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Originally Posted by gma45
You got that right! I am figuring out that I have never ever learned any coping skills. I haven't gotten any, so it's not re-adjusting it is just adjusting period! That is why every time I quit the anxiety hits. How do you manage? I don't have a clue?
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2. Anger, Sadness and Irritability
Small irritations can trigger intense feelings of anger and sadness in early recovery, which may trigger relapse. Depression, anxiety and other difficult emotions may have always been there, but may have gone unnoticed because you used drugs and alcohol to self-medicate. In many cases, feelings of sadness or anger are a normal part of life that you must learn to accept and manage rather than try to escape.
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gma45, it's learning to work thru the anxiety. i used therapy and AA to learn new coping skills to change my way of dealing with it. afterall we always had the anxiety/normal part of life, but we self medicated to numb the feelings rather than change what we run to/alcohol and drugs.
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Some experts believe that relapse happens in three stages – emotional, mental, and finally physical. During the first two stages, coping strategies can be instrumental in defusing relapse. Emotional relapse describes the typical emotions experienced by an individual who has not started using again but whose emotions are becoming unhealthy. Behaviors associated with emotional relapse may include anger, intolerance, impatience, anxiety, unhealthy eating or sleeping patterns, isolation, and mood swings. Emotional relapse is thought to be the first stage of relapse; because it is the first stage, it is also the best time to address the problem.
As the process of relapse gains momentum, it gets harder and harder to escape. A good way to subvert relapse at the emotional stage is to break isolation, reach out to others, and make a concerted effort at self-care. These actions reinforce healthy self-esteem and supportive connections. Self-esteem is a strong protective force against relapse because every recovering addict knows, deep down, that substance abuse is the opposite of self-love. http://www.drugalcoholaddictionrecovery.com/?p=56
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reducing anxiety tips: http://www.emotionalfitness.net/articles/10anxiety.html
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Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle.
The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours..~Ayn Rand
Last edited by madisgram; Feb 04, 2012 at 08:30 AM.
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