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Types of AA Meetings

Open/ClosedMale/FemaleBig BookStepSpeakerDiscussionCombo

What is a relapse? 

Stages of Relapse = TRIGER(Emotional) – THOUGHT(Mental) – CRAVING (Physical) – USE

Like it or not, the first stage of relapse is emotional, so in order for us to become more aware of the warning we need to understand our feelings and emotions a little better.

We may believe it’s impossible to understand, predict or control our emotional responses to people or events, however, feelings and emotions are not magical.  They are part of being human and we can learn how to Think about our feelings in a way that makes it less likely that we will be Ruled by what we feel.

Feelings

Learning to “deal” with feelings.Accepting they are normal.Understanding that thoughts or ideas may influence feelings.Talking about it helps.Most people will gladly express their Opinions and Thoughts on a subject, but not their Feelings or Emotions.As a society it seems we have learned that feelings and emotions should be suppressed and denied.Don’t get mad.There’s no reason to be upset.Don’t be a cry baby.Calm down.You shouldn’t feel that way.The inability to recognize and identify our feelings can cause problems.Effects our ability to communicate honestly and assertively with people.When we don’t have an avenue for dealing with our feelings openly, we may attempt to “medicate” those feelings that trouble us with drugs and alcohol.Medication wears off, but the feelings remain.What are Feelings and emotions?Physical ResponsesSweaty palms, increased blood pressure, increased adrenaline, and blood sugar (Fight or Flight)Many emotions have similar physical characteristics. Angry/EmbarrassedNeed to be able to ask “what am I feeling right now” we can become aware of a physical response to a situation.Nonverbal ResponsesWe communicate most of what we are feeling NonverballyGestures, facial expressions, tone, loudness, eye contact, distanceIn order to communicate effectively, it’s important to be aware of how we communicate nonverbally.  Nonverbal communication is often more powerful and believed more than the wordsYour upset… NO I AM NOT!When there is confusion between what you are saying, and your body language people go with the body language.Feelings have a physical side; in that we can feel them in our bodies.We also communicate feelings with our bodies, whether we are aware of doing so or not.Nonverbal communication is one of the most important ways we communicate.Awareness of these things is the first step in learning to use our feelings constructively.Pay attention to what your body tells you, especially wen it comes to uncomfortable feelings like anger, jealousy, resentment, anxiety.Awareness gives you a tool to use for taking some deep beaths to calm down.Also pay attention to the things you do to communicate your feelings without words.

It may not be fair, but we have turned certain body languages into signs of us drinking.Eye contactNot getting things doneCouchIt’s important to realize the impact that certain thoughts and ideas may have on our feelings and emotional states.Important to learn to recognize ideas and Thinking Patterns that lead to negative or uncomfortable feelings or Mind Traps.These mind traps can wear us down and keep us emotionally upset.  Often we may not even realize our thinking is causing bad feelings.Example if I create a mind trap that says I MUST ALWAYS BE LIKED BY EVERYONE I MEET IN LIFE, then I have set myself us for a lot of negative and unhappy feelings. It’s not realistic to think everyone in the world MUST like me and as long as I carry that idea around in my head, (mind trap) I’ll be disappointed and unhappy on a regular basis.

Mid Traps, or unrealistic thinking patterns, can threaten recovery efforts because of the emotional turmoil they produce.One solution is to learn to challenge these Mind Traps...