Skill of the week
An acronym for methods of distracting yourself when in crisis
What is ACCEPTS?
The stage of change after you have made changes and are working to keep them up
What is Maintenance?
Being too overly certain of your abilities or chances of success
What is over-confidence?
The speaker who shared his story of addiction and recovery in our group's video
Who is Brandon Novak?
An activity you can do to reduce distress
What are activities such as watching movies, going for bike rides, etc?
"I am thinking about changing"
What is a viewpoint of contemplation?
Ways we protect/ defend ourselves and distance ourselves from unpleasant thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Often done unconsciously
What are defense mechanisms?
Described as "the only fatal disease that tells me I don't have a disease"
What is addiction/ substance use disorder?
Doing something positive for another person or cause to focus on someone/ something other than yourself
What is contributing?
Feeling nothing needs to change/ you don't have a problem
What is precontemplation?
Avoidance, minimizing, compliance (without follow through), strategic hopelessness
What are examples of denial?
What the speaker thought was different about him vs. others in treatment (specifically the older man that had spoken to him at his first treatment)
What is "I don't need to be here"/ "he needs to be here, I don't"?
Times to use crisis survival skills
What are short term, highly stressful/ intense situations?
Recognizing how use impacts life areas such as family/ friends/ work
What is emotional reevaluation?
Defined as "a state of being satisfied with oneself or one's situation, often without realizing the dangers or deficiencies of it". One of the most common reasons behind recurrence of use
What is complacency?
A consequence of active use and unwillingness to attend treatment when he was 15
What is having to quit professional skateboarding/ being kicked off his team?
Times to not use crisis survival
What are everyday problems and making your life worth living?
A personal inventory that is taken daily with changes made accordingly
What is Self-Inventory?
Ways to challenge complacency and maintain motivation
What is practicing gratitude, staying connected with a support system rooted in recovery, engaging in acts of service and being aware of red flags for complacency?
A reason one might think they don't have to change/ stop using
What is not having lost "enough" (housing/ employment/ family etc)?