hopeful4

Without going into too much detail as I am going to recommend this site to this friend, an old friend of mine was drinking yesterday, and it's a serious situation.

I ended up helping and it brought back ALOT of bad memories for me. Not triggered by the person...but the smell of alcohol. I had a hard time standing close b/c the smell is something I hated so much. I did not realize it would trigger me so much....

It's amazing how smells can take you right back to certain places in your life. Just pondering I guess.

Maudcat

I don't trigger much anymore, hopeful, but when I do, it hits me like a piano out a window.
Never ceases to amaze.

SmallButMighty

It's the smell that gets me too. It's like a punch in the gut when I smell "that" smell on an alcoholic. Can be a complete stranger, but still my anxiety FLARES... luckily I now have the tools to reign that reaction back in, but boy-oh-boy do I know what you mean!.... olfactory ptsd...

dandylion

The sound of a pop top can, opening, does it for me....

hopeful4

Yes, the pop top sound did it for me for a long time as well. I did not even know the smell bothers me anymore, but apparently so. It's not even just a one drink smell, it's the smell of been drinking for hours, hard stuff....ugh...

AnvilheadII

they say that of all our sense, our memories are most closely associated to smell. i'm sure that brought back a lot of stuff and rattled you a bit.

maia1234

I second what you are saying. I call it my PTSD.

I see it, smell it, hear it, these all bring back awful feelings for me. I struggle going to a bar and watching people drink. Hopefully one day I will be like Maudcat and it won't affect me. Ugh!!

Seren

hopeful, it was kind of you to help your friend in distress. I hope that she will find some help here at SR.

rescuer

I HATE the smell of vodka now.

Canadian Koala

I'll never drink a glass of 7up for the rest of my life, I've drinked a swimming pool of it mixed with vodka and just to see that 7up logo makes me feel sad.