Relapse Prevention Workbook

Relapse Prevention Workbook Planning for Sobriety

Very important note as you begin the process of addressing Relapse Prevention in your life … the word that is so important is HONESTY, if you can not be honest about the past and future relapse prevention is something to only be hoped for.

Relapse refers to the process of returning to the use of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine or other drugs after a period of abstinence. Relapse is a possibility regardless of how long you have been clean. Part of your recovery plan should include learning about the relapse process and devising a plan to help prevent you from relapsing should early warning signs occur.

Unfortunately, a relapse happens long before you pick up the substance. Generally you build up to a relapse over a period of hours, days, weeks, or even months. Many who have reviewed their relapse experiences have been able to identify clues that preceded their substance abuse. Generally, these clues were present long before these individuals used cocaine or other drugs.

Relapse clues, or warning signs, relate to changes in your behavior, attitudes, feelings, thoughts, or a combination of these. This does not necessarily mean that changes that you experience are an indication that you may be in a relapse. It simply means that you should be on the alert when changes occur and examine whether these indicate that you are headed for a relapse. The following are examples of relapse clues that people in recovery have experienced before they relapse.

1. Behavior Changes: having an increasing number of episodes of arguing with others for no apparent reasons, attending fewer or no longer going to AA, NA, or other self-help meetings, stopping at a bar to socialize and drink soda, displaying increased stress symptoms such as smoking more cigarettes or eating more food than usual.

2. Attitude Changes: not caring about sobriety, not caring what happens, becoming too negative about life and how things are going.

3. Thought Changes: thinking drugs are deserved as a reward for being clean 6 months, thinking it wouldn’t be harmful to substitute one drug for another (for example, giving up cocaine, but continuing to smoke marijuana, abstaining from alcohol but continuing to use uppers), thinking the drug problem was “cured” because no substances were used for a period of weeks or months.

Developed by Don Allen, Jr. MA, PhD LICDC … April 24, 2008Through HIM Ministries …. www.throughhimministries.org

This book is not to be sold, maybe reproduced for personal use & teaching purposes

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http://www.throughhimministries.org/

4. Changes in Feelings or Moods: experiencing increased moodiness or depression, strong feelings of anger at oneself or another person, increased feelings of boredom, or sudden feelings of euphoria.”1

Other feelings that individuals report are frustration, and increased irritability.

Have you ever asked for help?

How did you feel asking for help?

Was the help useful or harmful/hurtful?

Review of 12 steps:

Have you personally worked with a sponsor through any of the 12 Step programs that are available in the community? Such alcoholic Anonymous, Narcotic Anonymous, Marijuana Anonymous, Dual-Recovery Anonymous, or etc.)

How far did you progress though the steps, and how long did your remain active in the program. Below list the times you was active, and periods of sobriety while active.

1http://www.drugabuse.gov/PDF/DCCA/GDCSession10.pdf Developed by Don Allen, Jr. MA, PhD LICDC … April 24, 2008

Through HIM Ministries …. www.throughhimministries.org This book is not to be sold, maybe reproduced for personal use & teaching purposes

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What was your experience with your sponsor?

Are you willing to re-connect with your sponsor or find a new one?



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What are your drugs of choice & why:

Check all your drugs of choice and explain the frequency, amount you used (daily, weekly, etc), and also share the reason for using this particular drug:

□ Alcohol

□ Acid/LSD

□ Club Drugs

The most common club drugs include Ecstasy (MDMA), GHB, Rohypnol, ketamine, methamphetamine, and acid (LSD). Street Names: XTC, X (MDMA); Special K, Vitamin K (ketamine); liquid ecstasy, soap (GHB); roofies (Rohypnol).

□ Cocaine



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□ Ecstasy/MDMA

Street names: XTC, X, Adam, hug, beans, love drug.

□ Heroin

Codeine, Morphine, Heroin, Hydromorphone (Dilaudid), Oxycodone (Percodan), Oxymorphone (Numorphan), Hydrocodone (Vicodin), Meperidine (Demerol), Fentanyl, Methadone (Dolophine), Darvon, Talwin

□ Inhalants

Breathable chemical vapors that users intentionally inhale because of the chemicals' mind-altering effects. The substances inhaled are often common household products that contain volatile solvents or aerosols. Street Names: Whippets, poppers, snappers



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□ Marijuana

□ Methamphetamine

Street Names: Speed, meth, chalk, ice, crystal, glass.

□ PCP/Phencyclidine

Street Names: Angel dust, ozone, wack, rocket fuel, and many others.

□ Smoking/Nicotine (please include use of cigarettes, cigars, smokeless, and etc.)

□ Steroids (Anabolic)



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Off the drugs that you checked above and got honest about the amount you was using, which do you consider to be your drugs of choice? Explain why you consider each one to be your drug of choice.

What was the NEGATIVE CONEQUENCES OF USING THESE DRUGS?

Can you think of a reason that you would like to use again?

Have you ever had dreams or cravings? When?

What did you do about the dreams or cravings?



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What are four things that I can do to manage my cravings?

Who are five people you feel you could trust to call when having a craving for help?

Name five goals you wish to accomplish when you are released from the hospital.

1. ___________________________________________________2. ___________________________________________________3. ___________________________________________________4. ___________________________________________________5. ___________________________________________________

Can you accomplish these goals while still using alcohol or drugs?



