Addiction
These are signs and symptoms of addiction:
Loss of Control Over Substance Use, Social / Occupational Problems, Risky Use, & Physical Effects (Tolerance and withdrawal)
These are 4 relapse prevention/ coping skills that work (or could work) for me.
meditation, asking for help, keep a schedule, distraction/ diversion (cleaning, cooking, hobbies, reading), playing the tape forward, grounding, mindfulness, 12 step groups, and therapy
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment.
Mindfulness also involves acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them—without believing, for instance, that there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in a given moment. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future.
What are some of the common areas where we can set boundaries?
Intellectual - I have the right to think as I please.
Physical - This is uniquely mine on a physical level.
Emotional - Imaginary line that seperates my emotions from yours.
Spiritual - I have the right to my own spiritual or religious beliefs.
Others include sexual, material and time.
What is self-care?
Activities and practices that we can engage in on a regular basis to reduce stress and maintain and enhance our short- and longer-term health and well-being. This is necessary for our effectiveness in managing ourdisease of addiction and success in honoring our professional and personal commitments in life.
This neurotransmitter's release results in a state of euphoria, leading to strong motivation to repeat drug use.
Dopamine
This coping skill is used to get through a trigger and involves telling yourself, “If I use, this will happen, then this will happen, then this will happen..."
Playing the tape forward
The dialectical mind between emotion and reason.
Wise Mind
What is "Mind-Shift"?
The place I start with first when I am setting boundaries for the first time. Addressing feelings/thoughts of being selfish or unloving is part of creating this. I start to understand that self-worth comes from defining my life as I want it to be.
What are negative self-care behaviors?
Using (drugs/alcohol)
Over or under eating
Watching TV 3-4 hours a day
Spending too much money (excessive credit card debt)
Withdrawing from people
Ignoring or denying stress symptoms
Engaging in self-destructive relationships
These are the 2 withdrawal stages
1- Acute: Mainly physical withdrawal symptoms
2- Post-Acute: Less Physical & More Emotional and Psychological
These are the first 4 steps of AA.
1- We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2- Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3- Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
This is a DBT Emotion Regulation skill.
PLEASED
What are common misconceptions about setting boundaries?
I'm being selfish
I will hurt others feelings
People will think I am angry
I will feel guilty
These are forever and I'm scared I will "burn bridges"
BUT love has NO boundaries!
What are the aims of self-care?
•Taking care of physical and psychological health
•Managing and reducing stress
•Honoring emotional and spiritual needs
•Fostering and sustaining relationships
•Achieving an equilibrium across one's personal and professional lives
These are some of the brain structures/chemicals that are affected by addiction.
Dopamine, Glutamate, Frontal lobe, hypothalamic-pituitary-Adrenal axis (HPA)?
This is the process of relapse.
(1) Vulnerabilities thrive, (2) strong feelings, cravings, and urges build, (3) thinking about the addictive behavior becomes a preoccupation, (4) planning a relapse in your mind, and (5) putting relapse into motion
A DBT skill that is used to get wants and needs met, to say no, and to set boundaries. It is a version of assertiveness.
DEAR MAN
What do I do when I want to set a boundary with someone?
Use confident body language (eye contact, steady tone of voice, face the person)
Be respectuful - Be firm AND respectful (avoid insults, yelling and put-downs)
Plan ahead - Think about and rehearse what you are going to say
Compromise - You NEVER have to do this but give and take is part of any healthy relationship.
What is a self-care plan?
Adding at least one self-care goal per domain (physical, relational, emotional, spiritual, physchological), identifying what might get in the way of me achieving self care in those areas, identifying negative strategies I need to avoid, and identifying how I might feel after implementing this are all part of completing this.
What is the relationship between negative emotions and addictive behaviors?
Surrender- Embracing the dog versus Run to the addictive behavior..
These 4 are called distorted thoughts.
Red flag thoughts, black and white thinking, discounting the positive, jumping into conclusions, taking your feelings too seriously, self-blame, labeling yourself
These are Distress Tolerance Skills.
(1) Distract with ACCEPTS, (2) Self-Soothe with Senses
What are my personal values?
These are reflected when I set healthy boundaries. I set priorities on these despite what others think of me. These are always what I think is important to me in my life. Maintaining these is an important first step during my recovery as well.
What are positive self-care behaviors?
Making time to relax
8-10 hours of sleep a night
Playing
30 minutes of physical activity each day
(Can you name more?)