If you’re early in your sobriety, there are so many triggers around you that could lead to relapse. Although you may not realize it at first, in a sense, you may still have one foot in your old life. Although all of you may be yearning for a clean way of life, you might still yearn for the old times.
You may still crave for the highs, the wild friendships, and the romance of being an addict. Sure, you likely don’t miss the danger or destruction one bit because that’s likely what brought you to get sober.
Whether this is true for you or not, the point is that early in recovery there is still a lot of ambivalence. And even if the level of your ambivalence is low, you may still be vulnerable to cravings. For this reason, it’s essential to keep yourself in environments that are safe, those that will protect you from wanting to return to an old way of life.
One trigger for many people is the experience of traveling. When we travel there is often a feeling of celebration. People who are on vacation want to have a good time. They want to have fun.
Even the experience of being on a plane might prompt you to order a drink when the stewardess walks through the aisle. When you arrive, you might want to order a drink from the hotel bar or have a margarita when you’re lounging by the pool. It can be tricky to travel when you’re new to sobriety, especially if traveling was associated with drinking, good times, and getting drunk.
