Brain and Drugs
Big Book Basics
Relapse Prevention
Movies in Recovery
Ryan Reynolds
100
What is it called when the brain feels “off” after stopping substances?
Withdrawal
100
The Serenity Prayer asks us for the courage to _____ ___ ______ ___ ____.
...change the things we can.
100
The term for an event or situation that makes you want to use.
Trigger (External or internal cue)
Acceptable: Impulse (the sudden urge itself that follows a trigger)
100
This movie features a math genius janitor at MIT who struggles with alcoholism.
Good Will Hunting
Good Will Hunting
100
In Finding Nemo, what kind of fish is Nemo?
Clownfish
200
What do we call the brain expecting a substance to cope?
Dependence
200
The AA Book is often referred to as the Big Book. What is another name for the NA Book?
The (NA) Basic Text / The (Big) Blue Book
Acceptable: The Book
200
In recovery slang, what does the acronym HALT stand for?
H = Hungry
A = Angry
L = Lonely
T = Tired
200
This 2012 film stars Denzel Washington as an airline pilot battling alcoholism after safely landing a crashing plane.
Flight
Flight
200
What movie features a young girl named Katniss Everdeen?
The Hunger Games
300
Which "brain chemical" helps regulates mood, emotional balance, and the sleep cycle?
(Hint: it’s one of the brain’s “feel-good” chemicals.)
Serotonin
300
This step focuses on confession and accountability, requiring complete honesty with yourself, a higher power, and another person.
Step 5
300
How many stages of relapse are there?
(in most models)
Three
-----------------------
Emotional relapse – feelings and behaviors set the stage for use
Mental relapse – internal battle between using and staying sober
Physical relapse – the actual act of using
300
Bradley Cooper plays a struggling musician alongside Lady Gaga.
A Star is Born
A Star is Born
300
What movie is about dreams within dreams?
Inception
400
What hormone rises with stress and craving?
Cortisol
400
The triangle on AA’s symbol stands for _____, _____, and _______?
Unity, Service, and Recovery
400
What type of thinking often causes relapse after a period of sobriety, when a person starts believing they no longer need meetings, support, or structure?
Complacency
400
Johnny Depp plays a writer battling alcohol in Las Vegas.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegs (or Fear and Loathing)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegs (or Fear and Loathing)
400
When and where was AA Formed?'
Month, Year, State
400 points each.
June, 1935
Akron, Ohio
500
Which brain chemical is associated with sustained alertness, focus, and hypervigilance, and may increase anxiety?
Norepinephrine
Adrenaline
500
This recovery phrase reminds members that sobriety is a journey, not a destination, emphasizing ongoing growth.
Progress Not Perfection
500
What thinking trap tells people “I can handle it now”?
Denial
500
Which 2018 movie stars Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet as a father and son coping with meth addiction and recovery?
Beautiful Boy
500
In Breaking Bad, this is the name of the fast-food chain Gustavo Fring uses as a front for his drug empire.
Los Pollos Hermanos
Los Pollos Hermanos