Why do we have Drug Dreams?

Recovering alcoholics or drug addicts may sometimes suffer from reoccurring dreams about the drugs of their choice. While this may be troubling to individuals in recovery, it is typically not a sign of a relapse waiting to happen. Learning about the way the mind reacts when in recovery will help those to understand what triggers they might face in terms of relapsing as well as how to deal with vivid drug dreams.

While someone in recovery may be doing well and have sworn off drugs or alcohol, their subconscious mind could have a whole other feeling about the subject. The conscious mind of the individual might know that trying even a sip of alcohol or a drug is relapsing and would damper the whole recovery process by setting the individual back again. However when the individual falls asleep, their subconscious mind could bring forth very visual drug dreams of one actually drinking a glass of alcohol or consuming their drug of choice. This can be due to the person's subconscious mind working through the phases of the recovery process.

Although drug dreams may be harmless to the person, they can seem so real that the individual might wake realistically thinking they have consumed or are in possession of their favorite drug of choice or alcoholic beverage. This can be so frighteningly real that some people will have convinced themselves they will not be able to recover completely. However, it is important for one to know that this is only a phase as the mind is recovering and relearning how to adjust without stimulants. It is also beneficial for those who are having vivid drug dreams to speak about them with their counselor or therapist to help them realize specific triggers.

There are some things that one may do to help them have less chances of inducing a dream-induced state thereby eliminating drug dreams. While trying these techniques may work well for some, they may not work as well for others as everyone is unique. By helping to eliminate drug dreams, this will also help the person along in their recovery process by removing the temptations the subconscious mind may bring about. One important thing one may do is to of course speak with either their counselor or therapist about all of the details about their drug dreams. Intense drug dreams may even prompt the person to try a 12-step meeting so they may recover from the realistic feelings of their drug dreams better. Lastly, another important thing one can do is to perform exercises before bed time. This will help to drastically reduce the ability for the subconscious mind to enter a dream state. By doing this, the person will help themselves stay away from such a visual, vivid representation of engaging in activities in their drug dreams.