Physical
The practical strategy aimed at minimizing the negative physical consequences and health risks of substance use without demanding immediate abstinence.
What is Harm Reduction?
A painful emotional mix of regret and inadequacy regarding past behavior, often addressed in the steps of recovery to prevent relapse.
What is Shame (or Guilt)?
A group of supportive people—such as friends, family, and peers—who provide encouragement and accountability during the healing process.
What is a Support Network?
Financial compensation earned through steady employment that provides the independence needed to maintain a stable, sober household.
What is Income (or Wages)?
Strong, intense physical or psychological urges to return to substance use
What are Cravings?
The popular 12-step prayer that asks for the peace to accept things you cannot change and the courage to change things you can.
What is the Serenity Prayer?
The living space, such as a halfway house, that provides a safe and substance-free atmosphere for individuals in early sobriety.
What is Sober-Living?
The painful physical and mental symptoms that happen when a person suddenly stops using a substance.
What is Withdrawal?
The ability to understand and share the feelings of another person, which helps rebuild broken relationships in recovery.
What is Empathy?
A peer in recovery who has walked the path before you and volunteers to guide you through the steps and offer direct personal support.
What is a Sponsor (or Recovery Coach)?
The act of building professional relationships and making connections that can lead to job opportunities during recovery.
What is Networking?
A condition, such as depression or anxiety, that exists alongside a substance use disorder.
What is a Co-occurring Disorder (or Dual Diagnosis)?
The deep sense of appreciation for the good things in life, often practiced daily in recovery to shift focus away from negativity.
What is Gratitude?
Spending time in outdoor, natural settings to reduce stress, improve mental health, and feel grounded during the healing process.
What is Ecotherapy (or Nature Therapy)?
This natural health habit restores brain function, improves mood, and is often severely disrupted in early recovery.
What is Sleep?
The peaceful act of recognizing reality exactly as it is in the present moment, ending the painful struggle against things you cannot change.
What is Radical Acceptance?
The behavior of unintentionally protecting or covering up someone's substance use, which delays their opportunity to seek help.
What is Enabling?
The sense of accomplishment and internal drive that comes from engaging in work, volunteering, or schooling that aligns with your values.
What is Purpose (or Motivation)?
External cues or internal feelings, sensations, or thoughts that remind you of past substance use.
What are Triggers?
The process of letting go of resentment toward oneself or others, which is vital for emotional and spiritual healing.
What is Forgiveness?
The rule enforced in healthy households or recovery residences that strictly forbids the possession or use of substances on the property.
What is a Zero-Tolerance Policy?
This occurs when the body requires increasingly larger doses of a substance to achieve the same physical effect.
What is Tolerance?
The ability to identify, understand, and healthily manage your feelings rather than burying them or using substances to numb them.
What is Emotional Regulation?
The deliberate act of pulling away from friends, family, and support groups, which serves as a major warning sign for relapse.
What is Isolation?
Offering your time and labor to a community organization for free, which helps rebuild work skills and a sense of purpose.
What is Volunteering?
These behavioral strategies, like journaling or deep breathing, help individuals manage cravings and stress without using substances.
What are Coping Skills?
A core recovery concept defined not as a specific religion, but as any force or belief system greater than oneself that provides guidance.
What is a Higher Power?
Removing items from your home like drug paraphernalia, alcohol, or prescription medications to ensure a safe living environment.
What is a Safety Sweep (or Purging Triggers)?
The evidence-based practice of combining FDA-approved medications with counseling and behavioral therapies to treat substance use disorders.
What is Medication-Assisted Treatment (or MAT)?
The mental and emotional capacity to bounce back, adapt, and stay sober when facing difficult life challenges or stress.
What is Resilience?
The practice of establishing firm limits with others to protect your sobriety, time, and mental well-being.
What are Boundaries?
The ultimate goal of vocational wellness, achieved when your career responsibilities do not compromise your personal health or sobriety.
What is Work-Life Balance?
The ongoing process of expanding your knowledge, learning new coping mechanisms, and keeping your mind sharp to prevent boredom in recovery.
What is Intellectual Wellness (or Continuous Learning)?
The deeply personal act of reconnecting with your true identity, core values, and life purpose after they were overshadowed by active addiction.
What is Self-Discovery (or Spiritual Awakening)?
Relocating away from a high-risk neighborhood or toxic hometown to start over fresh in a supportive, substance-free environment.
What is a Geographic Change (or Fresh Start)?