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something that resembles it. Another is returning to a place
associated with their addiction. Another common trigger is
association with persons with whom the addiction took place. Any of
these or other associations can cause strong craving for the drug and
severely test the person's resolve to remain abstinent.

One of the most common triggers for relapse is stress. It might be
caused by financial problems, marital troubles, the threat of
incarceration, difficulties with an employer, or any of the "slings and
arrows of outrageous fortune" to which we are all subject. And there
is, as almost always, an underlying neurobiologic reason for it; it
involves endorphins.

In addition to their vital roles in the experiences of pain and pleasure,
there is an additional function that endorphins play. They help us
withstand stress. When confronted with danger, we have to quickly
decide between "fight or flight." A complex array of chemical
changes prepares us for both. The adrenal glands provide both
adrenaline and adrenal steroids, to produce the "amped up" effect. To
provide a balance, endorphins are released to prevent loss of control.
In other words, endorphins act as "mood stabilizers". Once again, an
example of exquisite balance.

The problem for those addicted to opiates is that their endorphin
systems have been disabled by their addiction. Consider this analogy.
To protect a large building from fire, a system is designed to release
fire retardant from sprinklers in response to an increase in temperature.
An external force, say sunspots, causes the temperature to rise to
unprecedented levels, releasing a huge flood of retardant, which
causes a lot of damage.

When the force is spent and the clean-up is finished, the decision is
made to decrease the sensitivity of the sensors. The force continues
intermittently to cause the release of retardant, and the sensitivity of
the sensors continues to be decreased. Finally a point is reached
where, when a real fire occurs, the sensors and the system are no
longer able to respond, and outside sources of the retardant must be
purchased and employed.