VALUES IN ACTION
This is different from a goal because it describes how you want to live rather than something you eventually complete.
What is a value?
Skipping meetings, withdrawing from support, and becoming increasingly isolated may be examples of these.
What are relapse warning signs?
Waiting before acting on a craving instead of immediately responding to it is this recovery strategy.
What is delay?
Regular sleep, treatment attendance, meals, work, meetings, and planned activities are all parts of healthy recovery _____.
What is structure/routine?
Your first recovery action when you recognize that emotions are driving an impulsive decision should usually be to do this.
What is pause?
A person says family is their most important value but repeatedly disappears, uses substances, and breaks promises. This demonstrates a gap between these two things.
What are values and behaviors/actions?
Being hungry, angry, lonely, or tired is commonly abbreviated as this.
What is HALT?
Calling someone, exercising, watching something, cleaning, or engaging in an activity to shift attention away from a craving is this strategy.
What is distract?
Family, sponsors, treatment providers, sober peers, and supportive friends belong in this part of a healthy recovery environment.
What are supports/connections?
Someone gets into an argument and immediately wants to leave treatment. Name the decision-making mistake occurring if they act without considering what happens afterward.
What is making an emotional/impulsive decision or failing to consider consequences?
When deciding whether to act on a craving, asking “Which choice moves me toward the life I want?” is an example of this type of decision making.
What is values-based decision making?
Thinking about the “good times” of using while forgetting the consequences is called this.
What is romanticizing/glamorizing past use?
This coping technique involves noticing a craving increase, peak, and eventually decrease without acting on it.
What is urge surfing?
Isolation can increase relapse vulnerability largely because it removes this protective factor.
What is connection/support/accountability?
A person thinks, “I've been sober for three months, so going around people using shouldn't bother me anymore.” Identify BOTH the thinking problem and the risk.
Rationalization/overconfidence + exposure to a trigger/high-risk situation.
Someone values both financial independence and recovery but receives a job offer that conflicts with treatment. The healthiest response is not necessarily choosing one immediately, but doing this first.
What is considering options and consequences / problem-solving?
“I worked hard all week. I deserve to get high just once.” This thinking pattern is an example of this relapse behavior.
What is rationalizing?
A person notices the thought “I can't handle this unless I use” and asks whether it is actually factual. This connects to distinguishing these two things.
What are thoughts and facts?
A person leaves treatment but has no schedule, sober activities, meetings, employment plan, or meaningful relationships. According to the Rat Park concept, what major recovery problem exists?
What is an unhealthy/empty recovery environment or lack of structure and connection?
Someone experiences a craving, notices it, delays acting, calls a sober support, and goes somewhere safe. Name THREE recovery concepts demonstrated.
Urge surfing / delay / support / coping skills / avoiding triggers / values-based decision making.
Someone says, “I value honesty, but I won't tell anyone about my cravings because technically I haven't relapsed.” Name the recovery problem occurring even though no substance has been used.
What is mental relapse / secrecy?
A client has not used but has begun isolating, romanticizing substances, bargaining internally, and planning situations where using could happen. Which relapse stage best fits?
What is mental relapse?
Instead of trying to completely eliminate anxiety before making a healthy decision, a person recognizes the emotion and still behaves according to recovery. This demonstrates this skill.
What is emotional regulation / distress tolerance?
Why is simply removing drugs from someone's life often insufficient for long-term recovery?
They also need connection, purpose, structure, meaningful activity, coping skills, and a recovery-supportive environment.
DAILY DOUBLE!!!! “I haven't used yet. I've stopped answering my sponsor, I'm sleeping all day, I'm irritated with everybody, I've been thinking about how good using used to feel, and yesterday I drove past the place where I used to buy.” Identify at least FOUR warning signs or recovery concepts occurring.