Substance Abuse/ Recovery
A return to alcohol or drug use after a period of abstinence is called this.
What is relapse?
This emotion is often described as worry about the future.
What is anxiety?
This therapy focuses on how thoughts influence feelings and actions.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
This grounding technique uses the 5 senses to help reduce anxiety.
What is the 5-4-3-2-1 method?
This type of plan lists people you can contact, warning signs, and coping tools when recovery feels difficult.
What is a safety plan or relapse-prevention plan?
This type of trigger involves people, places, or things associated with past use.
What is an external trigger?
Naming your feelings instead of avoiding them is called this skill.
What is emotional awareness?
The negative inner voice that criticizes us is often called this.
What is the inner critic?
Calling a sponsor, therapist, or support person is an example of this category of coping strategies.
What is social support?
This recovery concept means “showing up” and doing the next right thing.
What is accountability?
Treatment programs commonly use this acronym that means “support structure after rehab.”
What is aftercare?
This is the ability to understand how someone else feels.
What is empathy?
These sudden, intense waves of fear are called this.
What are panic attacks?
This skill helps you pause before reacting and choose a healthier response.
What is emotional regulation (or response vs reaction)?
This term describes people, places, or things that support alcohol- or drug-free living.
What is a sober support network?
This stage of relapse happens BEFORE any substance is used.
What is emotional or mental relapse?
This condition involves extreme highs and lows in mood.
What is bipolar disorder?
When someone avoids feelings by using substances, it’s called this coping pattern.
What is emotional avoidance (or self-medicating)?
Writing down thoughts and feelings to process emotions is called this skill.
What is journaling?
This recovery principle reminds people that healing takes time and effort — not perfection.
What is progress over perfection?
This term describes the brain needing more of a substance to get the same effect.
What is tolerance?
This term describes loss of interest or pleasure in activities.
What is anhedonia?
This type of distorted thinking involves assuming the worst outcome.
What is catastrophizing?
This type of breathing involves slowing the breath and engaging the belly muscles.
What is diaphragmatic (or deep) breathing?
This phrase describes building a life that makes using less desirable or rewarding.
What is creating a life worth living?