Name That Emotion
You feel a rush of heat, your jaw clinches, and you have an urge to "strike out." This is often called a "masking emotion" because it hides deeper pain.
What is Anger?
Thinking in extremes; believing you are either a "total success" or a "total failure" based on a single mistake.
What is All-or-Nothing (Black-and-White) Thinking?
The practice of paying attention to the present moment on purpose and without judging yourself.
What is Mindfulness?
Specific people, places, things, or even smells that cause a sudden, intense urge to return to substance use.
What are Triggers?
Expressing your needs and feelings clearly and directly while still being respectful of the other person.
What is Assertive Communication?
This feeling often involves sweaty palms, a racing heart, and a brain that won’t stop "looping" on future worries.
What is Anxiety?
Taking one single negative event and assuming your entire recovery journey will always be a failure because of it.
What is Overgeneralization?
A rule where you commit to a healthy activity (like a walk or a puzzle) for just this many minutes to break a mental loop.
What is the 10-Minute Rule?
Subtle changes in your routine, like "filtering out" your successes or isolating, that happen before a physical relapse.
What are Warning Signs?
"Non-negotiable" lines we draw to protect our recovery and energy from the unhealthy behaviors of others.
What are Boundaries?
This is the practice of directing warmth, concern, and understanding toward yourself when you struggle, rather than using "nasty labels."
What is Self-Compassion?
The "cosmic ledger" trap; feeling resentful because you believe the universe "owes" you a reward since you are doing the right things.
What is the Heaven’s Reward Fallacy?
A grounding technique where you name 5 things you see, 4 feel, 3 hear, 2 smell, and 1 taste to reconnect with the "here and now."
What is 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding?
A written plan for exactly how you will leave a high-risk situation, such as a party where substances are present.
What is an Exit Strategy?
A manipulation tactic where someone makes you doubt your own memory, perception, or sanity to maintain control.
What is Gaslighting?
A deep, painful feeling that you are fundamentally "bad" or "broken" as a person; it is a major fuel for the cycle of isolation and rumination.
What is Shame?
Assuming that because you feel like a "bad person" or "hopeless" in a moment of stress, it must be an objective fact.
What is Emotional Reasoning?
A strategy used before reacting where you ask: "How will I feel about this action minutes, weeks, or even years from now?"
What is Effective Restraint (or The Pause)?
A strategy for cravings where you notice the urge rise and fall like a wave, waiting for it to pass without acting on it.
What is Urge Surfing?
A "secondary addiction" where you obsess over someone else’s mood or problems as a way to avoid focusing on your own recovery.
What is Codependency?
A sense of fulfillment and radical self-acceptance that comes from looking back at your life—including past crises—and seeing them as necessary lessons.
What is Integrity (or Wisdom)?
Choosing a small, immediate reward (like using) because the long-term goal of a healthy life feels too far away to matter right now.
What is Hyperbolic Discounting?
A core principle involving seeing your strengths and limits clearly while remaining open to help and feedback.
What is Humility?
The physical and emotional "rush" or sense of peace that follows an act of kindness toward others, which helps regulate the nervous system.
What is the Helper’s High?
The mental stress felt when your actions (like staying in a harmful relationship) contradict your values (like self-respect).
What is Cognitive Dissonance?