A Deeper Look at Anxiety Disorders

According to MedlinePlus, “anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness.” When feelings of anxiety don’t go away and worsen over time, an individual may be struggling with an anxiety disorder. There are different types of anxiety disorders, including:

• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Panic disorder
• Phobia-related disorders

Symptoms of each anxiety disorder will differ and can interfere with work, school, and relationships.

The Connection Between Anxiety and Addiction

Anxiety and addiction have a cyclical effect on one another. While anxiety symptoms can be significant relapse triggers, using substances can also heighten anxiety symptoms. Often, people become addicted at first by attempting to use substances to quell anxiety symptoms, and in turn, that substance use leads to heightened feelings of anxiety.

For this reason, people who suffer from both addiction and anxiety disorders are more susceptible to adopting habits of using substances to self-medicate. As a result, they make their anxiety symptoms worse, requiring the person to then use more substances in an attempt to alleviate their symptoms.

In addition, symptoms of anxiety can cause people to isolate themselves from others, and social isolation can also lead to relapse. This is just one risk factor of living with both an anxiety disorder and addiction.

What Is Relapse?

Relapse happens when someone who is suffering from a disease returns to a former state after undergoing temporary improvements. In the case of addiction, relapse occurs when someone who has stopped using drugs or alcohol returns to substance use. Drug and alcohol relapses are among the most challenging and most common roadblocks that people in recovery will ever have to face.

It’s important to note that if a relapse occurs, it doesn’t mean that the person who relapsed or the treatment has failed. It simply means that the treatment needs to be continued or modified to meet that person’s changing needs. In order to know when an adjustment in care is needed, it’s essential to be able to recognize the warning signs of a potential relapse.

Anxiety and Relapse

It’s essential to recognize how anxiety can trigger relapse to get the best-personalized care possible, tailored to individual needs. Some common anxiety triggers that can lead to relapse are health problems, financial struggles, legal issues, relationship conflicts, and the challenges of everyday life, like having to perform to your best ability at work every day. Those in recovery can benefit from considering high-stress situations to be a precursor to potential relapse.

Recognizing the Warning Signs of Relapse

When it comes down to it, identifying relapse warning signs and taking action before these symptoms worsen is your best chance at avoiding a relapse. Anxiety and stress can both be clear relapse warning signs, but how do we recognize when our anxiety becomes so bad that it may cause a relapse? In order to help identify warning signs that may arise in recovery due to anxiety, it’s essential to understand what these signs may look like.

Within the wide variety of anxiety disorders, there are several shared telltale signs that someone may be pushed to the brink of a relapse. When someone is experiencing addiction and anxiety symptoms, they are often unable to take care of responsibilities. Sometimes this looks like being unable to perform at work or make it to the grocery store, and sometimes it can be as debilitating as not being able to take a shower. If you find yourself slipping back into old patterns, it’s crucial to seek alternate or additional treatment.

In addition to a lack of responsibility, those battling both anxiety and addiction at once are likely to have cravings for a substance that go so far as to become a priority over hobbies and leisure activities. With these warning signs also comes increased interpersonal issues and an obscured view of the self. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, you will likely require dual diagnosis treatment to treat both disorders and maintain sobriety.

Getting Treatment for Addiction and Anxiety

Because high-anxiety situations and life circumstances make individuals more vulnerable to substance use and make those battling addiction hyper-sensitive to anxiety symptoms, it is crucial for those struggling to look out for the warning signs previously discussed to avoid falling into this vicious cycle. There are treatment programs out there that can treat both simultaneously to give you the best chance at a lasting recovery.

