Is summer a trigger for you?
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 164
Is summer a trigger for you?
I'm on day 45 and so far things have been going well, however, since memorial day I have had really bad cravings to drink or use drugs. When I was abusing substances, summer was the time I would binge even harder. The hot days made me want to drink (I don't mind the heat much when I'm drunk), and the outdoor activities made me want to use (particularly MJ). Is this time of year a trigger for anyone else?
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: I come in Peaces
Posts: 2,071
I had a million triggers and IME the first EVERYTHING was tough. First Christmas.. first bbq... first party... first bad day etc.
If your experience is like mine... you'll find that normal people's summers do not actually revolve around alcohol the way you thought they did. I would think "EVERYONE will be drinking at the bbq!" and then when I got there I'd notice that maybe 75% of people had a drink, sure but only a handful of people had more than 1!
If your experience is like mine... you'll find that normal people's summers do not actually revolve around alcohol the way you thought they did. I would think "EVERYONE will be drinking at the bbq!" and then when I got there I'd notice that maybe 75% of people had a drink, sure but only a handful of people had more than 1!
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 164
Now that I think about it, my AV can turn almost any occasion into a reason to drink. I remember having to celebrate with a drink for just about every insignificant occasion. One time I had a really annoying splinter for a few days, and after I was able to remove it, I had to have a few drinks to celebrate, LOL.
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Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: South East England
Posts: 8,009
Oh that made me laugh about the splinter!!
Reminds me of how I used to find excuses to drink-I was stressed, tired, happy,sad, angry, disappointed, the sun was shining, it was raining, I broke a nail, my nails looked good.......
I drank because Im an alcoholic! Obvious now!
Reminds me of how I used to find excuses to drink-I was stressed, tired, happy,sad, angry, disappointed, the sun was shining, it was raining, I broke a nail, my nails looked good.......
I drank because Im an alcoholic! Obvious now!
Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 1,635
Getting upset or mad are triggers for me. It has taken me a long time to acknowledge and accept this, but it is the case. I think boredom might be one too.
Developing new coping skills is what I am working on.
This sounds weird but drinking hot tea is one way for me to relax. I drink the caffeine free kind at night. They have some really good flavors. Peppermint tea is soothing.
Developing new coping skills is what I am working on.
This sounds weird but drinking hot tea is one way for me to relax. I drink the caffeine free kind at night. They have some really good flavors. Peppermint tea is soothing.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Sussex, England
Posts: 945
Upset, boredom, anxiety, all of the above... I've had my first Christmas, New year and birthday (26th May... on a hot saturday!).. not a virgin to these anymore. Just got the Jubilee and the Olympics to sweat through now! Oh, and the football this weekend! 
Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 8,642
I've been through all the "first holidays" and the first summer, and for me summer is hardest. I spend most of the summer on a boat, which ALWAYS equaled an adult beverage of some kind. I would have to say summer could be a trigger if I let it be. That's why I'm more vigilant at this time of year.
SoberOutlook
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 3,089
Summer is definitely a trigger for me, but so is the change to every other season. This will be my first sober summer, as I caved last summer, and got back on the wagon in August. A lot of truth on this thread. I had convinced myself that everyone else was as much the drinker as I was, but this was only true of a few folks.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Vashon WA
Posts: 1,035
Everything was a trigger for me. I quit last Halloween so I'm heading into my first summer. I used to drink for the winter blues. This last winter passed in sobriety and I was happy to find that sobriety didn't really make my depression any worse. It's funny, now that I've quit drinking I realize that treating depression with booze is like treating an ulcer with aspirin. For that matter, treating anything with alcohol is a bad idea. With a little clarity I can see that drinking didn't do anything for my summers except erase big chunks of memory. Maybe this summer I'll get some stuff done! If it's like everything else and sobriety so far, I'm sure I'll be pleasantly surprised.
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Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: northern michigan. not the U.P.
Posts: 15,281
i cant say i ever had triggers. at one time when drinking i had excuses, but then i crossed a line and didnt need an excuse. i didnt care. i just wanted to get drunk..
7 years into sobriety i can say i've thought about drinking. give me a hot summer day and a lawn mower and a cold beer sounds great, but i gotta buy a 12 pack for that one! but i can think it through and know it will make EVERYTHING worse.
it took T.I.M.E. and work on changing me, but eventually thse cravings left.
7 years into sobriety i can say i've thought about drinking. give me a hot summer day and a lawn mower and a cold beer sounds great, but i gotta buy a 12 pack for that one! but i can think it through and know it will make EVERYTHING worse.
it took T.I.M.E. and work on changing me, but eventually thse cravings left.
Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Ontario
Posts: 392
Summer weather always brings a sense of excitement and possibility to me. The past summers that I have been drinking have been the least exciting and adventurous summers I have had.
I need to remember that because even though I am feeling a buzz when I'm drinking, it's totally chemical. I can get a healthy buzz in the summer simply by living my life to its fullest and being outside, meeting people, and exploring the possibilities that life has laid before me without drugs and alcohol in my system.
Summer weather can be a high in itself for me.
Hope we all enjoy a clean and sober, yet exciting and fun summer this year!
I need to remember that because even though I am feeling a buzz when I'm drinking, it's totally chemical. I can get a healthy buzz in the summer simply by living my life to its fullest and being outside, meeting people, and exploring the possibilities that life has laid before me without drugs and alcohol in my system.
Summer weather can be a high in itself for me.
Hope we all enjoy a clean and sober, yet exciting and fun summer this year!
Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Australia
Posts: 282
Summer dayz ahhh.....
Autumn dayz to toast goodbye to summer....
Winter warmth by the fire with a nice red...
Spring to celebrate it getting warm again....
Trigger trigger trigger....I def think summer is probably the hardest for me too tho
Autumn dayz to toast goodbye to summer....
Winter warmth by the fire with a nice red...
Spring to celebrate it getting warm again....
Trigger trigger trigger....I def think summer is probably the hardest for me too tho
Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 6,947
Sure, it was... and even still, today, at 3.6 years... I can have a wistful thought or two, especially on this absolutely awesomely beautiful late spring day that we are having today.
But they aren't cravings and they don't ruin my day and it passes quickly.
If those feelings hit, I take a second and reflect as to why, and when, exactly, was it really that good? Often I find that it was an artificial connection, that it's not the alcohol I am wistful for, but something else... something both ephemeral and internal... and that I can feel that way now, sans alcohol or pills... But what is blocking me? Have I so irrevocabley associated all that with pills and alcohol?
It's not irrevocable... but it takes awareness, searching and something more, which is more on a spiritual plane... And of course, I have to get over myself, LOL, and just freakin' enjoy it! ... So as soon as I'm done with work, those bike shoes and helmet are going on...
But they aren't cravings and they don't ruin my day and it passes quickly.
If those feelings hit, I take a second and reflect as to why, and when, exactly, was it really that good? Often I find that it was an artificial connection, that it's not the alcohol I am wistful for, but something else... something both ephemeral and internal... and that I can feel that way now, sans alcohol or pills... But what is blocking me? Have I so irrevocabley associated all that with pills and alcohol?
It's not irrevocable... but it takes awareness, searching and something more, which is more on a spiritual plane... And of course, I have to get over myself, LOL, and just freakin' enjoy it! ... So as soon as I'm done with work, those bike shoes and helmet are going on...
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