Examples
You introduce yourself to your peers in treatment by telling them about your time on the streets and how many people you've hurt.
What is raging?
The counselor mentions discharge during a session. You spend the rest of the session thinking only about discharging immediately and not about the work you still need to put in to treatment.
What is selective memory and attention?
In an attempt to avoid responsibility for your addiction, you tell staff and the counselor how you're so stupid and can't believe yourself.
What is using self-shaming to avoid responsibility?
Your mom finds a bottle of alcohol in your room and asks you what other drugs are you using. You argue about whether or not alcohol is a drug, ignoring her question.
What is quibbling over words?
You come home smelling like alcohol. Instead of telling them that you were drinking, you tell your family that your friend was drinking and spilled a drink on you.
What is lying by commission?
While in session, the counselor brings up your criminal history. You respond by bringing up your interest in expensive sports cars.
What is introducing irrelevant issues?
These behaviors are used to confuse others, direct attention away from yourself or the important issues, or to keep others distracted or focused on other things to avoid exposing yourself.
What are diversion tactics?
Your friend asks why you were late to school. Rather than tell them that you were getting high, you say that something personal came up.
What is being deliberately vague?
During group, you begin to draw attention to and make fun of a peer for asking you how to spell a word.
What is sarcasm and teasing?
You get picked up by the police for selling drugs and are told the next time something like this happens, you'll be going to detention. You tell people that it's not a big deal, and you only got into a little trouble.
What is minimizing?
You tell your parents you are attending your outpatient sessions, even though you aren't, because you know it's what they want to hear.
What is false compliance?
You get a consequence for not participating in a treatment group. Instead of taking accountability, you tell staff how another peer was talking about running.
During treatment group, you blurt out that you were assaulted, when the topic being discussed is not related to assault.
What is attention seeking?
You do not complete all of your phase work before your session with the counselor. When asked why, you complain that it's too hard and you're too stupid to do it.
What is playing dumb?
These behaviors are use to stir up conflict, resentment, and other hard feelings, keep others on the defensive to avoid exposing yourself, or to challenge people you believe are getting in the way of what you want.
What are aggression tactics?
A staff member accidentally writes the schedule for the wrong day on the board. You spend the rest of the day telling the staff member that they don't know how to do their job.
What is magnifying?
You don't like one of your peers in treatment. You start spreading rumors about them to make other peers not like them either.
What is splitting staff or peer group?
Your friend tells your PO that you are using and selling drugs again. When you find out, you threaten to hurt him if he doesn't keep his mouth shut.
What is using threatening words or behaviors?
In a meeting with your PO, they ask you about a fight that occurred between you and some friends. Not wanting to be considered a snitch, you answer "I don't know" when your PO asks who else was involved.
What is lying by omission?
During sessions with the counselor, you only talk about your diagnosis of depression whenever the topic of family issues comes up.
What is discussing smokescreen issues?
These behaviors are used to escape responsibility, manipulate others to get what you want, or to keep a low profile so you won't have to put out effort or be exposed.
What are avoidance tactics?
You attend all treatment groups, but you don't talk or participate in any of the discussions.
What is staying silent to avoid notice?
You tell everyone here a different story of the event that led you to being in treatment.
What is deliberately trying to confuse?
What is creating chaos?
You make a promise to cut down your substance use. When confronted by your friend for breaking that promise, you bring up how their drama is causing you to use.
What is arguing?