Relapse Prevention Skills
This term describes situations, people, or emotions that increase the urge to use.
What are triggers?
This grounding technique focuses on naming 5 things you see, 4 you feel, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, and 1 you taste.
What is the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique?
Cravings usually peak and pass within this approximate amount of time.
What is 20–30 minutes?
This 12-step slogan reminds people to focus on today only.
What is “One day at a time”?
This medical organization defines addiction as a chronic brain disease.
What is the American Medical Association (AMA)?
A written plan that outlines warning signs, coping strategies, and support contacts.
What is a relapse prevention plan?
A healthy coping skill that involves physical movement to reduce stress.
What is exercise?
These are internal triggers that come from thoughts or feelings.
What are emotional triggers?
This type of support involves people with lived experience in recovery.
What is peer support?
This law ended alcohol prohibition in the United States in 1933.
What is the 21st Amendment?
This relapse stage involves thoughts like “I can control it this time.”
What is mental relapse?
This skill helps you say no without guilt or aggression.
What is assertive communication?
These are external triggers such as places, people, or events.
What are environmental triggers?
A sponsor, therapist, or trusted person falls under this recovery role.
What is a support person?
Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in this decade.
What is the 1930s?
The HALT acronym reminds us to watch out for these four vulnerable states.
What are Hungry, Angry, Lonely, and Tired?
Slow, deep breathing activates this calming nervous system response.
What is the parasympathetic nervous system?
This brain chemical is heavily involved in addiction and reward.
What is dopamine?
Attending meetings regularly helps build this important recovery factor.
What is accountability?
This class of drugs has driven multiple overdose epidemics in the U.S.
What are opioids?
This skill involves pausing and thinking through consequences before acting.
What is urge management / pause-and-plan?
This CBT skill challenges negative or irrational thoughts.
What is cognitive restructuring?
Cravings do NOT mean this about your recovery.
What is failure? (or “that relapse is inevitable”)
This is the purpose of a sober support network.
What is connection?
The “War on Drugs” began during the presidency of this U.S. leader.
Who is Richard Nixon?