“Euphoric recall” sounds like a wonderful thing to experience, but for people with an addiction and those struggling with compulsive behavior, it is a beautiful name for an ugly habit. Have you ever known someone who idealizes a past season of their lives or a single experience, always ready to talk about how great it used to be? This addictive thinking exaggerates the positive parts of an experience while ignoring the negative parts — all of the good, with none of the bad.
While we all tend to see the past with rose-colored glasses, euphoric recall often physically impacts the people who experience it. In the state of euphoric recall, people remember specific memories with excessive fondness that can trigger a biochemical reaction in their bodies. This in itself can even become addictive. For those experiencing this dissociation, it’s OK to ask for help. In many instances, euphoric recall indicates co-occurring issues that require professional guidance to resolve. You can contact Integrative Life Center today at (615) 891-2226 to better understand the meaning of euphoric recall in your own life, and how it may relate to other struggles you experience.
Psychologist Terence Gorski, a notable figure in the field of recovery, says that while in euphoric recall, “We remember and exaggerate pleasurable memories of past chemical use episodes. Then we block or repress our bad memories of drug use or deny the pain associated with them.”
How Does Euphoric Recall Impact Recovery?
Euphoric recall can relate to any affliction and become a challenging part of recovery. For example, in a person suffering from sex addiction, euphoric recall might bring up moments of intense physical pleasure.
Similarly, someone struggling with drug addiction might remember instances of substance use and focus on the pleasurable effects. Of course, remembering an intense high doesn’t reflect other aspects of drug abuse, such as worsening health, withdrawal symptoms, or bad decisions made under the influence.
The memory leaves out any danger present in the situation and the potential for harm caused by risky behavior, making it more difficult to abstain from the behavior or substance at the center of the euphoric memory. If someone does not recognize euphoric recall for what it is, the experience may prompt the cycle of addiction to drugs or alcohol and increase their likelihood of relapsing.
Anhedonia: When the Thrill is Gone
Acting out on sexual compulsions and or the urge to use mind-altering substances keeps the brain’s pleasure center stimulated for extended periods. This produces excess pleasure chemicals that may return in euphoric recall.
This is one of the saddest parts of euphoric recall – prolonged periods of flooding one’s brain with intense chemicals like dopamine and serotonin can lead to anhedonia. In anhedonia, a person cannot gain pleasure from regular activities, and their day-to-day experience seems dull and unfulfilling.
Anhedonia is common for those in early recovery during treatments for addiction. Many people feel emotionally numb, and life can seem boring without substance use or extreme acts. Ultimately, anhedonia can lead to risky behavior in the hope of feeling something again.
Positive Expectancy
Another dangerous result of indulging in euphoric recall is positive expectancy. Here, the brain minimizes the negative impacts of engaging in undesirable behavior or substance use. A person might even start to believe that their addiction has changed their lives for the better.
Positive expectancy can also relate to anhedonia. Distortions in thinking caused by anhedonia can make a person believe that good outcomes will follow dangerous or undesirable actions. They might see the drug or behavior as the catalyst for success at work, school, or relationships.
People in early recovery often face problems for the first time instead of self-medicating or masking them with compulsive behavior. The mindset of this thinking is not uncommon but can lead to poor judgment and even relapse.
Are Cravings the same as Euphoric Recall?
Euphoric recall is not the same thing as a craving but can signal a craving onset. The mind will rationalize engaging in risky behaviors or substance use and bolster reasoning by romanticizing memories via euphoric recall. Overcoming a craving to prevent relapse can be an immense challenge during recovery, and euphoric recall is often a signal that cravings are on the way.
