Stages of Change
In this stage of change, the individual is not considering change and may be unaware that their behavior is problematic.
What is Precontemplation?
The most basic needs for human survival, including food, water, warmth, rest, and shelter.
What are Physiological Needs?
Feelings, experiences, people, places, and things that you associate with your alcohol or other drug use.
What are Triggers?
Your emotional or physical reactions that stem from your thoughts.
What are Feelings?
Was once legal and promoted as cough medicine.
What is Heroin?
(In 1898, Bayer & Co. introduced heroin as a pain reliever and cough suppressant.)
In this stage of change, the person has made a concrete change in their behavior for a period of time (often less than six months).
What is Action?
The need for security, stability, and a sense of order and control in one's life. This includes personal security, financial security, and protection from harm.
What are Safety Needs?
Techniques or strategies used to manage stress, regulate emotions, and deal with challenging situations.
What are Coping Skills?
Your behavior or response to the situation and your feelings.
What is an Action?
As of May 2025, this mind-altering substance has garnered approximately $25 billion in tax revenue.
What is Cannabis/Marijuana?
(Combined, legalized states have reported $25 billion in tax revenue from recreational cannabis sales and medical marijuana sales so far.)
In this stage of change, the individual intends to take action in the immediate future, often planning the next steps to make a change.
What is Preparation?
The need for interpersonal relationships, including friendship, intimacy, family, and a sense of connection to others.
What are Love and Belonging Needs?
A powerful, intense desire or urge to use a substance, which can be both physical and psychological.
What is a Craving?
The outcome of your action, which can be both intended and unintended.
What is a Consequence?
Fentanyl overdoses alone led to the death of 72,766 people in 2023, but this type of drug class was the second leading cause of overdose-related deaths in 2023, killing 13,026 people.
What are Prescription Medications/Prescription Opioid Medications?
(According to the CDC, drug overdoses decreased overall by 26% in 2024.)
In this stage of change, the person is aware of the problem and seriously considering making a change, though they may be ambivalent about it.
What is Contemplation?
The need for self-esteem, respect from others, status, recognition, strength, and freedom.
What are Esteem Needs?
The three categories of Triggers.
What are Internal, External, and Sensory?
Your internal interpretation or belief about the situation. This is often an automatic.
What is a Thought?
Other than Alcohol, this is the most dangerous type of drug to withdraw from.
What are Sedative-Hypnotic Drugs/Benzodiazepines?
(They require a longer period of treatment than any other drug. Oftentimes, people can take up to a month to physically detox from them.)
In this stage of change, the individual has sustained the behavior change for a longer period (six months or more) and is working to prevent relapse.
What is Maintenance?
The highest level of the hierarchy, which is the desire to become the most that one can be and to achieve one's full potential.
What is Self-Actualization?
The process and strategies used to reduce the risk of an individual returning to a previous unhealthy behavior or addiction.
What is Relapse Prevention?
An external event or circumstance occurs.
What is a Situation?
Japan is where this drug was first formulated.
What is Methamphetamine?
(Methamphetamine, as distinct from Amphetamine, was first synthesized from Ephedrine by the Japanese scientist Nagai Nagayoshi in 1893.)