Triggers
Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 12,136
A trigger for me is when I get depressed and start isolating. I could convince myself it's okay to have a drink pretty easily without being aware of this.
So - I pick up the phone and call someone or I go outside for a walk or to do some work in the yard - or I go to a meeting.
When the mind gets busy - I get my body busy
So - I pick up the phone and call someone or I go outside for a walk or to do some work in the yard - or I go to a meeting.
When the mind gets busy - I get my body busy
Looking For Myself...Sober
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Where the heart is
Posts: 10,209
My trigger most of the time is simply money.
If I am broke I dont really think about getting high.
But as soon as 50 or more dollars is in my hand ...I am ready to go to the jungle.
Other times stress and anxiety...even boredom.
I call a family member when I feel like my feet are getting itchy and sabotage myself.
I am ok with that.
Right now I have anxiety coming out my ears. But i am not thinking about getting high. I am thinking about why i have the anxiety and learning from it.
But right now..I have to calm it with meds unfortunately or I am going to be so freakin sick to my stomach for who knows how long. I am shaking and sick feeling and short of breath. I am a pin point away from a full blown panic attack.
Thank God I have a good understanding Dr. and the whole group of drs as well.
They just saved me some major stress. So i am off to get my calm.
If I am broke I dont really think about getting high.
But as soon as 50 or more dollars is in my hand ...I am ready to go to the jungle.
Other times stress and anxiety...even boredom.
I call a family member when I feel like my feet are getting itchy and sabotage myself.
I am ok with that.
Right now I have anxiety coming out my ears. But i am not thinking about getting high. I am thinking about why i have the anxiety and learning from it.
But right now..I have to calm it with meds unfortunately or I am going to be so freakin sick to my stomach for who knows how long. I am shaking and sick feeling and short of breath. I am a pin point away from a full blown panic attack.
Thank God I have a good understanding Dr. and the whole group of drs as well.
They just saved me some major stress. So i am off to get my calm.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: on to bigger & better things
Posts: 4,122
Triggers come in all shapes or sizes, the temperature outside, cold or hot, the way the wind blows, if the sun comes up, a certain smell, the sight of someone, a thought about lost love, , , , , , BUT, the farther away from the last drink or drug, it does lessen, thoughts are fewer and remembering exactly where you came from is a biggie!!!! For me the answer is simply. . .IT'S EASIER TO STAY CLEAN & SOBER THAN IT IS TO GET CLEAN & SOBER AGAIN!!!!! Pray, pray pray and help someone else.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,299
Breathing.....LOL
No, seriously-being alone all day-feeling lonely.Being around other people drinking(can't do it) and boredom-my alcoholic mind tells me I'll feel better/happier if I drink.It's total BS-but that's what I used to believe.
No, seriously-being alone all day-feeling lonely.Being around other people drinking(can't do it) and boredom-my alcoholic mind tells me I'll feel better/happier if I drink.It's total BS-but that's what I used to believe.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: anomaly
Posts: 2,180
The triggers for me was everything at first,
becuase i was drinking and using all day and all night.
My mind associated everything with drinking and using
and being buzzed.
So bascially i needed a heavy dosage of being around
people that wasn't drinking or using. I needed to change,
change anything in my routine.
I simply had to remove myself from my old enviornment.
So there..I was sick but i wasn't totally stupid.
I slept in my car instead of going home.
It was to the extreme..but i have an extreme case of alcoholism.
I kept going back to AA no matter what. That too
was a change from my old routine.
I also took time off from work, society..like i said
I had triggers all over the place and i was drunk or
high all the time. it was to the extreme..but I was
an extremist.
i took over a year off..i lost my house after I came
into reocvery. What good would a house be if I was dead ?
what good would a job be if i was dead ?
I can simply put it into other words..
I needed to find myself, i needed to put recovery first
no matter what or i was going to dy. Or i went to
any lenght for my sobereity.
becuase getting clean and sober was going against the grain
of every part of me...I'm an alcoholic by nature.
