Your Brain on Rewards
Dopamine is less of a “feel good” chemical and more of a “go get it” chemical. Does it drive wanting or liking?
Wanting. That’s why you can want something badly and still not enjoy it much once you have it.
True or false: alcohol and weed are legal, so they aren’t “real” drugs or harmful.
False. Both change how the brain works, and both can lead back to using and/or be their own addiction.
What do we call whatever happened right before an emotion started?
The prompting event.
Your mood rises and falls with someone else’s, and you keep putting their needs ahead of your own. What pattern is this?
Codependency.
In Seeking Safety, what is the first goal of recovery from trauma and substance use?
Safety.
Name the three parts of a habit loop.
Cue, behaviour, reward.
Someone offers you a drink. What is enough of an answer, and why is it better to skip giving a reason?
“No” or “No thanks.” If you give a reason, they can argue with it.
Name two reasons emotions can be hard to manage.
Any two: biology (being born more sensitive), not having the skill yet, the emotion gets rewarded, moodiness or low energy, emotional overload.
Name two signs of codependency.
Any two: people-pleasing, trouble saying no, feeling responsible for others’ feelings, needing to be needed, covering for someone, losing track of your own needs.
Name one way to ground yourself when emotions get too intense.
Any one: name things you see or hear, feel your feet on the floor, hold something, describe your surroundings, say a calming phrase.
You need more to feel the same, and normal life starts to feel dull or empty. What is this called?
Tolerance.
Name two things people hope alcohol or weed will do for them.
Any two: relax or fit in with others, calm down or numb feelings, forget problems, fall asleep, ease pain, fill boredom, a reward after a hard day.
A housemate walks past without saying hi. One person thinks “they’re ignoring me,” another thinks “they didn’t see me.” Which part of the emotion is different?
Interpretation.
Calling in sick for someone, paying their debts, or making excuses so they avoid consequences is called what?
Why do trauma and substance use so often show up together?
People use to numb or escape trauma symptoms. Using also raises the risk of new trauma, so it works both ways.
After a loop repeats many times, dopamine stops firing at the reward and starts firing at which step? What do we call that early pull?
The cue. The pull is a craving.
Name the three ways people tend to respond to pressure. Which one makes an effective refusal?
Passive, aggressive, assertive. Assertive: clear, firm and respectful.
Poor sleep, skipping meals and a stressful day are all examples of what? Name one more.
Vulnerability factors. Others: being sick or in pain, recent substance use, demands piling up, unresolved past experiences.
DAILY DOUBLE: A friend you met in treatment calls you late every night in crisis. You drop everything each time, even when it costs you sleep and hurts your own recovery. What is one healthy way to change this?
Set a boundary: say what you can and can’t do (for example, no calls after 10), point them to other supports like staff, a sponsor or a crisis line, and keep your own recovery first.
On a pass, you run into someone connected to a bad time in your past. Memories flood back and you get a strong urge to use. Name two safe ways to cope in that moment, other than grounding.
Any two: leave the situation, call staff, a sponsor or a support person, ask for help, remind yourself you’re safe now, delay acting on the urge, go somewhere safe and familiar.
Using causes a fast, strong high (dopamine hit) and weighs down the pain side of our "pleasure-pain balance." What happens to the balance when we stop using? What helps restore the balance?
The brain slowly takes that weight off over weeks and months. Slow rewards like walks, eating right, and time with people help.
At a family barbecue, your cousin hands you a beer and says “just one won’t hurt.” Show or describe an assertive refusal, then explain why “just one” is risky.
Refusal: “No thanks,” said upright, with eye contact and a steady, non-apologetic tone.
Risk: alcohol turns off the brain’s brakes, so one drink makes it easier to say yes to more or to your old drug.
How can an emotion keep itself going after it starts?
Aftereffects: it changes what we notice (when angry, we spot every insult). The emotion can also become the next prompting event, like feeling ashamed of a craving.
Give two reasons codependency is risky in early recovery.
Any two: a person can replace the substance as the focus, your mood depends on someone else, your own recovery gets pushed aside, it’s harder to set boundaries or say no (including to offers), and relationship stress can lead back to using.
Safety means more than not using. Name three other areas of life where safety matters.
Any three: relationships, thinking, emotions, behaviour, where you live and spend time, how you treat your body.