Episode: 12 – Substance Use Nostalgia

In Episode 12 of The Support and Kindness Podcast, Greg and co-hosts Derek, Rich, Liam, and Jay unpack “substance use nostalgia” – the tendency to romanticize past drug or alcohol use and forget the consequences. They explain how internal and external triggers (like music, places, emotional upheaval, and old friends) can spark cravings, and they offer practical tools such as the 3 R’s (Recognize, Remind, Remove) and HALT (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired) to manage urges. Through candid personal stories, they show that nostalgic thoughts about using are normal, not a sign of failure, and that positive recovery-based nostalgia can become a powerful source of strength. The episode closes with resources like 988, findtreatment.gov, SMART Recovery, and SAMHSA, plus a reminder: you don’t have to face cravings or recovery alone.

Greg
00:00 - 00:28
Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Support and Kindness podcast. I'm your host Greg Shaw. Today is Saturday November the 22nd 2025 and we're diving deep into one of the most powerful and challenging obstacles in addiction recovery and that's substance use nostalgia. Nostalgia itself is often a common and comforting emotion, a sentimental longing for the past, and we use it to connect with cherished memories, and it can even boost our motivation and sense of belonging.

Greg
00:28 - 01:04
But substance use nostalgia, also known as addiction-related nostalgia, that's a dangerous distortion of that feeling. It's a longing for the feelings and the experiences associated with drugs, substances, or alcohol, and it's a significant trigger for relapse. Substance use nostalgia is not a healthy memory. It's a mental trap that romanticizes the past by selectively recalling only the positive highs, the euphoria, and the perceived social connection, or the sense of escape, while completely filtering out negative consequences like withdrawal, hangovers, or embarrassment, and it creates ambivalence.

Greg
01:04 - 01:29
making it difficult to stay committed to sobriety, by creating internal conflict between the desire for recovery and the idealized memory of using. It acts like a siren song, offering a mental escape from recovery's hardships, pulling you back into harmful habits, creating the false belief that you can use again, without consequences. But how do we identify the triggers? Nostalgia for the past often sparks strong cravings.

Greg
01:29 - 02:05
Triggers are emotional, environmental, or social cues that remind the brain of past substance use. And they usually fall into two categories as internal triggers. These are thoughts and feelings, including both physical sensations, often summarized by the acronym HALT, or hungry, angry, lonely, tired, with. had that acronym on here before or sadness and anxiety and there's external triggers and these include former people who used to use physical locations like old hangouts or specific objects also known as paraphernalia even positive events like celebrations or overconfidence can trigger the urge to use again your

Greg
02:05 - 02:52
plan to cope a craving is a temporary wave that fades if you don't give in managing it requires a two-step plan there's immediate internal protocol the three R's when the urge hits recognize the feeling for what it is it's a craving remind yourself that you don't have to act on it and if possible remove yourself from that situation and external support and action lean on your support system like a sponsor a friend family and use distraction techniques like exercise a game or calling a supportive person to get you through the moment For Substance Use Nostalgia specifically, recognize a selective memory and focus on the present day by doing activities that bring you joy in your sober life. In this episode we're exploring Substance Use Nostalgia, sharing personal stories and reviewing coping strategies.

Greg
02:52 - 03:06
You'll get some practical tools to stay grounded when your mind tempts you to relive the past. Today I'm joined by my co-hosts. I've got Rich, Jay, Liam, and my good friend, Derek. And I'd like to start with Derek.

Greg
03:06 - 03:11
Do you want to introduce yourself to the listeners and share a little bit about what you brought you to the podcast today?

Derek
03:11 - 03:22
Hi Greg. Yes. Thank you for the introduction. My name is Derek and I, my TBI happened well over, well, yes, 12 years ago.

Derek
03:23 - 03:32
My morbid mnemonic device is the night that we fell backward. I fell backwards down a flight of stairs, but I'll bump. I was also drunk. So two bird, one stone.

Derek
03:32 - 03:54
But from that I've grown it plenty, plenty of obstacles in the road, but I found a good way to groove, and a lot of what you said is a part of that. I may have done a few things slightly differently, but I know what works for me and what doesn't work for me, and I'm very long-winded, so I'll pass the baton off onto someone else. But thank you for the introduction.

Greg
03:54 - 04:08
Thanks for joining us Derek, hopefully this will be the first of many more to come. Rich, I'll pass it to you. Substance use nostalgia, interesting topic and I know it sparked some conversation back and forth between us when we floated this topic but what are your thoughts on this on this subject?

