BigTeddy

I was just relaxing in my room checking out Facebook and saw that one of my friends had checked in at a bar that I used to frequent. My mind immediately started working and I began to think about the great Scotch selection they have at this bar. My mouth literally started watering and I thought to myself "man I'd love a drink right now." I literally went from laying on the bed chilling out to craving a drink in about 10 seconds.
It's so strange to me the way my mind and addiction work. I'm early in my recovery from alcohol, but I remember when I got clean off drugs the triggers would come out of nowhere. I could be watching a movie that had drug use in it and I would immediately have the urge to go out and score and get high. Sometimes I would hear a song that I liked to listen to while I was on Ecstasy and I would actually feel high for a moment or two. I do remember that the longer I was clean the fewer and further between these sensations would occur. I hope it's the same with alcohol. But I know this fall there will be tons of triggers for me like watching football.

least

With time those triggers go away. I never notice them now with close to four years. They actually went away around a year sober and just get fainter with time.

Dee74

*Everything* was a trigger for me because by the end, everything was a reason or an excuse to drink.

I learned that I didn't have to 'pull the trigger' - you will too Teddy

D

Nattythreads

I've mentally replaced the word "triggers" with "associations".

Triggers are an excuse to drink in the present. Associations conjure up memories that belong in the past.

BigTeddy

I really like that natty. I definitely "Associate" a lot of things with drinking right now unfortunately.

doggonecarl

In early recovery, try to avoid those associations as much a possible. It will spare you a lot of mental anguish.

hypochondriac

This is what I was going to say, but better said. That's going in my book of quotes

I saw all these associations as sober firsts. The first time you experience something sober, even if it is just a song, it will create an urge, but the next time it will be less or it won't be there at all. I made it into a bit of a game where I had to tick off my sober 'firsts'. A lot of it was basic stuff like foods I associated with alcohol, the smell of summer, or a place I used to drink in. Knowing that it would be easier next time made it easier to tolerate the craving. I did avoid certain things for a while though, best not to tackle it all at once.