Triggers and Cravings
This is a feeling, situation, person, or reminder that can bring on an urge to use.
What is a trigger?
This ongoing process involves building a healthier life beyond simply stopping substance use.
What is recovery?
The letters in HALT stand for these four conditions.
What are hungry, angry, lonely, and tired?
“If I cannot do recovery perfectly, I might as well give up” is an example of this thinking distortion.
What is all-or-nothing thinking?
Passive, aggressive, and assertive are three styles of this.
What is communication?
Anxiety, loneliness, and anger are examples of this type of trigger.
What are internal triggers?
These three parts of the CBT triangle influence one another.
What are thoughts, feelings, and behaviors?
This grounding exercise asks you to notice five things you see, four you feel, three you hear, two you smell, and one you taste.
What is the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise?
“Just this once won’t hurt” is an example of this type of thought that gives someone an excuse to use.
What is a permission-giving thought?
“No, I’m not using. Please don’t offer again” demonstrates this communication style.
What is assertive communication?
Passing a former dealer’s house or seeing substance use at a party are examples of this type of trigger.
What are external triggers?
Addiction can affect these three areas of a person’s functioning: what they think, what they feel, and how they act.
What are thoughts, emotions, and behaviors?
Walking, paced breathing, and talking with a trusted person are examples of these.
What are coping skills?
Taking a route past an old using location “for no reason” may be this kind of choice that increases relapse risk.
What is an apparently irrelevant decision?
“If substances are brought into the room, I will leave” is an example of this protective limit.
What is a boundary?
This is an urge to use a substance; experiencing it does not mean you have to act on it.
What is a craving?
Asking a counselor, sponsor, or trusted person for assistance is an example of this recovery skill.
What is reaching out for support?
Consistent sleep, regular meals, and planned activities help create this protective feature of daily recovery.
What is structure or routine?
Replacing “I always mess everything up” with “I made a mistake, and I can choose my next step” is an example of this CBT skill.
What is cognitive restructuring or reframing?
Repeatedly covering up someone’s substance-related behavior or shielding them from consequences can be this relationship pattern.
What is enabling?
This skill involves observing a craving as it rises and falls, much like a wave.
What is urge surfing?
“I will walk for 15 minutes after group three days this week” is an example of this type of goal.
What is a SMART goal?
This practice involves noticing present-moment thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judging or automatically reacting to them.
What is mindfulness?
Saying “I am having the thought that I need to use” helps create distance from the thought through this skill.
What is cognitive defusion?
In a healthy relationship, honesty feels safe, effort is mutual, and this damaged foundation is rebuilt through consistent behavior over time.
What is trust?