Introduction to the CBA

SMART CBA Tutorial• In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to do a

SMART CBA (Cost/Benefit Analysis).• A CBA is a great tool to:

– Build motivation to abstain from using.– Create a list of goals and things to look

forward to.– Learn what coping skills you need to

develop.– Develop a list of relapse warning signs.

Get Ready!• If you can, download the CBA Worksheet and

print it out to use with this tutorial.• Otherwise, take a blank sheet of paper, and fold

it so that it ends up divided into four squares.• Title each square as follows:

– Upper Left: Advantages of Using or Doing– Upper Right: Disadvantages of Using or Doing– Lower Left: Advantages of NOT Using or Doing– Lower Right: Disadvantages of NOT Using or Doing

Fill in Your CBA• List in each square the advantages or

disadvantages of using or not using.• Label each item as either “ST” (short-term)

“LT” (long-term).• As you work through the exercise, think about

the Four Questions About My Addiction, on the next few slides.

• The more honest and complete your answers, the more this exercise will help you.

Four Questions About My Addiction

1. What do I enjoy about my addiction, what does it do2. for me?

• List as many things as you can. Be specific.• Where possible, find alternative ways of achieving the same

goals.• Recognize positive thinking about the addiction as a potential

relapse warning sign.• There are some things you liked about the addiction that you will

have to learn to live without.• Ask yourself if what you enjoy about your addiction is really

worth the price.• Realize that you got something from your addiction. You just are

not getting it anymore.

Four Questions About My Addiction

1. What do I hate about my addiction, what does it do to me?

• List as many bad examples as you can think of. Being very specific has more emotional impact and motivational force.

• Ask yourself honesty, “If my addiction were a used car, would I pay this much for it?”

• Review this list often, especially if you are having positive thoughts about your addiction.

Four Questions About My Addiction

1. What do I think I will like about giving up my addiction?

• List what good things you think/fantasize will happen when you stop your addiction.

• This provides you with a list of goals to achieve and things to look forward to as a result of your new lifestyle.

• This list also helps you reality-test your expectations. If they are unrealistic, they can lead to a disappointment-based relapse.

Four Questions About My Addiction

1. What do I think I won’t like about giving up my addiction?• List what you think you are going to hate, dread or

merely dislike about living without your addiction.• This list tells you what kinds of new coping skills,

behaviors and lifestyle changes you need to develop.• It also serves as a relapse warning list. Focusing on

how difficult life is now puts you into a relapse thought pattern, which is just as dangerous as thinking positively about your addiction.

How to Use Your CBA• Keep it handy to refer to when you feel a

lapse coming on. You may want to read it daily at the beginning of your recovery.

• Revise it often. Most people don’t know what they like or dislike about living free until they have done so for some time.

• This is a dynamic document and an ongoing project, not a do-once-and-forget-about-it exercise.

Looking at Your CBA’s Over Time

• If you are new to SMART, try to do your first CBA as soon as possible.

• As you revise your CBA over time, keep copies of the earlier versions. The differences between your first CBA and later CBA’s may lead to new insights.

• As an additional exercise, you may want to do a CBA while imagining you are at the point in time when your involvement with the addictive substance or activity first started. Comparing that CBA to your current CBA can also be revealing. Most people find that the benefits of their involvement have changed (for the worse) since they first started using.

What Can I Do Next?• Attend one of our Online Meetings.• Post a message on our Message Board.• Check to see if there is a Face to Face

SMART Recovery Meeting in your area.• Visit our Library to find more

homework sheets and articles.• Order books from our Online

Bookstore.