Recovery Basics
What is the process of making positive changes and healing from substance use or mental health challenges called?
Recovery
What is mental health?
A person’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being
In CBT, what three things are connected?
Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
Name one healthy coping skill for stress.
Deep breathing, exercise, journaling, grounding, talking to support
What is a trigger?
Something that increases cravings or emotional reactions
What is one reason people create a relapse prevention plan?
To identify triggers and prepare coping strategies
Name one sign that someone may be struggling emotionally.
Isolation, mood changes, sleep changes, hopelessness, irritability
What is a cognitive distortion?
An unhealthy or inaccurate thinking pattern
What breathing technique helps calm the nervous system?
Deep breathing / paced breathing
Name one internal trigger.
Thoughts, emotions, stress, memories
True or False: Recovery is a straight path with no setbacks.
False
What is anxiety often described as?
Excessive worry, fear, or stress about situations
“I failed once, so I will always fail” is what type of thinking?
All-or-nothing thinking / overgeneralization
What are the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique used for?
Managing anxiety and bringing attention to the present moment
Name one external trigger.
People, places, situations, substances
What are three common areas that support recovery?
Support system, coping skills, and healthy routines
What part of the brain helps with decision-making and impulse control?
The prefrontal cortex
In CBT, what can we challenge when we have negative thoughts?
Evidence and beliefs behind the thought
What is “urge surfing”?
Allowing cravings to rise and fall without acting on them
What is the difference between a lapse and relapse?
A lapse is a setback; relapse is returning to old patterns
What does HALT stand for in relapse prevention?
Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired
What is the difference between a thought and a fact?
Thoughts are interpretations; facts are evidence-based information
A person experiences stress → thinks “I can’t handle this” → uses substances. What CBT cycle is this?
Trigger → thought → feeling → behavior
Why is avoiding triggers without learning coping skills sometimes risky?
Because triggers may appear again and coping skills are needed to manage them
What is one thing a person can do when cravings feel overwhelming?
Reach out, use coping skills, delay action, leave the situation