Trigger Tackler

It’s common for people trying to reduce their drinking to think: “Why can’t I just stop?”. In fact, they may be able to stop for a short period of time until some difficulty pops up and triggers drinking again. These triggers are typically high-risk situations, termed so because they threaten self-control: they can lead to drinking even if you were planning to avoid it.

Triggers can vary depending on the person: they may be social pressures or conflicts with other people, you wanting to test your control, having unpleasant emotions, or being back at the pub for the first time in a while. The easiest way to reduce your drinking is to avoid such high-risk situations. The problem is that high-risk situations are often hard to avoid – so it’s very important to prepare for them.

The good news is psychologists have worked out strategies to tackle these triggers. When you’re aware of your personal triggers, you can make a plan on how to deal with them. People who have good plans for their triggers feel confident and are less likely to drink when they didn’t plan to.

Trigger tackler is a bit different from the other modules in this programme. Most of the modules are based on lived experience and contain tricks and strategies that have worked for thousands of other people. This module was developed by a team of experienced psychologists led by Dr. Nicki, who has 20 years of experience in working with people with drinking problems. This team has developed a simple set of learning modules based on a very successful process called cognitive behavioural therapy (known as CBT). Dr. Nicki will talk you through activities aimed at finding out what your triggers are and how you can cope with them… without drinking.