Anxiety is one of the most common causes of substance use relapse because of the powerful effects it has on the brain. Luckily, both addiction and anxiety are treatable. If you or a loved one is using substances to quell symptoms of anxiety or are experiencing intense symptoms of anxiety due to substance abuse, it may be time to seek treatment. At Bella Monte Recovery Center in Desert Hot Springs, California, we have a strong team comprised of clinicians, case managers, and other addiction professionals equipped to handle symptoms of both anxiety and addiction. At our facility, we will separate you from triggers you may have in your life and create an individualized treatment plan to confront any and all mental health issues you may be experiencing. We are here to provide you with the support you deserve. For more information on how to get your recovery journey started, call Bella Monte at 855-808-4213 today.

A trauma trigger is something that reminds you of past trauma. It may contribute to intense flashbacks, feelings of irritability, or overwhelming fears. This article discusses trauma triggers, how to identify them, and how to develop self-regulation strategies to avoid relapsing in the future.

When You Can’t Understand Your Reactions

Nearly all of us have experienced trauma at some point in our lives. Trauma often causes unconscious, conditioned responses to develop within us. There might be things that make you feel upset, overwhelmed, afraid, or angry, even if they aren’t directly related to a specific traumatic event in your past. This reaction is called a “trauma response.” Some trauma triggers are more obvious than others, such as being in a similar environment where you may have endured trauma in your past. Other triggers are not as conscious or obvious.

Think back to a time when you felt ashamed of your reaction to something. You may have been in a situation where you were told that you overreacted. There might have been an argument you had with a loved one, and afterward, you find yourself questioning why you reacted the way you did or you feel as if you reacted that way for no reason. This can feel frustrating. However, you have to acknowledge that your response was probably automatic. If you sometimes feel like your responses are controlling your behavior, rather than vice versa, you may be experiencing a recurrent trauma response.

Trauma Triggers and Trauma Responses

When a person experiences a traumatic event, or a series of traumatic events, and isn’t able to process it, it’s possible for them to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Telling symptoms of PTSD include avoiding people, places, and things that remind the person of the traumatic event or experiencing a conditioned trauma response. Most people recognize trauma responses through elements associated with the body’s stress response, also known as the fight-or-flight mode. Still, there are many different ways a person can respond when something reminds them of trauma, including freeze, fawn, and flood.

Trauma triggers cause trauma responses. Triggers are stimuli that elicit a certain reaction. Examples of less-obvious trauma triggers may include scents, sounds, and tastes, as well as times of day or time of year. Triggers can also be emotional feelings. For example, if you felt trapped, unheard, or less important during your trauma, experiences that make you feel inferior could trigger a trauma response. Feeling safe can also be a trigger to some, as conscious safety could make a person feel vulnerable or at risk of re-experiencing a trauma again.

Trauma Responses and Substance Use

Responding to a trigger can make you feel out of control or filled with shame. Sometimes when a person feels these emotions, they avoid them by turning to substance use or using substances in an attempt to lessen the intensity of these uncomfortable emotions. This can become a slippery slope as it can make an individual more vulnerable to developing an addiction. Rather than noticing your feelings and dealing with them at the present moment, you learn to become chemically dependent on substance use to cope. Ignoring your triggers can be dangerous, especially if you are in early recovery. This is because you might be exposed to triggers that remind you of a difficult event from your past, causing you to return to your substance-using habits.

How to Identify Your Trauma Triggers

Think back to a particular time when you felt like your response was unwarranted. You might feel ashamed or silly because of your response, but recognize that your brain wanted you to respond the way that you did by means of securing physical and psychological safety.

Think about the particular incident. Ask yourself these questions:

• What was going on during that time?
• What were people saying or doing?
• What sensations were you feeling?
• What did that particular sensation remind you of?
• How did those sensations make you feel?
• Can you connect these back to a specific trauma or difficult moment in your life?

In the Future

Learning to identify and overcome triggers is a lifelong process. Once you become aware of old triggers and do your best to override trauma responses, you can have a greater awareness of how you react to future triggers. Remember that reflecting on past trauma or working to overcome it can be uncomfortable and overwhelming at times. Fortunately, there are mental health professionals who specialize in trauma-informed care that can support you through treatment and recovery. For co-occurring substance use and trauma-related conditions, such as PTSD, it is essential to know that recovery is possible.