So there..I was sick, but i wasn't stupid. Society,
anyone and everyone can mock all they want..
At least I wasn't dead wrong...
I'm a rebel..is it actaully a defect of charector ?
or is it a defect if it's not appropriate?
I've seen many get the job back, get the house back.
get the BF/GF/wife/husand back..then go out and get
f -up again and lose it all anyways...
becuase i was drinking and using all day and all night.
My mind associated everything with drinking and using
and being buzzed.
So bascially i needed a heavy dosage of being around
people that wasn't drinking or using. I needed to change,
change anything in my routine.
I simply had to remove myself from my old enviornment.
So there..I was sick but i wasn't totally stupid.
I slept in my car instead of going home.
It was to the extreme..but i have an extreme case of alcoholism.
I kept going back to AA no matter what. That too
was a change from my old routine.
I also took time off from work, society..like i said
I had triggers all over the place and i was drunk or
high all the time. it was to the extreme..but I was
an extremist.
i took over a year off..i lost my house after I came
into reocvery. What good would a house be if I was dead ?
what good would a job be if i was dead ?
I can simply put it into other words..
I needed to find myself, i needed to put recovery first
no matter what or i was going to dy. Or i went to
any lenght for my sobereity.
becuase getting clean and sober was going against the grain
of every part of me...I'm an alcoholic by nature.
So there..I was sick, but i wasn't stupid. Society,
anyone and everyone can mock all they want..
At least I wasn't dead wrong...
I'm a rebel..is it actaully a defect of charector ?
or is it a defect if it's not appropriate?
I've seen many get the job back, get the house back.
get the BF/GF/wife/husand back..then go out and get
f -up again and lose it all anyways...
Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 1,622
My trigger is alcohol too. One drink and next thing you know - it's 20. Seriously - my trigger is definitely my first drink.
Why would I have that first drink? ...feeling good....feeling bad....bored.....busy.....cooking.....housework... .going out....staying in....rain...sunshine....work (that's a good one I used to talk myself into needing to drink in order to do my job)...travel (specially aeroplanes and lounges)...holiday...stress....self pity (that's a time when I still get cravings)....loneliness (huge and part of self pity).
So yea - everything really. I'm an alcoholic so if there wasn't a reason to drink, I would need some sort of drama or I would invent a reason to celebrate or find an excuse for "drowning my sorrows".
You get the idea.
Why would I have that first drink? ...feeling good....feeling bad....bored.....busy.....cooking.....housework... .going out....staying in....rain...sunshine....work (that's a good one I used to talk myself into needing to drink in order to do my job)...travel (specially aeroplanes and lounges)...holiday...stress....self pity (that's a time when I still get cravings)....loneliness (huge and part of self pity).
So yea - everything really. I'm an alcoholic so if there wasn't a reason to drink, I would need some sort of drama or I would invent a reason to celebrate or find an excuse for "drowning my sorrows".
You get the idea.
keep it simple
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Dublin, Irl
Posts: 47
If ya mean what what might be triggers or dangerous areas now that I'm sober.
One would be if I had too much coffee, cos I'd be really feeling the need for a drink to bring me down from that wired feeling.
Also for me, somtimes having to handle people or situations can pss me off and I automatically think of drinks. For example when someone that can't be avoided tries to railroad me into some conversation that I don't want to have, or they're dominating so much that they don't wanna hear ya anyway. Stuff like that.
If it's confrontation I hate that so I'll normally just go with whatever the flow is and divert my thoughts instead to drinking afterwards.
So that's something I have to watch out for maybe.
One would be if I had too much coffee, cos I'd be really feeling the need for a drink to bring me down from that wired feeling.
Also for me, somtimes having to handle people or situations can pss me off and I automatically think of drinks. For example when someone that can't be avoided tries to railroad me into some conversation that I don't want to have, or they're dominating so much that they don't wanna hear ya anyway. Stuff like that.
If it's confrontation I hate that so I'll normally just go with whatever the flow is and divert my thoughts instead to drinking afterwards.
So that's something I have to watch out for maybe.
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