Group Six PREVENTING RELAPSE TO RISKY BEHAVIOR: …

1 125 Group SixPREVENTING RELAPSE TO RISKY BEHAVIOR: RECOVERY AS A JOURNEYS kills to Be Taught Creating a Road Map for the Journeyof Recovery Learning RELAPSE Prevention Skills Identifying Early Warning Signs Understanding Seemingly IrrelevantDecisionsCOUNSELOR TOOL BOXM ulti-modal Presentation of Material:VerbalDidactic presentation of materialQuestioningGroup discussionVisualVisual presentation of major points using slidesGroup responses written on flipchart by counselorWritten/Pictorial handouts provided in Client WorkbookExperientialIndividual practice: creating a road map for storytelling team gamePost- Group quizStress management/relaxation techniqueMaterialsFlipchart and markersOverhead projector and slidesAudio tape player and relaxation tapeClock/timerPens/pencilsPrizes Loaner Client WorkbooksHandouts: Group agendaGroup quiz Personal Road Map for Journey of Recovery (double-sided)SID Storytelling Game Worksheet (double-sided)Certificate of Achievement (as warranted)RemindersEnsure that all material on quiz is covered wellduring material is indicated by QUIZ ITEMin the to counselors are provided in this RELAPSE to RISKY BehaviorAGENDA(2-hour Group : Adjust times based on beginning time)0:00 Begin Group (5 mins)Introductions Rules Time keeper assignment0.

2 05 Introduction to Topic: PREVENTING RELAPSE to RISKY BEHAVIOR: Recovery as a Journey (5 mins)0:10 Preparing for the Journey(10 mins)0:20 Skills to Begin the Journey(10 mins)0:30 Handling Emergencies(10 mins)0:40 Enjoying the Journey(5 mins)0:45 Create a Road Map for Recovery(10 mins)0:55 BREAK(10 mins)1:05 Review(5 mins)1:10 The Story of (10 mins)1:20 Discussion of the Story(5 mins)1 Storytelling Team Game(20 mins)1:45 Quiz and Feedback(5 mins)1:50 Relaxation Tape(10 mins)2:00 End127 PREVENTING RELAPSE to RISKY BehaviorBEGINNING OF EVERY Group (5 mins) Group members and counselors introduce themselves and welcomenew members Group rules are reviewed Copy of agenda for today s Group is distributed to Group members Ask for a volunteer to serve as time-keeper (to keep Group on trackand on time) Announcement of any graduates from the Group today Presentation of Certificate of Achievement to those who complete ingood standingCounselor provides introduction to today s topic (5 mins) Recovery from drug use and other behaviors that place you and others atrisk is a process, it is not a single step.

3 Although it begins with an extreme-ly important and essential single step your personal decision to changeyour lifestyle recovery itself occurs in a long series of steps. QUIZ ITEMIt s like setting out on a long, and sometimes difficult, journey a journeytowards recovery and a healthier lifestyle. All of you here have taken thevery first step in your journey of recovery by entering treatment and havingthe intention to live a healthy lifestyle. Some of you may even believe thatthis is sufficient. It isn t. 128 PREVENTING RELAPSE to RISKY BehaviorVerbalShow Slide drug addicted individuals enter treatment, their goal seems very clear(they are not going to use drugs any more) and the way to achieve this goalalso seems clear (they often say: I just need to make up my mind not to useagain ).

4 Indeed, the road to recovery is always paved with good intentions are certainly a place to start, but they are not sufficient toprepare you for what lies ahead along the road to recovery. This road maynot be quite as straightforward and simple to travel as you first , today we are going to be talking about some of the tools and skills youwill need for your own personal journey of leads a discussion on how to prepare for the journey (10 mins)QUESTION:Imagine you are planning a trip across the country by do you need to do to prepare for the journey? 129 PREVENTING RELAPSE to RISKY BehaviorShow Slide Slide :1) setting out on a long journey you need to get a good roadmap; one that is up-to-date and easy to read. Have any of you seen thedetailed maps that the automobile clubs will prepare for you if you tell themwhere you want to go?

