Are triggers and cravings real, or have we misunderstood what’s actually happening in addiction and recovery?

In this next thought, I revisit a brilliant conversation with Pax as we challenge one of the most commonly used ideas in recovery: that external triggers cause relapse. For many people early in sobriety, it feels obvious. Certain places, people, stress, even cities become labelled as “the problem”. But what if that’s not what’s really going on?

This conversation explores a more uncomfortable idea — that the trigger may not be external at all, but internal. Not the environment, but the interpretation. Not the situation, but the reaction. And if that’s true, it completely changes how we think about relapse, responsibility, and control.

We also go into cravings — what they actually are, when they’re neurological and physical in early recovery, and how they’re often mislabelled later on. At a certain point, is it still accurate to call it a craving, or is something else happening underneath it: obsession, emotional overload, or unresolved internal conflict?

This is a conversation that challenges a lot of common language used in addiction recovery, and asks a simple but uncomfortable question: are we naming the problem correctly — or using the wrong language for what’s actually happening inside us?

Listen or watch THE FULL EPISODE

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About the “THOUGHT” series -

Every other Monday at 5 PM, I’ll bring you a quick ‘thought’—a powerful moment from previous episodes designed to kickstart your week with insight, motivation, and connection. These shorter clips help us stay connected as a community, while every other Tuesday delivers a full, brand-new episode with fresh stories and lessons.

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