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Episode 5 - Guarding the Mind Mastering Triggers and Relapse Prevention · Breaking Free from Substance Dependence

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  Speaker 1: Episode 5, Guarding the Mind Mastering Triggers and Relapse Prevention.
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  Speaker 1: Hello and welcome back to The Recovery Path. I am
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  Speaker 1: thrilled you are here with me for Episode 5. Today,
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  Speaker 1: we are tackling a critical practical skill for long-term sobriety,
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  Speaker 1: identifying psychological triggers, managing sudden cravings, and executing a comprehensive
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  Speaker 1: relapse prevention plan. As you progress through your recovery journey,
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  Speaker 1: months into sobriety, you will inevitably encounter moments where a sudden,
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  Speaker 1: intense craving or psychological urge arises. Triggers can take many forms,
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  Speaker 1: encountering a specific physical location where you used substances, experiencing
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  Speaker 1: a high-stress workday, feeling intense loneliness or boredom, or runny.
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  Speaker 1: NG into old acquaintances. When a trigger hits, it can
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  Speaker 1: feel overwhelming, tricking your brain into believing that using substances
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  Speaker 1: is the only way to find relief. A relapse does
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  Speaker 1: not begin the moment a person consumes a substance. A
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  Speaker 1: relapse begins days or weeks earlier through emotional and mental
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  Speaker 1: relapse steps. Isolating yourself, skipping support meetings, romanticizing past use,
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  Speaker 1: and ignoring emotional stress. By catching relapse warning signs early
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  Speaker 1: and mastering craving management techniques, you protect your sobriety with
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  Speaker 1: absolute confidence. Let us master three relapse prevention A and
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  Speaker 1: D trigger management protocols. Protocol number one is building a
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  Speaker 1: comprehensive trigger map. Sit down and write out a detailed
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  Speaker 1: inventory of your specific emotional, environmental, and social triggers. Once
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  Speaker 1: your triggers are clearly identified, design specific behavioral rules to
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  Speaker 1: avoid or safely navigate each one. Protocol number two is
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  Speaker 1: urge surfing. Cravings are like ocean waves. They start small,
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  Speaker 1: build in intensity until they peak, and then inevitably break
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  Speaker 1: and wash away into nothingness. When an intense craving hits,
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  Speaker 1: do not fight it with frantic anxiety. Instead, close your eyes. Atiyeh.
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  Speaker 1: Ache slow breaths and observe the physical sensation of the
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  Speaker 1: craving as an impartial scientist riding an ocean wave, knowing
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  Speaker 1: with absolute certainty that the craving will peak and pass
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  Speaker 1: within minutes. Protocol number three is activating your emergency action plan.
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  Speaker 1: When a severe craving or emotional crisis occurs, execute your
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  Speaker 1: emergency protocol immediately. Call your sponsor or a trusted support person,
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  Speaker 1: leave the triggering environment, go to an emergency support meeting
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  Speaker 1: or practice grounding exercises. By mapping your triggers, practicing urge surfing,
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  Speaker 1: and activating emergency plans, you. Master your mind and safeguard
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  Speaker 1: your recovery. Thank you for being here for Episode 5.
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  Speaker 1: Write down three of your personal triggers today. In our
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  Speaker 1: sixth and final episode, we will synthesize these principles to
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  Speaker 1: celebrate your lifelong recovery and thriving future. See you there.