4 Summer Addiction Triggers to Avoid
Addiction recovery presents challenges and obstacles, especially in the early days and perhaps surprisingly in summer. Anyone who is trying to make a significant life change may experience relapse triggers that arise unexpectedly. A trigger is an emotional, environmental, or social situation that evokes memories of past drug or alcohol use, threatening to weaken one’s resolve. Triggers can be internal, such as the feeling of loneliness, or they can also come from external sources, like pushing your grocery cart into the wine aisle or hearing a song that takes you back to another place and time. For lasting recovery, both internal and external triggers must be resolved.
At Sanford Behavioral Health, we prepare our clients for recovery challenges while in treatment. We develop individual recovery plans designed to provide support and accountability to each individual in our care. Likewise, our Family Program addresses the warning signs of relapse triggers with loved ones. Of note, the longer a person is in recovery, the easier it is to incorporate activities back into their life. Today, we present four summer addiction triggers to avoid (and how to avoid them)!
4 Summer Addiction Triggers to Avoid
It seems unfair when you are in recovery, but summer vacation and boating often equal drinking and partying. At Sanford Behavioral Health (Sanford), we are always looking for simple ways to make life’s journey a little less stressful. The tips below will help you get out of your head and into a healthier mindset this summer. Forewarned is forearmed, for a safe and happy 4th of July!
1. Boating
In Michigan, summer fun is fleeting, so there is a sense of urgency that often comes with overindulgence in alcohol or drugs. Boating can certainly be a trigger for someone who is used to filling the cooler with light beer. When you embark on a boat trip, you might also be a captive audience, with others popping their beverage of choice around you in very close quarters. The answer to this trigger is – water. Keep your glass filled with water, and put plenty of bottled water or pop in the cooler. Jump in the lake. Soak your head! But be honest with yourself – if you plan a vacation or day trip with people who drink, you may want to cancel.
2. Vacation
When you go on vacation, especially when new to recovery, everything seems to be a reminder of the days before recovery. Airports can be triggers; Jimmy Buffet songs might make you think, DRINK, and unscheduled time feels dangerous. But there is nothing to fear about vacations without alcohol. The trick is thinking ahead and picking the best sober vacations that leave little time for temptation.
5 Summertime Tips for Long-Term Sobriety
3. Airports
At Sanford, we have heard so many people say, “Vacation used to start when I had the first drink on the plane.” But a boozy vacation can start in one of the ringside bars that always seem to be open for “breakfast” in the airport as well. There is an urgency to drink in airports. Getting “just one more” before a flight gets called is common practice. And it is so easy and guiltless to belt three Bloody Marys in the Sky Club at 8 AM before a flight. After all, you could be from England.
What to do? Pause and recognize the feeling. Triggers are associated with emotional memory. You can’t help experiencing the feeling, but you can help what you do with it. If you are not traveling with a sober companion, be prepared. Have a distraction plan in place. Write in a journal or work on a project that has a deadline. Stay away from those areas in the airport that have restaurants and bars. Your emotional mind plus your reasonable mind will equal your wise mind.
4. Parties, Special Occasions, and Holidays (4th of July)
What is it about an open bar at a lively summer soiree? Friendly wait staff in bow ties and damask-draped folding tables.The inevitable lineup of soon-to-be new best friends. And for anyone with social anxiety, the open bar is the ultimate event ice-breaker. If you decide to go to the party, arrive early and leave early. Have an exit plan and a sober companion ready. Hold your head high; you are making a significant life change! Bring (BYO) mocktails!
Happy 4th of July Holiday!
If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction, eating disorders, or co-occurring mental health conditions, don’t wait to change your life – click the link below to speak with an admissions specialist about our programs.
