Four Ways To Overcome Triggers And Cravings During The Holidays
Cravings and triggers are formidable opponents for anyone hoping to get clean from alcohol and other drugs. To better respond to triggers and cravings, you need to identify them and understand them. Various triggers will require unique strategies to manage, so overcoming them is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. The same is true with cravings. As cravings come and go, different strategies will be more effective than others.
Moreover, the holidays can be a challenging time for people in early recovery. With high-stress levels, busy schedules, and plenty of holiday parties, the holiday season can be filled with triggers that could lead to relapse.
“It’s Easter (or any other) weekend, everyone will be drinking, and I am feeling very triggered.”
Instead of letting this thought derail your recovery, the experts at Iggy’s Sober Living have written down tips for dealing with triggers during the holidays to help you stay on track.
1. Leave yourself a way out
As an experienced professional who has been dealing with their own recovery, it is imperative that you always leave yourself a way out. What do we mean by that? Well, when going to a party or any function where there is going to be alcohol, bring your own car so that if you start to feel overwhelmed, you can leave without interrupting anyone else who doesn’t have any alcohol issues plans.
2. Get yourself to a meeting
Another way to overcome a craving or a trigger is to immediately get yourself to a meeting. If there is no meeting available sometime soon, call someone who understands what it’s like to be going through a craving or feeling triggered. Getting help from others going through or who have gone through the same thing is a great way to help you take the focus off of your negative emotions and replace stress with a positive, healing feeling.
3. Keep the host informed
The best way is to just tell the host of the get-together that you don’t drink alcohol any longer because you have an allergy to alcohol or simply state that you do not drink. If they are a good friend or even a good person, they will understand and ensure that you are supplied with tasty non-alcoholic drinks so that you are not left out.
4. Practice prayer and meditation
Avoiding triggers is important, but it’s important not to only avoid but to proactively engage in healthy behaviors that will help you to fight off and manage cravings like prayer and meditation. When you find yourself in a tough spot, try to find a quiet place where you can take some me-time. Cravings only last a few minutes, and if you can distract the feeling by thinking of something else, it always helps.
If you’re looking for an alcohol/ drug addiction rehab and transitional living facility in Toronto, ON, reach out to Iggy’s Sober Living. We are a private community helping residents reintegrate back into society, re-establishing healthy relationships with family, employers, and schools. Our goal is to ensure that our residents achieve their short and long-term goals by acquiring the right tools to ensure abstinence from all mind-altering substances.
Our services include transitional living, individual counseling and therapy, relapse prevention, integration back into society, group meetings, online counseling, aftercare, family programs, etc. Our Transitional Living Centre serves people across North York, Toronto, Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Mississauga, Markham, Kitchener, Guelph, Brampton, Vaughan, Oshawa, York Region, Durham Region, Simcoe, Barrie, Muskoka, and the surrounding areas.
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