Recovery Basics
Hungry, Angry, Lonely, and Tired
What is HALT
A person, place, emotion, or situation that increases urges to use
What is a trigger
Paying attention to the present moment without judgment.
What is mindfulness
Limits that protect emotional or physical safety.
What are boundaries
A written or mental plan for recognizing warning signs and responding safely.
What is a relapse prevention plan
A return to substance use after a period of sobriety
What is a relapse
These are temporary and rise and fall even though they can feel intense.
What are cravings?
A DBT skill set used when emotions feel overwhelming or unbearable.
What is distress tolerance
False: Setting limits means controlling other people.
What is a myth about boundaries
Isolation, irritability, skipping meetings, or complacency.
What are early warning signs of relapse
Abstinence focuses on not using; recovery includes lifestyle, thinking, and behavior change
What is the difference between abstinence and recovery
This part of the brain is heavily involved in cravings and reward-seeking.
What is the limbic system (or reward system)
A grounding exercise that uses sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste.
What is the 5-4-3-2-1 technique
Patterns like enabling, manipulation, or lack of accountability.
What are signs of an unhealthy relationship
A brief return to use without full abandonment of recovery efforts.
What is a slip
This early phase of recovery is high risk because coping skills and brain chemistry are still stabilizing
What is early recovery
Using skills like distraction, grounding, or delay to let urges pass without acting on them.
What is riding out a craving?
This counters addiction’s tendency toward isolation.
What is asking for help or connection
These can be risky in early recovery because they intensify emotions and distract from healing.
What are romantic relationships
This increases relapse risk by feeding secrecy and self-punishment.
What is shame
A recovery principle that helps prevent overwhelm by focusing only on today.
What is “one day at a time”
This increases relapse risk by activating old coping patterns and weakening impulse control.
What is stress
A therapy approach that focuses on changing thoughts to influence feelings and behavior.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Allowing consequences instead of fixing or protecting someone from them.
What is the difference between support and rescuing
Reaching out and re-engaging with recovery supports.
What is the most important thing to do after a relapse