Learning how to heal from the effects of trauma is an essential part of the recovery from substance use disorder (SUD) and other mental health disorders. Many people that struggle with substance use initially turned to alcohol and other drugs as a way to self-medicate lingering symptoms of trauma. When trauma triggers are not addressed, and coping skills are not utilized, individuals in recovery are more likely to relapse. Bella Monte Recovery Center understands the significant role that trauma plays in the development of substance use and mental health disorders. We incorporate trauma-informed treatment into our recovery program. We know how valuable learning how to manage and overcome trauma triggers, and associated responses can be for your recovery. Our facility offers a wide range of treatment services for individuals seeking recovery. To learn more about how to identify and overcome trauma triggers, call us today at 855-808-4213.

Recovery from substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders (commonly referred to as dual diagnosis) is a challenging and complex process. One of the key aspects of this journey is understanding the triggers that can lead to relapse and developing effective coping strategies to manage them. At Bella Monte Recovery, a leading treatment center specializing in substance use and dual diagnosis, we recognize the importance of addressing both the mental and emotional aspects of recovery. This blog explores what triggers are, the common types people in recovery face, effective coping strategies, and how Bella Monte Recovery offers comprehensive support for long-term healing.

What Are Triggers in Recovery?

Triggers are internal or external stimuli that provoke an emotional or psychological response, often leading to cravings or the urge to return to substance use. In the context of recovery, these triggers can set off a chain of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make relapse more likely.

 

Triggers can be divided into two main categories:

1. Internal Triggers: These are emotional states or feelings that arise from within a person. Examples include stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, or boredom. For individuals with dual diagnosis, internal triggers can be particularly challenging because mental health issues such as depression or anxiety might exacerbate the urge to use substances as a way to self-medicate.
2. External Triggers: These are people, places, or situations in the outside world that remind a person of past substance use. For instance, a former drinking buddy, a party environment, or even driving by a familiar bar can all serve as external triggers that bring up memories or cravings for substance use.

The key to successful recovery lies in understanding these triggers and developing effective coping strategies to handle them. This is where Bella Monte Recovery’s expertise comes into play, offering tailored care and support to help individuals navigate these challenges.

Common Triggers for People in Recovery

Everyone’s experience with triggers is unique, but there are some common themes that many people in recovery may face. Here are a few examples:

1. Stress: One of the most common triggers for relapse, stress can arise from work, relationships, or everyday responsibilities. People often turn to substances as a way to escape or cope with overwhelming situations.
2. Negative Emotions: Feelings of sadness, anger, guilt, or shame can become overwhelming for someone in recovery, particularly for individuals with a dual diagnosis. Mental health conditions like anxiety or depression can intensify these emotions, making it harder to manage them without turning to substances.
3. Social Pressure: Being around people who are drinking or using drugs, or even just being in a social setting where substance use is the norm, can make it difficult to stay committed to recovery.
4. Environmental Cues: Returning to a familiar place where substance use once occurred, such as a particular neighborhood or venue, can trigger cravings or feelings of nostalgia that put recovery at risk.
5. Boredom or Loneliness: Many individuals turn to substances as a way to fill a void when they are alone or have nothing to do. In recovery, finding healthy ways to occupy time and create meaningful connections is essential.
6. Celebratory Occasions: Holidays, birthdays, or other celebrations can sometimes serve as a trigger because they are traditionally associated with alcohol or drug use for many people. The desire to “join in the fun” can lead to a relapse if one is not prepared.

