Boundaries
A limit that protects your safety, needs, values, and well-being.
What is a personal boundary?
Name one characteristic of a healthy relationship.
Trust, honesty, respect, communication, safety, or mutual support.
What does grounding help you do?
Reconnect with the present moment when feeling overwhelmed, anxious, angry, or triggered.
What is a coping skill?
A healthy strategy for managing stress, emotions, urges, or difficult situations.
A friend invites you somewhere substances will be present. What is one healthy choice?
Decline, suggest a safer activity, bring appropriate support, or leave if the environment becomes unsafe.
Telling someone you will leave a conversation if they begin yelling is an example of what?
What is setting a healthy boundary?
What is the difference between a red flag and a green flag?
A red flag signals possible harm or an unhealthy pattern; a green flag suggests safety, respect, and healthy behavior.
What are the five senses used in the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique?
Identify 5 things you see, 4 you feel, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, and 1 you taste.
Name two healthy coping skills you can use instead of turning to substances.
Call a support person, walk, journal, pray, practice breathing, listen to music, or attend a recovery meeting.
You are angry and want to send a hurtful text. What should you do first?
Pause, ground yourself, and wait until you can respond calmly.
What is the difference between a boundary and controlling someone?
A boundary explains what YOU will do to protect yourself; control attempts to dictate another person's choices.
Why is communication important in a healthy relationship?
It helps people express needs, resolve conflict, clarify expectations, and build trust.
Name one physical grounding technique.
Press your feet into the floor, hold a cool object, stretch, or notice your body's contact with a chair.
What does the STOP skill stand for?
Stop, Take a step back, Observe, and Proceed mindfully.
Someone you care about asks you for money, but you worry it may support substance use. How can you respond with a boundary?
Explain that you cannot provide money, while offering another appropriate form of support if you choose.
What can you say when someone pressures you to do something you do not want to do?
No. (No is a sentence by itself)
How can you support a loved one without taking responsibility for their recovery?
Offer encouragement and appropriate help while allowing them to make their own choices and take responsibility.
You feel anger rising during an argument. Name one grounding strategy you can use before responding.
Slow your breathing, feel your feet on the floor, name objects around you, or take a safe time-out.
Why can avoiding every difficult emotion make recovery harder?
Avoidance can leave problems unresolved and increase stress; learning to tolerate emotions supports healthier responses.
You feel lonely, bored, and begin thinking about using. What recovery tools could help?
Contact a support person, follow a planned activity, attend a meeting, use grounding, and review the relapse-prevention plan.
Someone repeatedly ignores your boundaries. What is one healthy next step?
Restate the boundary, follow through with a reasonable consequence, seek support, or create distance if needed.
A partner demands your passwords, tracks your location, and says it proves love. What should you recognize?
These may be warning signs of controlling behavior. Healthy love respects privacy, autonomy, and safety.
Why might grounding be helpful when a substance-use craving occurs?
It can reduce overwhelm, bring attention to the present, and create time to choose a safer response.
You have a strong craving after a stressful day. Identify three steps you could take to protect your recovery.
Move away from access to substances, contact a recovery support, and use a coping strategy or recovery plan. Other safe, individualized answers are acceptable.
During a conflict, the other person starts yelling and you feel close to losing control. Describe a safe, healthy response.
Pause, use grounding, communicate a need for space if safe, disengage from escalating conflict, and seek help if there is a threat.