Well, for some with an addiction, just being somewhere can be the trigger. Even though a "place" doesn't speak to you to convince you to "act out", it can actually trigger the voice in your mind that tells you what to do.
Follow me on this. For those who suffer from alcoholism, going to a bar for happy hour may not be the smartest of decisions or going to a friends party where you know there will be alcohol. Because at this "place" you have access to the actual thing that you are trying to break away from. Or for those suffering from a pornography addiction, perhaps going to Hooters will trigger the feeling inside that you so crave leading to "acting out". What about those with a shopping addiction? Should going to the mall be on your agenda?
Now these are not hard and in stone rules. Of course not. Each person must decide for themselves if being at a certain place is dangerous to the undoing of their sobriety. However, sometimes we just don't know. Or perhaps it is so early in the recovery process that we know these "places" are triggers.
So, I would think logic would say to STAY AWAY! You have worked so hard to finally admit your problem and start the hard work of beating this addiction, why would you place yourself in harms way?
The reason it is considered a Y2 light, "Intentionally putting oneself at a Place of Risk" is so that you are accountable for putting yourself there. Remember, Yellow Lights are not acting out lights..these are just the flags that say..Stop and Slow Down! Consider the Implications! What could this lead to?
Because entering a yellow light requires adding an explanation of the situation it is helpful so that your accountability partner can see the situation. It is also helpful to begin to see patterns. When searching over a months time, see how many yellow lights you had. Are they all on a certain day of the week? Do they always occur when ...
Sometimes it really is obvious - at least most often for an outsider. But not always. And with data at your fingertips, you can't deny the actions of your life.
So PLEASE don't be afraid to report a yellow. Be accountable to someone for it and perhaps come up with plans on how to change why the yellow even happened so it doesn't turn into a red light in the future.
Don't have recoveryBox yet? Make the SMALL investment and begin to see your habits change.
To download, click here. For more information, visit the recoveryBox app website (you can always download it from there if you decide).