Coping Strategies for Managing Triggers

Coping with triggers is a critical skill in the recovery process. At Bella Monte Recovery, we emphasize the importance of developing a personalized toolkit of coping strategies that individuals can use when faced with triggers. Below are some effective strategies that can help:

1. Mindfulness and Meditation
   Mindfulness practices, such as deep breathing and meditation, can help individuals become more aware of their thoughts and emotions without being overwhelmed by them. These techniques allow a person to pause and observe their feelings without immediately reacting, helping to reduce impulsivity and the risk of relapse.
2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
   CBT is a widely used therapeutic approach that helps individuals identify negative thought patterns and behaviors and replace them with healthier alternatives. For example, when faced with a stressful situation, someone might recognize their automatic thought (“I can’t handle this”) and reframe it into something more positive and actionable (“I can manage this one step at a time”). Bella Monte Recovery incorporates CBT into its treatment plans to help clients develop healthier thought processes and better emotional regulation.
3. Creating a Support Network
   Having a strong support system is crucial in recovery. This network can include family, friends, peers from support groups, and therapists. At Bella Monte Recovery, we encourage individuals to build meaningful connections with others who understand their struggles and can provide encouragement and accountability. Our group therapy sessions and aftercare planning ensure that clients leave treatment with a solid support system in place.
4. Avoiding High-Risk Situations
   Part of managing triggers involves recognizing situations or environments that may pose a risk to recovery. This might mean avoiding certain places, people, or activities associated with past substance use. Bella Monte Recovery helps clients identify these high-risk situations and create a plan to navigate or avoid them.
5. Engaging in Healthy Activities
   Replacing substance use with healthy activities can reduce the likelihood of relapse. Exercise, hobbies, volunteering, or learning new skills can provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment that helps reduce cravings. At Bella Monte Recovery, we incorporate holistic therapies such as art therapy and fitness programs to support both physical and emotional well-being.
6. Regular Therapy and Counseling
   Ongoing therapy is vital for addressing the underlying mental health issues that contribute to substance use. For individuals with a dual diagnosis, this might involve medication management, individual therapy, or specialized treatments for conditions such as PTSD or anxiety. Bella Monte Recovery offers integrated care, ensuring that both substance use and mental health issues are treated simultaneously.
7. Journaling and Self-Reflection
   Writing down thoughts, emotions, and experiences can help individuals process their feelings and gain insight into what triggers their cravings. Journaling also provides a healthy outlet for stress and can be a valuable tool for tracking progress over time.

How Bella Monte Recovery Assists in Long-Term Recovery

Bella Monte Recovery offers a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to treating both substance use and dual diagnosis. Our treatment programs are tailored to meet the unique needs of each client, ensuring that they receive the appropriate care for both their addiction and any co-occurring mental health disorders.

At Bella Monte Recovery, our holistic treatment model focuses on healing the mind, body, and spirit. Clients have access to a variety of therapies, including individual counseling, group therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness practices, and holistic treatments such as art therapy. We also place a strong emphasis on aftercare and relapse prevention, ensuring that individuals have the tools and support needed to maintain long-term sobriety.

Conclusion

Recovering from substance use and managing a dual diagnosis is a lifelong journey that requires continuous effort and support. Understanding triggers and developing effective coping strategies are essential components of this process.

At Bella Monte Recovery, we provide comprehensive, personalized care that addresses both the physical and emotional aspects of addiction and mental health. With the right tools, support network, and treatment plan, individuals can achieve lasting recovery and build a fulfilling, substance-free life.

For those seeking recovery and a supportive community, Bella Monte Recovery offers not just treatment, but a transformative experience guided by compassion and understanding. Please reach out at 855-808-4213 you or a loved one is seeking help.

When Your Beliefs Are Used Against You

Ideally, your spirituality should be a source of healing. How you worship and feel connected to the larger world should be a time filled with love, joy, and connectedness. Unfortunately, that isn’t everyone’s experience. Not every single congregation, church, or worship space is loving, accepting, and healthy. For some, their spiritual or religious upbringing can be a source of deep-seated trauma. This form of trauma is called “spiritual trauma” or “religious trauma” and is often the result of religious abuse.

