Stages of Change
Starting to think about making a change.
Contemplation
This receptor site is used for blocking pain.
Opioid receptor
Emotional states like stress, anxiety, or boredom, physical conditions like fatigue or pain, environmental cues such as locations associated with past use, social situations where substances are present, and sensory stimuli like certain smells, sounds, or images connected to previous substance use or examples of what?
Triggers
Regular participation in recovery meetings provides accountability, understanding from peers who share similar experiences, and proven coping strategies when facing difficult triggers
Attending support groups
Clinicians refer to this for diagnostic criteria
DSM
Making a plan and following through with it.
Action Stage
Serotonin is the targeted neurotransmitter for this class of anti-depressants
SSRI's
A personalized, written plan that identifies your specific triggers, warning signs, and step-by-step actions to take when experiencing cravings creates a roadmap for navigating challenging situations.
Relapse Prevention Plan
Strategically avoiding high-risk situations, people, or places during vulnerable periods and establishing clear boundaries with others about your recovery needs are essential protective measures.
Avoidance and boundary-setting
Autonomic hyperactivity (e.g., sweating or pulse rate greater than 100 bpm). Increased hand tremor. Insomnia. Nausea or vomiting. Transient visual, tactile, or auditory hallucinations or illusions. Psychomotor agitation. Anxiety. Generalized tonic-clonic seizures are examples of?
The is usually the first stage of change for someone entering treatment for the first time.
Pre-Contemplation
The neurotransmitter typically associated with the "flight or fight" response
Norenephrine
We use these to manage triggers
Coping skills
Maintaining physical health through proper nutrition, exercise, and sleep.
Practicing self-care
This is the most widely used illicit psychoactive substances in the United States.
Cannabinoids, especially cannabis
The stage of change when someone has been abstinent for an extended period of time.
Maintenance stage.
This neurotransmitter regulates mood, appetite, and sleep among various other functions.
Serotonin
Internal Trigger
Replacing substance use with healthy alternatives like exercise, creative outlets, or social activities can redirect cravings and create new neural pathways over time.
Distraction and substitution strategies
Dysphoric mood. Nausea or vomiting. Muscle aches. or sweating.
Opioid/Opiate withdrawal
This is not a required step in the stages of change process.
Relapse
The neurotransmitter responsible for motivation
Dopamine
Associating people with past use is an example of what type of trigger?
External trigger
These practices help you stay present in the moment, observe cravings without judgment, and recognize triggers without automatically responding to them.
Mindfulness and grounding techniques
Continuing to use, even when you know you have a physical or psychological problem that could have been caused or made worse by the substance. Needing more of the substance to get the effect you want (tolerance) Development of withdrawal symptoms, which can be relieved by taking more of the substance is one example of what?
Substance use disorder