By Antohny Ballatore
Think back to your 13th birthday. Explain what happened that day; how you felt; who was there to celebrate it with you; what the weather was like the day you became a teenager.
Having a difficult time? Well, if you had written those experiences in a journal and had that journal in front of you, you would be able to recount those feelings, memories of friends, and events. Journaling forces us to look at the details of our surroundings as well as the details of what’s happening inside us. Being able to read about past events allows us to access memories that have been buried deep within our minds; events that might not be accessible otherwise. If you are in recovery, these details can save your life.
People who write down their dreams and desires, wants and wishes both professional and personal are more likely to achieve them than those who do not. Addicts in recovery who write down their thoughts and feelings about a relapse challenge, how they overcame a relapse challenge, are in a stronger position to face that challenge the next time it rears its ugly head.
Being prepared for a relapse threat is very difficult. You might be in denial about its very existence. Relapse starts long before one actually uses, and relapse threats begin boring into your brain long before you are aware of them. How do you stop something from happening before you become aware that it? You don’t! So the solution is to find a way to bring closer the point in time when you ARE first aware of a threat. The sooner you can act to challenge a relapse threat the more likely you will be able to overcome that threat.
Let me demonsrtate: Imagine a threat challenging your sobriety. Let’s call this threat Threat-A. It happens and you overcome the desire to use: you extricate yourself from a dangerous situation or place; you call someone who talks you through a negative feeling, mood, or desire. You write the details of this event in your journal. You describe WHEN it happened, WHERE it happened, WHAT lead up to it, HOW you were feeling, WHO you were with, and the effects and results of your actions. When Threat-A happens again, you might remember that you faced it once before and were able to beat it, but you might not remember WHEN you beat it, HOW you beat it, or the WHERE, WHAT, and WHOs of the situation. Now imagine that you are facing Threat-A, but you have written and reviewed your history of how you dealt with this threat. You have reviewed it, and all other entries regarding Threat-A before you made each new entry in your journal. You have read HOW you felt each time, WHAT you did, WHEN and WHERE it happened, and how things were settled. If you have described the circumstances that lead up to a relapse challenge, you will have information that can help you avoid placing yourself in that or a similar situation in the future. This is powerful information. Taking back your power is a big part of recovery.
REMEMBER: If a challenging situation can be avoided, AVOID IT! If a challenge catches you by surprise, you will be in a better position to deal with it if you have written about it, thought about it, and prepared for it as a real possibility.
Each time you journal about a threat, a little bit of that threat is weakened. You will be able to catch it earlier each time, and each time the challenge will be less. You are gaining power; control.
Keep in mind that you are in a battle with yourself. will be herding you toward making less of the threat, justifying a decision you know deep down is the wrong decision, leading you to believe you deserve to use, or simply believing that you have recovered and now can use socially. Your addiction knows you from the inside out. It is always at work to get you to use. You must match its knowledge and desire with an equally strong dedication to your sobriety. Sobriety will not come to you. You have to take it; you have to make it your own.
Remember: Your life is at stake. Take pride in your recovery. Take pride in yourself. Don’t let pride take you. You are sober. You have your life back; KEEP IT.
Anthony Ballatore is an addictions counselor, educator and author who helps individuals free themselves of the dominating and destructive aspects of substance addiction. He uses a cognitive behavioral approach to help clients develop a sustainable recovery plan that is supported and protected by an aggressive and strategic approach to relapse prevention. In this effort, he will use any viable options that work to the benefit of his clients. His books, articles, and web sites can be found by way of an Ezinearticles search, Google book search, or a general search using "Anthony Ballatore", "Tony Ballatore", "RecoveryPride.com", or "ProBonoPublico.ca".
Article Source: [ Managing High-Risk Situations by Terence T. Gorski Written for Journey Magazine- May 1, 2009 The third tradition of AA states that “the only requirement of ... The statistics are frightening when it comes to recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Based on most available data, very few will manage to achieve ... No matter what the addiction – drugs, alcohol or anything else – relapse is a very real threat and relapse prevention is something that should ... Concerning drug and alcohol relapse and its prevention, there is a good news, bad news, scenario. Here are three important points that everyone should be ... What we think about a situation or event will determine feeling and emotions and later, behaviors and actions. In early addiction recovery, our thoughts are ...Posts Related to The Value of Journaling And Its Role in Relapse Prevention
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