Rich
04:09 - 04:46
We have, it's an interesting subject you know it romanticizes the past which we were talking before we came in. And it can, you know, depending on how how far along you are in recovery or at any time, I guess, can be really dangerous to romanticize former drug use. You're putting yourself back in that position, putting yourself back in that place, whether it's because a song comes on that reminds you or, you know, a social connection or something that reminds you. You're remembering the euphoria and the social connection and the fun.

Rich
04:46 - 05:26
and you're forgetting the pain or the harm and the negative consequences associated with the substance use. I definitely have found that having a very, very long time abstinent away from my substance, 27 years having been abstinent a long time, that my cravings are not I don't view them as threatening, I don't view them as craving, I view them purely as memory, purely as memory of youth and nothing more. But when they were fresh, when I was newly sober, They were aggressive cravings.

Rich
05:26 - 05:31
They were things that I fought against. And that's the path of recovery.

Greg
05:31 - 05:40
Right. That'll certainly come with time, right? And as you mature in your sobriety and get more time in, those triggers can become less. But they could come back again.

Greg
05:40 - 05:45
We've got to be careful of that. Liam, how about yourself? What comes to mind on this topic for you?

Liam
05:46 - 06:18
Yeah, it's a phenomenal topic because I think everybody can really identify with this. Me personally, I have so many memories that revolve around substance use. The problem with my memories is there's a lot of good in those memories because it also revolved around music. I played a lot of gigs with a lot of really nice, interesting people, and we had a lot of great times.

Liam
06:18 - 06:28
So, you know, I like to romanticize about those, but then you run into the problem where you're romanticizing about times when you

Greg
06:28 - 06:28
were

Liam
06:28 - 07:02
very, you know, there was a young man there naming me that was in a lot of trouble mentally because I was trying to treat so many things with substances. And I really didn't get to enjoy totally all the great experiences I was having because I was. masking so much underlying pain with all these substances. So yeah, I did have great experiences, but how much better could they have been if I was sober and had so much more clarity?

Liam
07:03 - 07:24
It's kind of a balancing act for me. I mean, I don't want to be ashamed of the things I did. I want to remember those with great fondness, but also learn from the past. And, and yeah, like Rich was saying, they can also be really big triggers, which can be dangerous.

Liam
07:24 - 07:35
And so you, you just gotta be really careful with those, but it's such a great topic. Cause I just think. Everybody really has so much to speak on about this.

Rich
07:36 - 07:54
Liam, you bring out a good point about focusing on the whole picture though, not just remembering the feeling of the highs or the feeling of the high, but focusing on the whole picture and the ways that it affected you and your life, all aspects of your life. That's a good point.

Greg
07:54 - 07:58
Absolutely. Liam, what are some triggers for you that come up or that could come up?

Liam
07:58 - 08:40
Well, you know, I've been thinking about this a lot lately because I'm in a spot right now where my condition was hindering me from playing music. And now I'm kind of on the mend a little bit. And the thought of going back to playing music is a scary proposition because one of the reasons I've been steering clear is because of my sobriety and I need to be selfish in my sobriety and not let anything deter that. But going back to playing music and have all those memories flooding back and seeing familiar faces can be a really big trigger.

Liam
08:41 - 08:55
So I'm kind of at a. You know, it's a bit of a conundrum to, you know, I love music, but, you know, I don't want to sacrifice my sobriety for that. So I've got to make it work somehow. And

Greg
08:55 - 08:55
I

Liam
08:55 - 09:27
mean, I want to look forward to that, that challenge, you know, and still be able to have the great memories, but, you know, be able to probably remember them better. So, yeah, I think it's, it's a real juggling act. that I'm going to have to face, you know, and hopefully I'm prepared with enough ammunition that those things aren't too triggering, that I can still have, you know, those fond memories, but create new ones with a new

Greg
09:27 - 09:43
clarity to them. right and rich before we go over to jay talking staying on the topic of triggers what are some triggers for you i know that when we were sharing about this initially you were talking about is it blotter paper you were playing around with or you were remembering blotter blotter paper

Rich
09:43 - 09:52
blotter paper and i found a a art group that looks at the design on blotter paper what