Signs You’re Experiencing Euphoric Recall
Euphoric recall can have both mental and physical manifestations. These can include:
- an increased heart rate
- inability to concentrate
- blocking out negative consequences from past behaviors
- a sudden, pessimistic view of new life in recovery
- obsessing over past behaviors
- reaching out to friends who are active in undesirable behaviors
- depression
- mood swings
- hopelessness
- irritability
A person can benefit from quickly recognizing when their thoughts are trying to lead them astray. It may help to picture it as “keeping your brain on a short leash.” When people identify that they are in euphoric recall and wish to stop it, they can use one (or many) of the following strategies.
How to Cope with Euphoric Recall
Negative Recall: Remembering the Realities of Addiction
The negative recall technique challenges a person to focus on the reality of addiction. Looking back on the results of behavior can reframe a euphoric recall and see it for what it was.
One way to use negative recall is to replace pleasurable aspects with the consequences of sexual activity or substance use.
A person can ask themselves, “How will it feel the day after I do this?” or “When the high is gone, will it have been worth it?” and then answer honestly. While this is difficult at first, it becomes easier over time. By keeping reality in focus, the power of euphoric recall diminishes.
Those in a Twelve-Step program may recognize the negative recall as a part of the 8th and 9th steps, listing harms done and making amends. These practices use negative recall to reframe once-pleasurable experiences by emphasizing the harm to others that addictive or abusive behavior can cause.
Grounding Techniques: Activate Your Senses, Be Present
Someone at risk of being swept up in euphoric recall can use grounding techniques to snap themselves back into the present moment. Grounding is a type of somatic therapy that activates the senses and brings one’s awareness to the present moment.
There are many simple and immediately available options to help ground a person. Here are a few examples:
- Drink herbal tea and note all the individual flavors. Do not rush – take time to truly taste each layer of flavor.
- Go outside, take off your shoes, and feel the ground. If possible, stand in grass, sand, or soil. Breathe deeply and slowly exhale, paying attention to the entire experience.
- Feel the texture of the chair you are sitting on or the fabric of your clothes.
- Use aromatherapy or essential oils to anchor your senses through pleasant smells.
- Play a game with yourself called “The smallest good bite.” Get a cookie or some other small snack you enjoy, then try to take the smallest bite you can while still tasting everything in the treat. If you can, note what you taste and the size of the bite.
- Create something! Draw a picture, write a poem, or play an instrument. The results do not have to be an artistic masterpiece to help diffuse craving or euphoric recall; simply convert the struggle you feel into the creation.
Anything that helps you attune to your surroundings, the five senses, and the present moment will help ground and aid in self-soothing.
Meditation and Regulated Breathing
Developing a yoga therapy or meditation practice can promote stillness of the mind, giving the person experiencing euphoric recall a powerful tool to deal with unwanted thoughts.
Meditation is not the mastery of one’s thoughts but the recognition of them. The point of reflection is not to control what happens in the mind but to observe thoughts as they appear without reacting. It is easy to forget that our minds can endlessly generate distractions if we let them. With practice, we can learn to see our minds with compassion or even amusement.
Breathing techniques can provide an instant calm and reduce intense feelings that arise during euphoric recall. Deep, regulated breathing is also a grounding technique that one can use at any time, anywhere.
Sharing with a Trusted Friend
Sometimes, the best thing you can do is to get something off your chest. When euphoric recall becomes overwhelming, a trusted ear might be just what is needed. Speaking to someone close who is trustworthy and non-judgmental can be an incredible relief. Being open and honest with another person removes shame and builds up mental muscles around remaining honest with ourselves and others.
The Importance of Continued Care
Euphoric recall can be overwhelming for anyone in any stage of recovery. No matter how long one has been abstinent or sober, these thoughts can put good judgment at risk.
It is often useful for a person experiencing euphoric recall to examine and process these memories with a group of professionals.
Integrated Life Center understands that recovery extends throughout the years of an addict’s life, if not for the rest of their life. This is why we offer an extensive aftercare program, weekly Alumni support groups, and workshops for families.
You don’t have to face life and your past alone — Integrative Life Center is here to help. Instead of returning to the good old days that don’t really exist, call us today to start your path to recovery.