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Warning Signs of Relapse Coming:

For individuals that suffer from Alcohol & Drug Addiction and also a Mental Illness the risk of Relapse appears to be higher. Relapse is generally caused by a combination of factors, the ability to identify the RELAPSE WARNING SIGNS WILL HELP YOU AVOID THE RELAPSE. Below is a list of Warning Signs Check the ones that have caused you problems in the past:

□ Stopping medications on one’s own and against the advice of medical professional’s.

□ Hanging around old drinking & drug using places and friends.

□ Isolating, not attending meetings or talking to individuals for support.

□ Keeping alcohol, drugs, or paraphernalia around the house for any reason.

□ Obsessive thinking about using drugs or alcohol.

□ Failing follow ones treatment plan or conditional release, quitting going to therapy groups, or skipping doctors appointments

□ Feeling overconfident, having the ideas that you no longer need support.

□ Relationship difficulties, ongoing serious conflicts, or a spouse/significant other that is stilling using.

□ Setting unrealistic goals, thinking that everything should be perfect, or being too hard on yourself when things don’t go the way you believe they should.

□ Changes in eating and sleeping patterns, personal hygiene, or energy level.

□ Feeling overwhelmed, confused, and useless or stressed out.

□ Boredom and lack of desire to do things.

□ Sudden changes in psychiatric symptoms.

□ Dwelling on resentments or past hurts, anger, unresolved conflicts.

□ Avoidance, refusing to deal with personal issues and other problems of daily living.

□ Engaging in obsessive behaviors such as work-alcoholism, gambling, and excessive sexual behavior and also acting out.

□ Major life changes, loss, grief, trauma, painful emotions, changing jobs, winning the lottery, loosing an apartment, etc.

□ Ignoring relapse warning signs and triggers.



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“HALT is an acronym used in NA and AA that stands for feelings that can distract us from our recovery. HALT encourages us not to become too:

HUNGRY: When we dislike ourselves, we neglect and deprive our bodies of the balanced diet we need. Food is a source of nurturing. Our bodies are ours to keep and care for so that we may understand and carry out God’s will for us. When our bodies cry for attention, we no longer have time for the spiritual program necessary for recovery.

ANGRY: When we choose not to deal with a situation immediately, there is a possibility that those feelings we are afraid to express will become resentments that we may later use as an excuse to drink or use drugs.

LONELY: When we believe that we are either better or worse than other people, we dig ourselves into a hole of self-pity, feeling unique in our differences. We soon begin to feel the loneliness of such isolation, and we tell ourselves that it is a good reason to drink or use drugs.

TIRED: When we can’t make sense out of anything and life overwhelms us, it is possible we have run ourselves into a screeching HALT. We have filled our lives with so many activities that we have no time for reflection.”2

2http://www.drugabuse.gov/PDF/DCCA/GDCSession10.pdf Developed by Don Allen, Jr. MA, PhD LICDC … April 24, 2008


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Recent Relapse: Cause and effect

Who were the people you most likely to use with?

What feelings were you having at the time of relapse?

What situation or events places you at the greatest risk for using? And Why?

What will be the consequence for you if you relapse?



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Planning for Sobriety:

First what is your EMERGENCY PLAN …?

WHO ARE THE PEOPLE YOU WILL CALL WHEN TEMPTED TO PICK UP DRUGS OR ALCOHOL AND USE:

1) ___________________________ NUMBER _______________

2) ___________________________ NUMBER _______________

3) ___________________________ NUMBER _______________

4) ___________________________ NUMBER _______________

5) ___________________________ NUMBER _______________

What is something’s that you can do at home to avoid using when tempted to pick up and use Alcohol or Drugs?

1) __________________________2) __________________________

3) __________________________Developed by Don Allen, Jr. MA, PhD LICDC … April 24, 2008


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4) __________________________

5) __________________________

What are some places you can go when tempted to use alcohol or drugs that would help you avoid using?

1) __________________________2) __________________________

3) __________________________

4) __________________________

5) __________________________



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“The 12 Suggested Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol--that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.”3

3 http://www.recovery.org/aa/misc/12steps.htmlDeveloped by Don Allen, Jr. MA, PhD LICDC … April 24, 2008


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Warning Signs for Relapse

F S J K A A X C O E S S U Y DD I N C R T X Q M G N S N C IT Y L P G L M T U P H E Y N SE B U Z U B O R U H S N S E HC N S S M N D G G V I I J C O

N C O A E G N B R X T K S A NE K D I N I C L Z F P C A L EI N O I T C E P X E W O L P ST G S T I A O L F C H C X M TA U E G V Q R U G A N Z I O YP L W N E J F T I H F M Q C R

M X A N N O I S S E R P E D WI Y G Y E E X H A U S T I O NE G R S S G P L H D R D I L OL W P Y S U S Y T I P F L E S

ARGUMENTIVENESS COCKINESS COMPLACENCY DEPRESSION DISHONESTY EXHAUSTION FRUSTRATION

IMPATIENCE LETTING-UP LOW-EXPECTION NOT-ME SELF-PITY USING-DRUGS



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TOOLS FOR STAYING SOBER

LOOKING AT A-Z … WHAT WORD’S CAN YOU IDENDIFY THAT YOU NEED TO DO IN ORDER

TO HELP YOU STAY SOBER.

A ____________B ____________C ____________D ____________E ____________F ____________G ____________H ____________I ____________J ____________K ____________L ____________M ____________

N ____________

O ____________P ____________Q ____________R ____________S ____________T ____________U ____________V ____________W ____________X ____________Y ____________Z ____________



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Relapse Prevention Workbook

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Transcript of Relapse Prevention Workbook