BRAIN GAMES
This part of the brain helps with reasoning, problem-solving, decision-making, and thinking through consequences.
What is the Cortex?
Before you can regulate or respond effectively, the curriculum says you must do this first.
What is Recognize
This grounding technique has you identify 5 things you see, 4 you feel, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, and 1 you taste.
What is 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding
In this Stage of Change, a person does not yet believe they need to change.
What is Precontemplation?
The curriculum calls the buildup of multiple smaller problems that can increase risk for recurrence this.
What is The Perfect Storm
These act like an internal compass and help guide your decisions and behavior.
What are Values?
The collection of internal and external resources that can support someone's recovery is called this.
What is Recovery Capital?
This regulation approach works through the body first rather than thinking first
What is Bottom-up?
Heart racing, sweating, tense muscles, and rapid breathing are examples of these warning signs.
What are Physical/body warning signs ?
This skill means paying attention to the present moment without automatically judging what you notice.
What is Mindfulness?
In this stage, a person recognizes a problem and is thinking about making a change.
What is Contemplation?
Poor sleep, increased stress, and stronger cravings can all be examples of these signs that something may be shifting.
What are warning signs?
These communicate what you will and will not accept in relationships.
What are boundaries?
Family, peers, meetings, treatment providers, and recovery communities can all provide this protective resource.
What is Connection / social support?
You’re mildly irritated but can still think clearly. You tell yourself, “Maybe I misunderstood what they meant.” Is this top-down or bottom-up?
What is Top-down
Fight, flight, and freeze are signs that someone may be outside of this healthy zone where they can cope effectively.
What is the Window of Tolerance?
Recovery is compared to this because one coping skill will not work for every situation.
What is a toolbox?
A person has decided to change and is beginning to make a plan. What stage are they in?
What is Preparation
Housing instability, unemployment, and isolation are examples of these factors that can make recovery harder.
What are Risk factors?
True or False: “You need to stop yelling at me” is a boundary.
What is False — it is a command
Stable housing, employment, supportive relationships, and access to treatment are examples of what type of factors?
What are Protective factors
Marcus is extremely angry, his heart is pounding, and he can barely think clearly. What should he focus on first?
What is Regulating/calming his body or nervous system?
This is a state someone experiences when they are anxious, restless, overwhelmed, and unable to settle down.
What is hyperarousal?
You're extremely upset and can't think clearly. Should you start with a thinking skill or an action/body skill?
What is an Action/body skill?
Someone has stopped using and is actively practicing new recovery behaviors. What stage are they in?
What is Action
Stable housing, supportive relationships, and continued treatment are examples of these factors that support recovery.
What are Protective factors?
“If you continue yelling at me, I'm going to end the conversation.” What is this an example of?
What is A boundary?
Someone says recovery is important to them and begins attending meetings, keeping appointments, and changing their routine. What curriculum concept are they demonstrating?
What is Committed Action
Someone feels numb, disconnected, low-energy, and wants to shut down. What nervous-system state are they experiencing?
What is Hypoarousal?
Someone notices they're becoming triggered but waits five minutes before reacting. What curriculum strategy are they using?
What is the 5-Minute Rule?
This skill means accepting reality as it is, even when you don't like or approve of it.
What is Radical Acceptance?
Someone has made a change and is working to continue it and prevent returning to old behaviors.
What is Maintenance?
Looking backward at what happened before a recurrence to identify each event that led to the outcome is called this.
What is a Chain of Events / Chain Analysis
Setting a boundary without doing what you said you would do is missing this important step.
What is Following through / maintaining the boundary
Doing what supports your recovery even when it is uncomfortable or difficult demonstrates this.
What is Willingness
When stress activates the body’s “fight or flight” response, which nervous-system branch has taken over?
What is the Sympathetic nervous system?
This three-step process teaches you to notice what is happening, calm your system, and then choose your response.
What is
Recognize → Regulate → Respond
This type of skill helps you survive an intense crisis without making the situation worse.
What is Distress tolerance?
The curriculum teaches that change doesn't always move in a straight line. Returning to an earlier stage and trying again is called this.
What is Recycling?
In a chain of events, this is the best place to interrupt the chain before it reaches recurrence.
What is As early in the chain as possible?
Someone tells you, “I need space and won't be answering calls tonight.” What skill does respecting that statement demonstrate?
What is Respecting another person's boundary
True or False: Being 100% committed to recovery means doing recovery perfectly and never struggling.
What is False — commitment does not mean perfection.