Every person in recovery faces challenges. Often, these challenges involve handling the cues or “triggers” that, over time, become associated with their drinking behavior. Certain individuals, activities, places, moods, or feelings can be cues that provoke a pattern of drinking. For example, many people use alcohol to calm down when they feel upset. Others may drink to excess when attending sports events. What triggers may be linked to your drinking?

By recognizing your own triggers and patterns, you can start to devise ways to better cope when confronted with them. Some triggers may be obvious—and avoidable—like certain friends or activities. Other triggers may not be so avoidable. You might recognize that when you're frustrated at work or put into a new social situation, drinking has been your response. In this case, you must develop different ways to respond to these triggers or ways to cope before the situation occurs. This is where working with your counselors, support groups, and friends and family can really help.

By keeping control of your behavior, you're sticking to your commitment to stay alcohol-free. Once you've achieved success dealing with a high-risk situation, you can build on it to face the next one. This confidence can grow to an expectation of being able to cope, a sense of mastery, and self-control.