Healthy Habits
This healthy habit helps regulate mood, reduces cravings, and improves decision-making by restoring brain function.
What is getting enough sleep?
Instead of avoiding uncomfortable emotions, this coping strategy involves acknowledging them without judgment.
What is mindfulness?
A trigger that comes from thoughts, emotions, or memories rather than people or places.
What is an internal trigger?
This recovery skill involves honestly sharing struggles with someone supportive before a relapse happens.
What is reaching out for support?
You suddenly experience a craving after smelling alcohol at a resturant. What is the healthiest first response?
Leave the trigger if possible, use coping skills, or contact support.
This habit stabilizes blood sugar, helping reduce irritability and emotional triggers that can increase relapse risk.
What is eating balanced meals?
A coping strategy where you stop, identify an unhealthy thought, challenge it, replace it with a healthier one.
What is reframing?
After driving past a former dealer's house, someone suddenly experiences cravings despite having a good day. What kind of trigger is this?
What is an enviormental
(external) trigger?
Name three people who could be part of a healthy recovery support system.
Who are a sponsor, therapist, counselor, peer, trusted family member, sober friend, or recovery coach?
Your anxiety is high after work every day. Which long-term strategy is most likely to reduce relapse risk?
Developing a consistent healthy after-work routine.
A person in recovery starts skipping meals, sleeping only four hours, and isolating from others. These are examples of what?
What are relapse warning signs?
After an argument, someone immediately wants to use. Before acting, they go for a walk, call a sponsor, and practice deep breathing. What recovery skill are they using?
What is healthy coping instead of reacting impulsively?
A person says, "I can handle just one drink because I've been sober for months." What relapse warning sign is this?
What is overconfidence?
What recovery skill is demonstrated when someone says, "No thanks, I'm leaving," after drugs are offered?
What is assertiveness or refusal skills?
Your old using friends invite you over. They promise they won't use around you. What boundary would best protect recovery?
Declining the invite or suggesting a sober activity instead.
Name two ways regular physical activity supports besides improving physical health.
What are reducing stress, improving mood, increasing dopamine naturally, improving sleep, decreasing anxiety, or boosting confidence?
This coping skill encourages people to observe a craving without trying to fight it or give in to it, recognizing that the craving will eventually pass.
What is accepting the craving without acting on it?
Someone receives bad news and immediately thinks, "Nothing matters anymore." What cognitive distortion is being demonstrated?
What is catastrophizing or all-or-nothing thinking?
A relapse prevention plan should include at least three important components.
What are triggers, coping skills, support contacts, emergency plan, warning signs, and healthy daily routines?
Someone says, "I don't need meetings anymore because I am doing great." What relapse warning sign could this represent?
What is complacency?
Research often describes recovery as replacing unhealthy routines with healthy ones because repeated behaviors eventually become this.
What are habits (or automatic behaviors)?
This coping strategy focuses on solving the probelm causing stress instead of only managing the emotions it creates.
What is problem-solving?
Why is identifying high-risk situations before entering them considered more effective than relying on only willpower?
Because planning reduces impulsive decisions and increases the likelihood of using healthy coping skills.
What is the difference between a lapse and a relapse?
A lapse is a brief return to use, while a relapse is a return to an ongoing pattern of substance use.
A person notices they have become isolated, stopped exercising, quit attending meetings, and feel increasingly resentful. What stage of relapse are they most likely experiencing?
What is emotional relapse?