When someone in your life has made the effort to fight addiction, sobriety isn’t always an easy path to stay on. There are numerous temptations and triggers that can put someone at risk of relapsing. In order to keep the loved ones in your life safe from relapse, you should learn to recognize some triggers for those with substance abuse.

Emotions

Certain emotions are often one of the reasons substance abuse and addiction happen in the first place. For example, it’s not so much that someone wants to drink so much after losing a loved one, but rather that drinking helps them deal with the sadness they feel.

Oftentimes, when someone feels angry, sad, stressed, or lonely, they may feel the need to use addictive substances to cope with their emotions. It’s important to be aware of your loved one’s emotional state to help them avoid relapsing during their recovery.

HALT

This stands for hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. When someone in recovery feels any of these factors too much, they are more likely to be triggered and turn to alcohol or drugs as a distraction. To avoid this, it’s essential that your loved one sticks to their diet plan, sleeps well, and keeps up with their support groups to stay free of temptation.

Mental Illness

Those with struggling with addiction can often be triggered by mental illness such as depression or anxiety. While sobriety can often improve a person’s mental health, should those feelings return, it can trigger a desire to turn to alcohol or drugs to cope.

Career Pressure

When things get a little hectic at work, the stress can trigger a person into relapse. On the other hand, if they receive a promotion, they may be tempted to celebrate with their drink or substance of choice.

Although it’s great to reward career accomplishments, you need to make sure your loved ones do so while sticking to their sobriety and handle work stress without substances.

Relationships

When relationships end or significant others get into arguments, those with a history of substance addiction may feel triggered by the turmoil in those relationships thus posing a relapse risk. This is often why, especially during the first year of their recovery, it’s encouraged that those struggling with addiction avoid dating.

Recognizing the triggers for those with substance abuse can greatly help in preventing a relapse and help keep your loved ones on the path of sobriety.

At Silver Ridge, we offer a clinically-integrated, holistic adult drug and alcohol rehab program designed to increase each client’s sense of self and their capacity for regulation across multiple domains of life. To speak with one of our admissions counselors, contact us today.