If anger has the potential to trigger relapse during drug treatment of after drug and alcohol rehab it would be wise to discuss the common sources of anger. Learning better ways to handle these either while in rehab or as soon as possible after rehab is the safest course.

What triggers anger?

Stressors, triggers or hooks that â??get you to respond with angerâ??.

Others: when they hurt us or donâ??t do what we expect of them.

Situations: such as traffic jams, getting lost, a computer glitch, losing something, frustrated goals, interruptions or an injustice.

Self: failing to meet personal goals, not acknowledging our realistic limitations â??I canâ??t believe I did that. Iâ??m so stupid. Why canâ??t I do that?â??

Which is the greater threat, the trigger or your reaction to it?

What causes anger?

We care

People who become angry reflect a will to live, to grow and to protect self-interests

If we did not care we would cease to react

There are ways to channel caring with less anger or no anger at all

A sense of lost power

Anger attempts to restore lost power by taking temporary control of the situation and temporarily numbing the pain of self â?? diminishment ( When you are yelling no one else can speak, you appear to be in control)

Self-diminishment

It is very painful to feel rejected, disrespected, powerless, like a nobody

It is very painful to be reminded of our own inadequacies or unworthiness

Unrealistic expectations

Failing to accept the way things truly are

Expecting too much,

expecting other drivers to be more perfect than they are,

expecting your family to be more perfect than they are

expecting to have more control than you do

(Pg. 10 - 11 â??The Anger Management Sourcebook,â?? Glenn R. Schiraldi, Ph.D., & Melissa Hallmark Kerr, Ph.D., Contemporary Books, New York, 2002)

Please go through this list of ideas carefully and see if any of them have been sources of anger in the past that have lead to instances of drug or alcohol abuse. It is also obvious that it is our responses to the situation that creates the stress and also creates the danger of relapse. However either in rehab or after rehab you can develop ways to handle these situations in ways that don’t increase the stress your life. The big point of drug or alcohol rehab is change. Finding new ways to respond to old situations and taking the time to practice them so that you can actually use them in day to day life, is the goal of any addiction treatment or any residential rehab stay. See if you can find some new ways to respond to anger inducing situations that lead to resolution instead of escalation and more stress.

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