This type of abuse can come from individuals or the community as a whole. A person can experience spiritual trauma from religious leaders, parents, or spiritual community members. Examples of spiritual or religious abuse can include:

• Using beliefs to embarrass, shame, or humiliate you either publicly or privately
• Financial exploitation
• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Using fear to coerce you into following beliefs or scripture
• Using beliefs to justify abuse or keep you in an abusive relationship
• Isolating, or threatening isolation, if you choose to leave the spiritual community
• Insulting or belittling other belief systems
• Using beliefs to discriminate against your gender, race, or sexuality

Spiritual Abuse Can Block Spirituality

When a person is a victim of spiritual abuse, it can cause them a lot of harm. It can make it difficult to want to dive into spirituality because that part of their life is so intensely triggering. It can also make a person feel lost and confused after their experience. Betrayal from your community or faith affects a deep part of you. Spirituality is an intimate aspect of a person’s life. It’s a source of healing for many who turn to a higher power to make sense of things and to feel a sense of purpose. Losing that part of yourself can be devastating. However, even if you are a victim of spiritual abuse, it’s possible to heal and reconnect with the bigger picture.

Victims of spiritual abuse also struggle during recovery. There are many faith-based treatment and recovery communities, 12-Step programs being the most popular. A program that centers on God or a higher power can be a significant turn-off and potentially triggering.

How to Heal From Spiritual Abuse

While spiritual abuse can be devastating and make you feel disconnected from your community or even your core beliefs, healing is possible. Recognizing the trauma and healing from it allows you to utilize this powerful resource in your future recovery.

Recognize That Trauma Occurred

This might seem obvious, and you may have already started this step, but one of the first things you need to do to heal from trauma is to acknowledge that what you experienced was traumatic. This is an important first step because many people aren’t aware that they’ve experienced trauma. They might feel confused and lost after their experience. They don’t know why they feel awful. Once you’ve acknowledged and accepted that your experience was traumatic, you can begin to process the events.

Reprocess Your Experiences Through Therapy

There are plenty of options when it comes to processing trauma. Choose a therapist or a form of therapy that works best for you. Types of therapy that help with processing complicated feelings toward an event can include things like psychotherapy, group therapy, and EMDR.

Let Yourself Feel Complicated Emotions

Processing trauma can be an emotionally difficult experience. It opens up old wounds as you relive events you pushed into the back of your mind. What’s worse is sometimes the emotions don’t make sense. There might be parts of you that feel nostalgic about that time, while at the same time, you feel disgusted. You might feel angry at your community for not supporting you but sad that you lost that support. Let yourself feel these feelings without judgment. Whatever you feel is normal and valid. It’s okay if your emotions contradict each other. That’s a natural part of being human.

Grieve and Accept What You’ve Lost

After experiencing spiritual trauma, you most likely lost a whole community of support. You might feel that loss deeply. Unfortunately, leaving a community can mean losing friends, mentors, and even family. You are allowed to grieve this loss. Grieving the loss of a toxic community doesn’t mean you wish to reenter it, but rather that you’re processing the feelings of losing something that was central to your identity at a point in time. Take time to process feelings of grief until you eventually accept that loss.

Reclaim Your Values and Beliefs

Sort through your beliefs and values when you are ready. Try to separate what you truly believe and what you were taught to believe. This process can take a lot of time, and it’s okay if there are some things that you aren’t sure about. It can also be difficult and potentially triggering, especially if questioning established beliefs resulted in punishment. When you feel safe, dig deep and answer the big questions. These big questions can become the stepping stones to finding your greater purpose on your own terms.

Spiritual and religious trauma can shake up your worldviews and connection to the bigger picture. It might be hard for you to reconnect to spirituality after what you’ve experienced, but it’s important to heal. Spirituality is a vital part of life, allowing you to discover your purpose and answer life’s biggest questions. It can help to talk to someone about your experience so you can begin the process of healing. Bella Monte specializes in treating trauma lying underneath addiction. We also have trauma informed therapists who specialize in trauma-related therapy. At Bella Monte, every client will go through EMDR therapy. This therapy can help you process your trauma and let you begin your journey of healing. If you would like to learn more ways to heal from spiritual trauma, please call us at 855-808-4213 for more information. We’re here to help you heal.

