When will old triggers go away?

[looking for peace]

I went to the theater last night with a friend. This was the first time in a very long time since my husband and I have been separated for over 4 months.

I found myself in the same exact frame of mind as I was in when going out to events months ago. While getting dressed, trying to get rid of the anxiousness and getting myself ready for the evening by having a drink or two. However since there is no alcohol in the house, I couldn't do it, but still kept thinking that if there was even a drop of something in the house, I would find it and drink it.

Onto the theater...

That desire for the pre show and intermission drink. The only thing that stopped me were the long lines. After the show driving home, I was thinking if the show would have ended just an hour earlier I could have gone to the liquor store and bought a bottle of wine to drink before bed. Although alcohol wasn't dominating my thinking, it sure had a prominent presence in my mind. I really felt like, I would have gotten a drink if any small opportunity presented itself. It makes me nervous for when my husband comes back home and there is liquor in the house and I am weak.

I feel like I can't resist temptation in front of me. Eventually, there will be more easy access to liquor and many opportunities. How do I deal with that. Will I ever be ready?

[spuddleduck]

When will old triggers go away?

I cant offer any advice with this one but I know exactly what you mean. our devious alcoholic brain doesn't want to let go of us. Well done for not drinking, you could have stood in the line in the intermission or left early to go buy booze but you didn't so - lookingforpeace 1, alcohol 0

[red67]

When will old triggers go away?

looking for peace;1614359 wrote: I went to the theater last night with a friend. This was the first time in a very long time since my husband and I have been separated for over 4 months.

I found myself in the same exact frame of mind as I was in when going out to events months ago. While getting dressed, trying to get rid of the anxiousness and getting myself ready for the evening by having a drink or two. However since there is no alcohol in the house, I couldn't do it, but still kept thinking that if there was even a drop of something in the house, I would find it and drink it.

Onto the theater...

That desire for the pre show and intermission drink. The only thing that stopped me were the long lines. After the show driving home, I was thinking if the show would have ended just an hour earlier I could have gone to the liquor store and bought a bottle of wine to drink before bed. Although alcohol wasn't dominating my thinking, it sure had a prominent presence in my mind. I really felt like, I would have gotten a drink if any small opportunity presented itself. It makes me nervous for when my husband comes back home and there is liquor in the house and I am weak.

I feel like I can't resist temptation in front of me. Eventually, there will be more easy access to liquor and many opportunities. How do I deal with that. Will I ever be ready?

Everything at first (and I mean in the first year) may bring up drinking thoughts. It's the rountine you are trying to break. What I did, and still do, when the thoughts come up is immediately tell myself I don't drink. I distract myself with anything else, usually after a couple of minutes the thoughts are gone. I also,still everyday after almost 3 years sober, remind myself how grateful I am to be sober. I read everyday here, and especially the posts of the ones who are strugglingn to remind myself of the mental storm I was living in when I drank.

Everyone is different, but the most important thing is do not drink no matter what. The drinking thoughts and cravings do for the most part go away if you stay sober. I changed my thinking from feeling sorry for myself because I could not drink to being grateful that I wasn't a slave to this monster anymore.

Stay vigilant and you will conquer this!

[vynan]

When will old triggers go away?

Triggers are a common phenomenon in our life and IMO the major source of relapse. If you have read my previous posts this year, I recorded those triggers right from new year,s dinner, family gathering, a desert safari, my birthday...thas the first 17 days of the year and I am sure many more to come especially my guitars jams with buddies....
We need to put it in our head that these triggers or occasions are the ones which left us in a bad state in the past.....so screw them and move on.

Be strong, hold tight you will feel proud of yourself later and maybe reward yourself with something else.

Best,

Vy

[j-vo]

When will old triggers go away?

Great advice Red67! Thank you.

[bettygirl]

When will old triggers go away?

the triggers don't go away, you change along the way and are better able to cope with them. you can experience a trigger a year out and your brain can spiral into drinking thoughts, and you can let it, or you can reign in the compulsion and say hello to it and then say goodbye to it. just because you feel something, doesn't mean you have to act upon it.

peace!