Tommy Recovery Coaching

Effective Strategies for Avoiding Relapse Triggers

Sobriety is a multidimensional approach to life. There are self-help and spiritual dimensions, and then there’s the highly practical concept of avoiding falling into relapse. When looking at ideal journeys to recovery, the practical dimension comes before self-help and spirituality. You must get on the wagon and learn how to stay on it before pursuing other dimensions of sobriety, and this can be accomplished by avoiding the following triggers.

The HALT Model

Feeling hungry, angry, lonely, or tired (HALT) can make anyone more vulnerable to adverse situations such as relapse. In clinical research, the HALT model is used to explore the improvement of medical heuristics. For example, if nurses make mistakes when administering medications, a HALT evaluation may reveal negative factors impacting work performance. 

People in recovery who feel a sudden or nagging urge to use should take a HALT self-assessment. The key is to quickly address and alleviate the most intense factor. For example, when people feel all alone with their addictions, they should reach out to sponsors, counselors, or supportive loved ones.

Social Situations

In 2017, Hollywood star Ben Affleck attended the Oscars ceremony to support his brother, Casey, who won the Best Actor award for Manchester by the Sea. Tabloid publications noted that an “unknown male companion” was next to Affleck the entire time, and he later clarified the companion was his sober lifestyle coach. 

Although Affleck had gone through rehab for alcoholism in the early 2000s, he relapsed more than a decade later while attending various social events in Hollywood. Afterparties, meals, and other gatherings where liquor and controlled substances flow are strong triggers for relapse. If you face similar social triggers in your life, recovery coach services in Carlsbad can give you the same type of support Affleck received from his sober coach.

Overconfidence

What makes this trigger peculiar is the way it usually unfolds. Being confident is generally conducive to recovery, but being overconfident can also trigger relapse. Ben Affleck mentioned this in a 2017 interview with Entertainment Weekly. He was overconfident in his ability to resist temptation and not fall off the wagon, so he didn’t think much about having a couple of drinks at social gatherings in Hollywood. Another example of negative overconfidence is the “California sober” trend, in which people in recovery think they can handle routine use of cannabis without relapsing into using riskier substances.

People, Places, & Things

In everyone’s life, there will always be people who remind you of past situations. The same can be said about certain places and things. When your past features addiction, running into people you used to get drunk or high with can trigger a relapse, even if they’re in recovery themselves. 

Walking past a bar you used to frequent or even driving through the neighborhood where you used to score can result in triggering if a vivid memory overcomes you. In the “things” category, the most problematic are other psychoactive substances. For example, someone recovering from opioid addiction should avoid any painkillers that evoke cravings.

Addiction recovery in Carlsbad, CA can be easier to maintain with the help of a sober lifestyle coach. At Sober Lifestyle Coaching, we know precisely what it takes to get sober, stay sober, and live the healthy lifestyle you deserve. We specialize in working with clients with active addictions as well as those already in recovery. Our sober coaches help clients work through potentially challenging events such as going to work and attending family gatherings while providing encouragement, accountability, insight, and understanding through our own recovery experiences. To learn more about how a sober lifestyle coach can help you or someone you love, call us today.