Greg
09:52 - 09:55
is blotter paper just for anyone who doesn't know

Rich
09:55 - 11:15
it's for acid so but it has artistic designs on it and you can there are there are groups that discuss the artistic designs on blotter paper and the historic prints and series that have run through history but that art turns to nostalgia about the particular strain or or run that particular run of that particular batch of acid and then people start talking very positively about drugs and very quickly you find yourself in a conversation where people are not talking about artwork anymore but they're talking about drugs and the positives to them, you know, their positives, their experiences, their enjoyment. And it's like, I came here to look at artwork and to be reminded of this, which is probably walking a line in the first place, to be honest, but it very quickly devolved into people discussing strength of dosages and all sorts of horrible, not horrible, but all sorts

Rich
11:15 - 11:24
of historic facts about drug on paper. not art on paper, and I had to excuse myself.

Greg
11:25 - 11:34
Right, that must have been difficult. Jay, what about yourself? What comes to mind for you on this topic of substance abuse nostalgia, and what are some triggers for you? Do you not watch out?

Jay
11:34 - 11:46
Well, I just first want to say I'm glad we have such a full house here today. I'm glad Derek is joining us. It means that we might be making an impact and reaching out farther. So that makes me happy.

Jay
11:46 - 12:04
I want to first say that don't let these, well, I know that's easier said than done, but try not to let these triggers take away the progress that you've made if you're in recovery. You are worth more than that. I just said this to a friend yesterday. Don't let a woman derail the progress you've made.

Jay
12:05 - 12:20
You're worth more than that. You're loved. People love you. And I would hate to see someone relapse from something as small as a trigger like a song or smell or blotter paper, you know.

Jay
12:20 - 12:36
So you're worth more than that. But I've actually had some great times with substances. I hate to say that, but when it's normal, you're in high school, people just think you're being a kid. And I can remember my senior year, it felt like we were kings.

Jay
12:36 - 13:07
It was straight out of the movie, A Dazed and Confused. It was cruising around, just all my buddies listening to good music. And so I have had good times with it, but it started getting unhealthy when I was you know, 21 and caused me to have a drunk driving accident. Thank God I didn't hurt anybody else, but that's when it starts to become a problem when you're not just drinking at a bar with your buddies, you're going and buying a bottle of liquor to take home with you, that's where it starts to get uncontrollable.

Jay
13:07 - 13:27
I think a lot of triggers can be music and locations. I think if you're in early recovery, you shouldn't put yourself in situations like that, like maybe being in a restaurant that could be also a bar. You could see the bottles of liquor. You could just try and avoid places that you think that these things might come up.

Jay
13:27 - 13:49
I actually just had an experience today where I was standing outside of a store and a car went by playing a song that I used to listen to when I was in high school. And it can take you right back to that moment. You can actually almost feel like you're transported there and you're living it again. And that's scary, but you also need to keep in mind that these feelings pass.

Jay
13:49 - 13:58
They're not forever. You just need to count your blessings. You need to be appreciative for what you have and appreciative for the time you put in. I put in a lot of time.

Jay
13:58 - 14:17
I've been sober almost 11 years and I still get triggers today. But as I've said in other podcasts, it does get easier. The longer that you're away from your substance, the less it becomes part of your routine. When you're in the first 90 days, it's still a part of you.

Jay
14:17 - 14:35
You still fantasize about it. But now I can honestly say that unless I hear something on TV or again walk into a restaurant that also has a bar, I tend not to think about it. These triggers and cravings reduce with time. So just keep in mind it does get easier, I promise you.

Greg
14:36 - 15:06
Thanks Jane. I know for me some of the triggers that I used to have I couldn't keep canisters of inhalants. I couldn't keep the duster for the keyboard or cigarette lighter gas in the house because they're a form of inhalant and for me just seeing that canister if I looked at it their own way one day it could have been sat on the desk for weeks and weeks and just one day you know the sun would be setting in a certain direction the wind would be blowing and i'd see that canister and i could taste it i could taste the sensation i could taste the fluttering in my chest as my heart was speeding up and

Greg
15:06 - 15:41
i could feel that euphoric wave rising up from within me and it you know so you know triggers such as that and for me i can't tempt fate so i'm you know long in my reasonably long in my sobriety a couple of years from inhalants now i think with many years in between so i mean i've had like long periods of sobriety but you know tempting fate i've got a little no you can't see but i've got a battery powered blower now that kind of blows the dust off the it's like a reverse vacuum cleaner if you will it blows the dust off the keyboard so i have to use that you know but uh derek i'm not sure if i asked you about triggers for you what are some potential triggers if you don't watch out

Derek
15:41 - 16:03
For myself, it's not necessarily visual or audio, mostly because I've reached a place in my life where, oh, I've had tremendous, tremendous times under whatever substance. But I stick to my guns where, when, that, I cannot think of the turn of phrase. It's taken its course. I've ridden that path.

