Healthy Coping Strategies
This grounding technique involves naming 5 things you see, 4 things you feel, 3 things you hear, 2 things you smell, and 1 thing you taste.
The acronym HALT means this.
What is hungry, angry, lonely, or tired?
This system in the brain that controls pleasure, reward, and motivation.
What is the reward system?
This sign includes strong urges or desires to use a substance?
What are cravings?
This term refers to learning how to live without substances.
What is sobriety?
This creative outlet involves drawing, painting, or music to express emotions.
What is art or music therapy?
This technique involves avoiding high-risk situations like bars or parties in early recovery.
What is avoidance?
This term is involved in memory and can link substances to certain environments.
What is hippocampus?
This behavior involves lying about or hiding substance use.
What is denial?
This term refers to avoiding all mood-altering substances.
What is abstinence?
What is maintaining a sleep routine?
This tool involves having a list of emergency contacts to call during cravings.
What is a support contact list?
This term refers to a physical or psychological reliance on a substance, often characterized by withdrawal symptoms when not using it.
What is dependancy?
This symptom includes sudden mood changes or irritability.
What are mood swings?
This structured home environment supports individuals in early recovery, normally after completing treatment.
What is sober living?
This strategy involves taking a break from a stressful situation to cool down.
What is a time-out (or stepping away)?
This mental strategy involves playing the consequences of using all the way through.
What is "playing the tape through"?
This neurotransmitter helps regulate mood and is often affected in addiction and depression.
What is serotonin?
Continuing to use a substance despite experiencing negative consequences in life is a key sign of this behavioral pattern.
What is addiction?
This term describes the process of maintaining a substance-free lifestyle after completing treatment or achieving sobriety.
What is relapse prevention?
This involves repeating positive statements to challenge negative thinking.
What are positive affirmations?
This structured schedule helps reduce idle time that can lead to a relapse.
What is a daily schedule or routine?
This term describes the brain's ability to change and adapt, which is important in recovery.
What is neuroplasticity?
This physical sign includes changes in appearance, such as bloodshot eyes or unsteady gait, indicating possible substance use.
What are physical signs of substance abuse?
This concept refers to personal growth and improving quality of life in recovery.
What is personal development in recovery?