddir, M., Brito, A., Dingeo, G., Fernandez Del Campo, S. S., Samouda, H., La Frano, M. R., & Bohn, T. (2020). Strengthening the Immune System and Reducing Inflammation and Oxidative Stress through Diet and Nutrition: Considerations during the COVID-19 Crisis. Nutrients, 12(6), 1562. MDPI AG. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu12061562
8. Ramadas, E., Lima, M. P. D., Caetano, T., Lopes, J., & Dixe, M. D. A. (2021). Effectiveness of mindfulness-based relapse prevention in individuals with substance use disorders: A systematic review. Behavioral Sciences, 11(10), 133. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs11100133
9. Marcus, M. T., & Zgierska, A. (2009). Mindfulness-based therapies for substance use disorders: part 1. Substance abuse, 30(4), 263–265. https://doi.org/10.1080/08897070903250027
Lyle Murphy is the founder of the Alternative to Meds Center, a licensed residential program that helps people overcome dependence on psychiatric medication and addiction issues using holistic and psychotherapeutic methods.
Medical Disclaimer: Nothing on this Website is intended to be taken as medical advice. The information provided on the website is intended to encourage, not replace, direct patient-health professional relationships. Always consult with your doctor before altering your medications. Adding nutritional supplements may alter the effect of medication. Any medication changes should be done only after proper evaluation and under medical supervision.
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