Here are some things that you can stop doing that may help ease the pressure you’re feeling.

Don’t Buy Into It
It’s typical for alcoholics to try to blame their drinking on circumstances or others around them, including those who are closest to them. It’s common to hear an alcoholic say, “The only reason I drink is because you…”
Don’t fall for it. If someone is an alcoholic, they are going to drink no matter what you do or say. It’s not your fault.

Taking It Personally
When alcoholics promise they will never drink again, but they go back to drinking as much as ever, it is easy to take the broken promises and lies personally. You may think, “If she really loves me, she wouldn’t lie to me.” But if she’s addicted to alcohol, her brain chemistry may have changed to the point that she may not be in control of her own decision making.

Trying to Control It
Many family members try everything to get their loved one to stop drinking. You may think there is something that you can do, but alcoholics can’t control their drinking. Unfortunately, this usually results in leaving their family members feeling frustrated and lonely.

When an alcoholic reaches a crisis point, sometimes that’s the time the person finally admits he has a problem and reaches out for help. But if friends or family members rush in and “rescue” the person, it can delay the decision to get help.

Stopping a Crisis
For those who love an alcoholic, it is very difficult to just let the problem play out to its fullest extent. When they reach a point in their abuse when they get a DUI, lose their job, or get thrown in jail, it is a difficult concept for their loved ones to accept that the best thing they can do is to do nothing. It seems to go against everything they believe. Unfortunately, this causes the cycle to repeat…indefinitely.

Learning detachment will help you allow a crisis—one that may be the only way to create change—happen.

Trying to Cure It
Alcoholism is a progressive disease that can be fatal to the drinker. You love someone who is needs professional treatment to get healthy again but that’s their responsibility, not yours. You’re not a trained counselor and you can’t cure a disease.

Alcoholics usually go through a few stages before they are ready to make a change. Until they contemplate quitting, any actions you take to “help” her quit will often be met with resistance.

Covering It Up
Alcoholics typically don’t want people to know how much they drink because if he full extent of the problem became known, people might try to intervene. If family members try to “help” (enable the alcoholic) by covering up for their drinking and making excuses, they are playing right into the denial game. Dealing with the problem openly and honestly is the best approach.

Accepting Unacceptable Behavior
Accepting unacceptable behavior usually begins with some small incident that family members brush off with, But the next time, it may get a little worse and then even worse. You slowly begin to accept more and more and before you realize it, you can find yourself in a full-blown abusive relationship.

Abuse is never okay and you don’t have to accept it in your life. It’s important to protect your children from unacceptable behavior as well as growing up in an alcoholic home can leave lasting scars.

Having Unreasonable Expectations
One problem of dealing with an alcoholic is that what might seem like a reasonable expectation might be totally unreasonable with an alcoholic. When they swear to you and to themselves they’ll never touch another drop, you might expect that they are sincere and they won’t drink again. But is it reasonable to expect someone to be honest with you when the person is incapable of even being honest with himself or herself?

Living in the Past
The key to dealing with alcoholism is staying focused on the situation as it exists today. Alcoholism is a progressive disease that continues to get worse until the alcoholic seeks help. You can’t allow the mistakes of the past to affect your choices today because circumstances change.

Enabling
Often, loved ones enable alcoholics to continue along their destructive paths. What happens when you enable an alcoholic? It depends on the situation but what usually happens is that the alcoholic never feels the pain and it takes the focus off of their behavior.

For example, if an alcoholic passes out in the yard, and you help him into the house and into bed, only you feel pain. The focus becomes the things you did rather than what he did. If he wakes up on the lawn and comes into the house while you and the children are eating breakfast, the only thing for him to face is his own behavior. In other words, his actions, rather than your reaction, becomes the focus. It is only when he feels and accepts his own pain that he will want to change.