Coping Skills & Wellness
Drinking enough water, getting sleep, and eating balanced meals are examples of this type of self-care.
What is physical wellness?
True or False:
Isolation and boredom are harmless and have no impact on recovery.
False — isolation and boredom can be major relapse triggers and should be addressed with healthy coping strategies.
(Spending too much time alone or feeling bored can increase the risk of relapse because it may lead to negative self-talk and/or cravings, especially in early recovery)
This neurotransmitter is often called the “reward chemical” because it plays a key role in motivation and pleasure.
What is dopamine?
This practice involves paying attention to the present moment with openness and without judgment, and is often used to reduce stress and increase emotional awareness.
What is mindfulness?
This group of people—family, friends, sponsors, or peers—can help someone stay on track in recovery.
What is a support system?
What are three examples of healthy coping skills?
Meditation, calling a friend, journaling, etc.
True or False:
Relapse is a sudden, one-time event with no warning signs.
False — relapse is often a process that includes emotional, mental, and behavioral warning signs well before substance use occurs.
When you're stressed, your body releases this hormone to help you respond to danger.
What is cortisol?
This mindfulness technique teaches you to ride out cravings like a wave instead of fighting them.
What is urge surfing?
Communication, trust, boundaries, and safety are all signs of what?
What is a healthy relationship?
Creating a daily routine and sticking to it can help reduce anxiety and support this aspect of recovery.
What is structure and/or stability?
In relapse prevention, it's important to identify certain people, places, emotions, or situations that increase the urge to use substances. These are known as what?
What are triggers?
This sleep stage is most associated with dreaming and plays a key role in emotional regulation.
What is REM sleep?
This practice involves focusing or clearing your mind using a combination of mental and/or physical techniques. It helps reduce stress, improve emotional control, and increase self-awareness—making it a powerful support for wellness and relapse prevention.
What is meditation?
What are the limits of appropriate behavior between people?
What are Boundaries?
This recovery approach focuses on reducing the negative consequences of substance use rather than requiring immediate abstinence, and includes strategies like using clean supplies, setting limits, and seeking support.
What is harm reduction?
A____ can be incredibly helpful for an individual to plan for future stressful events and think ahead about what to do to during these times to avoid future lapses and/or relapses.
What is a relapse prevention plan?
This term describes the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections, especially in response to learning or after injury.
What is neuroplasticity?
This acronym stands for a quick self-check to help prevent relapse by identifying basic needs.
What is HALT (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired)?
This term describes the unhealthy pattern where one person enables another’s addiction or harmful behavior.
What is codependency?
This type of wellness includes activities that bring meaning, purpose, and connection to your life, such as volunteering or pursuing goals.
What is spiritual wellness or purpose-driven living?
This phase of relapse often begins long before substance use resumes and typically involves neglecting self-care and bottling up emotions.
What is emotional relapse?
This part of the brain is responsible for regulating emotions, decision-making, and personality.
What is the prefrontal cortex?
This evidence-based therapy helps individuals recognize how their thoughts influence emotions and behaviors, and teaches practical strategies to challenge and change unhelpful thinking patterns that can lead to relapse.
What is CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)?
Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Gamblers Anonymous are examples of what kind of program?
What are 12-Step fellowships?