Derek
16:03 - 16:32
I'm messing up the, you get the gist. But it's emotional upheaval where I just get this flare. of wanting to screw me into a pillow or I'll do I'm actually did it earlier today I was doing the artwork and I just few adult few adult choice words, but then just breathe, breathe. I figured out, I'm not a standard person, but I figured out little tricks for myself where I'll just endure, and then it'll pass.

Derek
16:32 - 16:48
And then I just move on to the next thing. And I just focus on something productive and practical. And whether it's just seemingly mundane or meaningful, but just I get through it. And then Yeah, there is that turn of phrase with AA, you know, one day at a time, but I'm just, I'm not going to relapse.

Derek
16:48 - 17:06
I choose to not let it get the best of me because I've come too far to muck it up over one stupid little fleeting moment of grief. So, and plus I already know, I already know, I already know what's going to happen. Oh, but oh, it's just one little swig. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Derek
17:06 - 17:13
You have done that plenty of times, Derek. Do not do that again. I'm never going to get the shakes. Yes, you did.

Derek
17:13 - 17:20
Yes. How many, how many plans have you canceled because of that? We're not doing that again. Don't backslide.

Derek
17:20 - 17:39
So I, again, morbid, succinct humor, but I'll spare those details. I've learned, I've known, I've learned how to knowingly not trick myself, but I know what I'm doing when I'm doing it, but it still works out for myself. And I'm speaking rather generically at the moment, but I can't exactly put what I'm thinking into words per se, but

Greg
17:39 - 17:40
yeah oh

Derek
17:40 - 17:41
yeah thanks sorry

Greg
17:41 - 17:45
gentlemen any of us more thoughts come to mind on this topic jay what do you got

Jay
17:45 - 18:24
i want to say that there's also positive nostalgia i have and we've discussed this before but i think it's worth discussing again i have this 10 year coin that is very very valuable to me it might only be a you know piece of metal a piece of tin but it it really means something to me And when I look at this, it takes me back to my early sobriety where I met a lot of people that cared about me in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. And there's positive nostalgia out there too. I carry this with me everywhere I go because it truly means something, a decade.

Jay
18:24 - 18:27
And that's a big number. So there is positive nostalgia out there as well.

Greg
18:28 - 19:10
Thanks, Jay. anyone else have any thoughts before we close okay thank you gentlemen it's been another great podcast as we wrap up i want to say this very clearly if you feel that pull back to the old using days you're not broken and you're not alone substance use nostalgia and cravings are a normal part of recovery and they don't mean that you failed remember the three r's that simple tools we talked about recognize the cravings remind yourself that you don't have to act on it and if possible remove yourself from the trigger when you can check in with home am i hungry angry lonely tired and taking care of all those basic needs can lower the urge to use a craving is like a wave it rises and it falls and you don't have to ride it all the way to relapse you also don't have to

Greg
19:10 - 20:03
do this alone reach out to your support system your sponsor your recovery group a trusted friend or family member there are also programs like smart recovery and other mutual aid groups that offer tools to cope with urges and triggers we've put links to the smart free tools and urge logs in the show notes along with some other helpful resources 988 if you're in the united states or you're in crisis or you're thinking of harming yourself you can call 988 that's the suicide and crisis lifeline and if you're looking for treatment options you can go to findtreatment.gov to search for support near you and we've also linked to SAMHSA's recovery resources and a pub bed research article on addiction related nostalgia for those who like the science side of things Please remember this podcast is not therapy or medical care, it's a companion and a conversation and if this topic brought up a lot for you, consider talking to a doctor, therapist, counsellor or someone who knows your story.

Greg
20:03 - 20:18
Thank you for spending this time with us today. Thank you to my co-hosts Rich, Liam, Derek and Jay for sharing this space and their heart and keep being kind to yourself. One day, one craving, one honest conversation at a time. I'm Greg and this has been the Support and Kindness Podcast.

Greg
20:18 - 20:19
We'll see you next time.