5 These maps provide pages of very detailed instruc-tions, including where the rest stops are, and emergency tips and telephonenumbers, with the journey broken down into small manageable purpose of these detailed maps is to make the journey safer and easierfor you and to prevent you from getting lost or delayed. Similarly, for a journey of recovery, you ll need to create a plan for how youare going to remain abstinent and healthy, otherwise you are likely to getlost along the way. This map or plan should be very detailed and brokendown into small manageable segments. It should not only include step-by-step instructions for how to reach your destination, it should also includehow to have fun along the way, how you are going to keep focused on yourdestination of recovery, how you are going to manage stress, and what youare going to do in case of an emergency which is any situation that placesyou at risk for ) Toolbox.

6 When preparing for a long trip, you also need to put together atoolbox containing an assortment of tools. When a car breaks down, differ-ent tools are needed for different problems. You can t fix a flat tire with aflashlight. A flashlight is certainly a good tool to have in your toolbox, but itis not the correct tool for this specific problem, so a good toolbox will includea variety of tools. You will also need to know how to use these tools in eachsituation. Similarly, you ll need different tools and skills for coping with different situ-ations that place you at risk for RELAPSE . In some situations, you may needto know how to avoid a particular person who places you at risk, other timesyou may need the communication skills to confront this person, and anothertime you may need the skill to calm and center yourself in the presence ofthis person.

7 Each of these situations requires your ability to use differenttools. QUIZ ITEM3) Navigator. When you go on a long car journey, you may also want toinvite someone to accompany you who can keep you company and help younavigate. On your recovery journey, you will need to choose your navigator very care-fully. Your navigator is your guide, and this person must be familiar with130 PREVENTING RELAPSE to RISKY Behaviorthe recovery route, otherwise he or she is likely to lead you down the wrongpath and you may never reach your destination. So choose your travel com-panions :What else do you need when preparing for a journey? Answer:You ll need safe and reliable means of your car in good working order?Your transportation for your journeyof recovery isn t a car, it s your environment.

8 Your environment is what isall around you, such as this program and the people in it, your home, yourneighborhood, your friends and family. If your environment isn t safe, reli-able, and supportive, it will be very difficult to reach the destination of hav-ing a new, healthier lifestyle. Some people who are beginning their journeyof recovery choose to be in a residential treatment environment because theyneed to feel isolated from their normal environment, which may have beenharmful to their health. Other people choose to begin in an outpatient treat-ment setting, which means that they have to cope with many environmentsat once. For example, during the time that you are in this treatment pro-gram, you are in an environment that is safe, reliable, and supportive ofyour recovery.

9 However, every time you leave here, you have to face manydifferent environments, some of which may not be supportive of your recov-ery. This would be a bit like beginning a journey in a reliable and comfort-able rental car, then having to hitchhike for a while through the desert with-out any water, then finding a bicycle to ride, then hopping on a freight train,and so forth. You need to make sure that each and every form of transporta-tion that you choose to get you to your destination is safe, reliable, and sup-portive of your recovery. It isn t enough that you are safe and supportedhere. You also need to create for yourself a safe, reliable, and supportiveenvironment outside of this RELAPSE to RISKY BehaviorShow Slide your fuel tank full?

10 Even if you have a safe and reliable car, withoutfuel, you aren t going anywhere. You need to gas up before you leave andmake sure you don t run out of gas along the road. The gas, or fuel, in yourjourney of recovery is your own motivation and commitment to change yourlife and the confidence that you can do it. Without that you won t get far :So, are you now ready to begin the journey? You have yourmap, your toolbox, your navigator, and safe, reliable transportation, you regassed up, and off you go. You ve covered all your bases, and it s clear sail-ing from here, right? Answer:Wrong!As you can see, the journey isn t quite that straightforward. You may begassed up, your transportation or environment may be safe and reliable, butthere is still the road itself to consider.