- Tool
Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA)
Performing a cost benefit analysis (CBA) helps individuals weigh the positives and negatives of a behavior, facilitating motivation, decision-making, and progression from precontemplation to the contemplation and preparation stage of change.
- Worksheet
Change Plan
The change plan worksheet captures and organizes essential elements of a plan, including desired changes, reasons, steps, helpers, success indicators, and obstacles.
- Tool
Urge Log
An awareness and understanding of urges is crucial to recovery. One way to understand urges is by recording them. After a few entries, participants may notice patterns and similarities about their urges. The log then becomes a road map that will help them to anticipate situations and emotions that may trigger urges and plan ways to avoid recognized triggers or distract themselves from the urge until it passes.
- Worksheet
The ABC's
An awareness and understanding of urges is crucial to recovery. One way to understand urges is by recording them. After a few entries, participants may notice patterns and similarities about their urges. The log then becomes a road map that will help them to anticipate situations and emotions that may trigger urges and plan ways to avoid recognized triggers or distract themselves from the urge until it passes.
- Tool
Setting SMART Goals
It’s important to make sure goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed.
- Tool
Lifestyle Balance Pie
The lifestyle balance pie helps us to visually map out which areas of life are important to us and which areas need greater attention.
- Worksheet
DEADS: Deny/Delay; Escape; Avoid/Accept/Attack; Distract; Substitute
DEADS is an acronym that stands for "Deny/Delay," "Escape," "Avoid/Accept/Attack," "Distract," and "Substitute." This tool is designed to equip individuals with strategies to combat the immediate demands of addictive urges, providing practical steps to diminish their power and influence.
- Worksheet
DIBs: Disputing Irrational Beliefs
In the realm of addiction recovery, the battleground is often not in the physical world but within the confines of our own minds. SMART Recovery, a program grounded in empowering individuals to break free from the chains of addictive behaviors, underscores the importance of mental liberation through the DIBs tool. An acronym for "Disputing Irrational Beliefs," DIBs is a central pillar in the SMART Recovery approach, guiding individuals through the process of identifying and challenging irrational beliefs that fuel addictive behaviors. This article illuminates the transformative power of DIBs in the journey toward sustainable recovery.
- Worksheet
DISARM: Destructive Images and Self-Talk Awareness and Refusal Method
Recovery from addiction is often visualized as a battlefield where one's inner demons are the foe. These inner enemies come armed with deceptive allure, masquerading as friends or saviors, promising relief, pleasure, or escape. But, as anyone on the journey to recovery knows, yielding to these false promises leads only to more suffering. SMART Recovery arms individuals in this battle with an arsenal of tools, one of the most potent being DISARM - Destructive Images and Self-talk Awareness and Refusal Method.
- Worksheet
HOV: Hierarchy of Values
In the throes of addiction, it's not uncommon for individuals to feel disconnected from what truly matters most to them. Activities, relationships, and principles that once held significant importance might have taken a back seat to the pursuit of addictive behaviors. SMART Recovery's Hierarchy of Values (HOV) tool is designed to bridge this gap, helping you reconnect with your authentic self and realign your daily actions with your deepest values.
- Tool
Role-Playing/Rehearsal
When we think of role-playing, we might imagine actors rehearsing for a play. They try out different lines and actions, preparing for their performance. But did you know that a similar strategy can be super helpful for people working to overcome addictive behaviors? This strategy, known as the Role-play/Rehearsal tool in SMART Recovery, is a powerful way to get ready for tough situations and make smart choices.
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- Worksheet
VACI: Vital Absorbing Creative Interest
Overcoming addictive behaviors is a journey that involves more than just abstaining from substances or detrimental habits. It's about rediscovering yourself, finding joy, and engaging in activities that provide a deep sense of fulfillment and purpose. This is where SMART Recovery's VACI tool comes into play. VACI, or Vitally Absorbing Creative Interest, isn't just a fancy term; it's a beacon of hope, a way to rediscover passion and joy in life beyond addiction's confines.
- Tool
USA: Unconditional Self Acceptance (and UOA and ULA)
Recovery isn't just about stopping harmful behaviors; it's also about building a mindset that supports happiness and resilience. That's where Unconditional Self-Acceptance (USA), Unconditional Other-Acceptance (UOA), and Unconditional Life-Acceptance (ULA) come in. These three pillars of acceptance in SMART Recovery help you build a strong emotional foundation by teaching you how to fully accept yourself, others, and life's challenges.
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