Knowing Your Relapse Triggers — The Practical Guide
TL;DR
Relapse triggers are the people, places, feelings, and situations that activate the urge to use. They split roughly into internal (emotional/physical states) and external (environments/people/cues). Knowing yours specifically — not just generally — is one of the most actionable parts of relapse prevention. The work isn't avoiding all triggers; it's recognizing them in time to respond differently.
Anchored Tides Clinical TeamReviewed by Zoe Tambling, LMFT
Published April 30, 2025Last updated: February 2026
“ATR has been a wonderful organization to work with. I've partnered with them on many occasions on behalf of my own clients. They're trustworthy, ethical and provide excellent clinical care to the women they serve.”
Triggers aren't a moral test. They're information. When something — a feeling, a place, a song, a conversation — activates the urge to use, your brain is telling you what it learned during addiction. The work of relapse prevention is partly about avoiding obvious triggers when you can, and partly about building the skills to navigate the ones you can't. Here's how to identify yours and what to do when they show up.
Internal Triggers
Internal triggers are emotional, physical, or psychological states that activate the urge. They're the harder of the two to manage, because you can't avoid yourself.
Stress
The most common trigger across the research. Stress floods the body with the same chemicals addiction trained the brain to manage with substances. Chronic stress is particularly dangerous — it wears down the resilience you've been building.
Emotional Distress
Anger, sadness, fear, loneliness, shame. Any uncomfortable feeling that doesn't have anywhere to go can become a use trigger. This is why emotional intelligence work matters so much in recovery.
Boredom
Underrated. Boredom isn't the absence of activity — it's the absence of meaning. For many women in early recovery, the unstructured hours that used to be filled by using-related activity become a hazard.
Physical Discomfort
Pain, illness, fatigue, lack of sleep. The body in distress is a brain looking for relief. This is part of why nutrition, sleep, and movement matter as recovery practices, not just wellness add-ons.
Overconfidence
"I've got this — I can have just one." This is a trigger disguised as health. The thought "I'm fine now" is often the warning sign, not the proof.
Untreated Mental Health Symptoms
Depression that hasn't been treated. Anxiety that's escalating. Trauma symptoms that are surfacing. Each of these increases relapse risk significantly when left unaddressed.
External Triggers
External triggers are people, places, things, and situations in your environment that activate the urge.
Old friends or partners who were part of your using
Bars, parties, concerts, neighborhoods you used to use in
Cues — songs, smells, particular times of day, specific holidays
Major life events — graduations, weddings, funerals, anniversaries
Holidays — Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's are common high-risk windows
Seasonal and Winter Triggers — A Specific Pattern for Women
Winter deserves its own mention. The combination of reduced daylight, holiday stress, family complications, isolation, and weather-imposed inactivity makes the cold months a high-risk window for many women in recovery.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) — depression linked to reduced sunlight — can trigger use as self-medication
Holiday family gatherings can surface old conflicts and old roles
Winter isolation can make support systems feel further away
Limited outdoor activity reduces the natural mood regulation movement provides
End-of-year reflection can intensify feelings of failure or stuckness
If you've noticed your urge to use spikes in winter, you're not imagining it. Plan for it the same way you'd plan for any high-risk period — increased connection, professional support, light exposure, movement, and a clear plan for the holidays.
How to Identify Your Specific Triggers
Look back at past relapses or strong cravings — what was happening just before?
Keep a trigger journal for 2–4 weeks — note times, places, feelings, situations when urges showed up
Work with a therapist to identify patterns — they'll often see things you can't see alone
Talk to people in recovery — their triggers may surface awareness about yours
What to Do When a Trigger Shows Up
Pause — name what's happening ("This is a trigger")
Distance — physically or mentally remove yourself from the trigger source
Reach out — text, call, or talk to someone in your support system
Use your skills — DBT distress tolerance techniques, grounding, urge surfing
Wait it out — cravings have a finite duration; they pass faster than they feel like they will
Reflect after — what worked, what didn't, what would help next time
How Anchored Tides Supports Relapse Prevention
Relapse prevention isn't a workshop — it's woven into every level of care at Anchored Tides.
Identifying your specific triggers through individual and group therapy
DBT skills training for distress tolerance and emotional regulation
EMDR for the trauma triggers underneath
Written relapse prevention plans — concrete, personalized, kept current
Three outpatient levels of care (PHP, IOP, OP) — step up when triggers intensify
Alumni community — ongoing connection past formal treatment
In-network with HMOs, EPOs, and PPOs across Blue Shield, BCBS, Anthem, Highmark, Regence, Premera, Multiplan, and Horizon
Take the Next Step
If you'd like help identifying your specific triggers and building a relapse prevention plan that actually fits your life, our team can help.
Call (866) 329-6639 or Verify Your Insurance — confidential, no obligation.
Frequently asked questions
Are some triggers impossible to avoid?
Yes — and that's why navigation skills matter as much as avoidance. You can't always avoid stress, family gatherings, or unexpected encounters with old people and places. The work is being prepared for the unavoidable triggers, not just avoiding the avoidable ones.
Do triggers ever fully go away?
Some do; some don't. Acute triggers tied to specific situations often fade significantly with time and distance. Internal triggers tied to emotional states tend to persist but become much easier to navigate with skills. Years into recovery, most women find triggers far less powerful than they were in the first months.
Is craving the same as relapse?
No. A craving is a thought or urge — relapse is a decision and an action. Cravings, even strong ones, are a normal part of recovery. They pass. The work is not believing the craving's story ("just one," "it won't be like before," "no one will know").
What if my partner or family is one of my triggers?
More common than people admit. Sometimes the trigger is the relationship dynamic, not the person — addressable through couples therapy or family work. Sometimes the relationship itself is incompatible with recovery and needs real reconsideration. A therapist who knows you and the relationship can help sort which is which.
How do I tell the difference between a trigger and just a hard feeling?
A useful test: hard feelings that come and go are part of being a human. Triggers are accompanied by a specific urge or thought connected to using. If a feeling makes you want to feel different by any means available, including substances, that's a trigger. If it just makes you uncomfortable but doesn't activate the use-script, it's a feeling.
Evidence & accountability
Sources and clinical review
This page was reviewed by Zoe Tambling, LMFT on . The references below informed the specific topics noted with each citation.
Treatment and RecoveryNational Institute on Drug AbuseSupports: Environmental cues, stress, recurrence risk, behavioral treatment, and continuing care
Ready to take the next step?
Call (866) 329-6639 or verify your insurance — confidential, no obligation. Women-only environment, Joint Commission accredited.
