We Should Stop Talking About Triggers Professional Experience Article
Those of us who are involved in addiction treatment, either as counselors, administrators, or consumers should stop using the word “trigger.” In common usage “trigger” refers to an internal response to an external stimulus – usually something experienced through the senses. The APA calls it “a stimulus that elicits a reaction” (American Psychological Association , 2020). It can be a reminder of previous experiences or something that in the past would have resulted in using the substance or behavior of choice. For someone seeking to establish or maintain a recovery program, a trigger is an unpleasant experience because it can initiate cravings or thoughts of use.
quickly escape for fear of impulsively using the drug of choice. A common goal of a treatment plan is to identify triggers and find new ways to manage them. This goal illustrates how triggers are considered a negative factor in substance abuse recovery. The attitude is that triggers are to be avoided and a person with solid recovery will not have any triggers. This attitude eliminates opportunities for self-exploration and growth.
For persons who have experienced trauma, a trigger can be a reminder of events of the past. No one likes to recall these memories and there is a tendency to push them away as quickly as possible with the thing that works best – an addictive Most people recoil from a trigger and quickly find a way, substance or behavior. There is a fear of the emotions that arise hopefully positive, to distract themselves. Treatment providers encourage persons experiencing triggers to call a support person, when events are relived. Triggering a trauma memory can read some recovery literature, take a walk, take a nap, or perform transport that individual from the current moment to the time and place where the event occurred because of a split-second some other self-caring activity. Some respond by choosing an sensory input. That smell, sound, color, touch, or glimpse of an alternative negative behavior – instead of using the drug they object can stir a person into emotional dysregulation. suddenly crave; they will eat something unhealthy or engage in connection with someone equally toxic. Others will lose No one wants to be reminded of an uncomfortable memory. themselves in some technical black hole of scrolling through their However, in recent years, the term “trigger” has become phone, playing a video game, or bingeing on a streaming service. ubiquitous and over-used. It has become an excuse to isolate and A trigger is seen as a negative experience from which one should avoid interaction with others. Some have used the word as an FMHCA.org | InSession- July 2022 | 43
