Feelings load the gun; addiction pulls the trigger.
Almost anything can be a trigger for sex and porn addiction. Even memories of past traumas can be present-day triggers. For instance, if your boss looks at one of your coworkers crossly, this might remind you of your alcoholic father, which creates emotional discomfort – fear, anger, shame, etc. – and you therefore feel triggered, even though your boss’s expression has nothing at all to do with you in the present moment. This is just life, and as addicts we must learn to deal with this sort of thing by accepting the fact that we’re going to be triggered and we need to respond when we’re triggered by implementing healthy coping mechanisms instead of acting out.
Task for Today
Think about the last time you were triggered. What set you off? Was it something major, or just normal, everyday life?