Triggers
What is a trigger?
Anything that increases cravings or urges, such as emotions, places, or people.
What types of situations does "Avoid" help with?
What does “acceptance” mean?
Allowing thoughts/feelings to be there without acting on them.
What is a value?
Something important that guides how you want to live.
What has to be broken before you can use it?
An egg.
Name one internal trigger and one external trigger.
Internal: stress, sadness, boredom. External: parties, certain people, seeing substances.
Which DEADS skill is about literally getting up and removing yourself once you are triggered? Give one example.
Escape; Walking out of a party where people are using substances, or leaving a room where a conflict is escalating, etc.
How is acceptance different from giving up?
Acceptance is acknowledging reality; giving up is stopping effort. They’re not the same.
Give one value and one short-term goal that reflects it.
Value: Health. Goal: Drink water and get 30 minutes of movement today.
I am not alive, but I grow. I don’t have lungs, but I need air. I don’t have a mouth, but water kills me. What am I?
Fire
Why can boredom be a major trigger for teens?
When you’re bored, your brain looks for something exciting to do, and old habits can pop up fast.
What is a healthy “Substitute” behavior for an urge?
Chewing gum, texting someone, playing with a fidget, exercise, music.
What’s a feeling you usually fight that you could practice accepting instead?
Answers vary.
Why are values more stable than goals?
Goals can be completed; values are lifelong directions.
What belongs to you but is used more by other people?
Your name.
What’s one way your body might tell you you’re getting triggered?
Feeling tense, restless, or suddenly “on edge.”
Give an example of how you could use the "Delay" skill for an urge.
Tell yourself, “I’ll wait 10 minutes before deciding,” then distract yourself during that time with music, texting a friend, or going for a walk.
What is one strategy for accepting cravings without acting on them?
Surfing the urge—letting it rise and fall like a wave.
Create a goal connected to the value “relationships.”
Reach out to a supportive friend or family member today.
Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I?
The word "ton"
What’s the difference between a craving and a trigger?
A trigger starts the urge; the craving is the feeling that follows.
Create a DEADS (delay, escape, avoid, distract, substitute) plan for a Friday night when your friends invite you to a risky hangout.
Delay responding; Escape the convo; Avoid the meet-up; Distract with another activity; Substitute with a safe friend or relaxing activity.
Why does acceptance reduce the power of urges over time?
Resisting makes urges stronger; accepting breaks the reinforcement loop.
Describe how values help with relapse prevention.
They create meaning and purpose that compete with urges, keeping behavior aligned long-term.
What goes up but never comes down?
Your age