TREATMENT GOALS

You may have already realized the need to make necessary changes in your lifestyle.

The following is a list of treatment goals for you to consider. Don’t become overwhelmed with the list. Most people feel they need to make changes in almost every area. For now only check or circle four areas you feel you would like to improve upon in your life. You may want to add to your four later. Discuss openly with your counselor the areas in which you want to improve.

1). Increase involvement in outside interests and activities.

2). Increase social activities.

3). Improve communication with my spouse.

4). Reduce daily tension and anxiety.

5). Improve self –acceptance.

6). Improve sensitivity to others.

7). Improve comfort level in group settings.

8). Decrease level of anger and resentment.

9). Learn how to be assertive- not aggressive.

10). Learn how to listen more effectively.

11). Gain more ability to be patient under stress.

12). Learn new coping skills for anger and resentment.

13). Learn some factual information about alcohol/drug abuse.

14). Improve ability to express both positive and negative feelings.

15). Understand and accept personal strengths and limitations.

16). Become more trustful and understanding in relationships.

17). Learn to appreciate the feelings of others.

18). Acknowledge and deal with past disappointments and failures.

19). Modify tendency to be too rigid and inflexible.

20). Appreciate more how my behavior affects others.

Complete the following sentence in your own words:

I have come to treatment because __

The Feelings Disease

Chemical dependency is referred to as a disease of feelings. Often, patients who grew up in emotionally unhealthy families where feelings were not expressed openly never learned how to express feelings honestly. Others lost their ability to openly deal with feelings as their addiction to alcohol, cocaine, marijuana or other drugs took its course.

Some chemically dependent people play the “Feelings Game.”

“What feelings can I pretend am having to make the right impression?” or “How can I use this feeling to make them feel this way about me?”

While you are in treatment, you will be asked to complete a daily diary. This will help you become aware of your feelings and learn how to appropriately deal with them. It is normal to experience new feelings in treatment and throughout your recovery program; understanding your feelings will be an important aspect of your daily lifestyle.

Some Facts about Feelings

Feelings Follow Change: Feelings often come about when changes are taking place. When you re–arrange, feelings just happen.

Feelings and Other People: Feelings come in relationships with other people – your parents, your spouse or partner, your boss, your children, your neighbors, your friends – anyone with whom you communicate.

Feelings Don’t Just Disappear: If feelings are ignored, they don’t just go away. Feelings stick around and take other shapes and forms. Often, they do damage to your physical or mental health.

Feelings can be sneaky: Often your feelings come in disguises. You can mislabel your emotions. For example, you can feel you are angry when you are really afraid, or you can feel you are sad or confused when you are really angry.

Feelings Can Lead to Relapse: If you do not learn to accept and express your feelings honestly and appropriately, you may be tempted to use the temporary, ineffective and damaging alternative of mood–altering drugs.

Feelings Just Are: Feelings, by themselves, are not wrong or right. They are just part of you Feelings Can Change: No matter how strong they may be at first. Feelings can change.

DAILY DIARY ACTIVITIES

Date: __

1). How do I feel today?

2). How do I see myself today?

3). What am I willing to change about my life?

4). Am I accepting or complying with these changes?

Why?

5). What have I learned about myself?

6). The one thing which bugged me or bothered me the most today was …

7). One thing most meaningful to me today was ….

8). What did I do good for myself today?

SELF DIAGNOSIS

Do you have a problem?

Answer the following questions by either putting a Yes or a No.

1). Has anybody ever told you that you drink or drug too much?

2). Do others have a different opinion about your drinking or drugging behavior than you do?

If you answered Yes to either question, you may very well have a problem. Others can usually see the harmful consequences before you do.

3). Do you yourself sometimes think that your drug use is causing problems in your life?

A Yes here is even stronger evidence that you have a problem, and that it’s time to take action.

What exactly is your problem?

There are many names of problems with alcohol and other drugs: alcoholism, drug addiction, problem drinking, dipsomania, chemical dependency, drug abuse, substance abuse and so on.

Regardless of what you call your problem, you can safely assume that it’s serious and that you need to quit, if you demonstrate any of these danger signs:

• You drink or drug too much or too often.

• You’re drinking or drug use feels out of control.

• Your use has endangered your life, job, relationships or freedom.

• You’ve developed a tolerance for alcohol or your drug of choice.

• You have withdrawal symptoms when you stop using.

Respond to the following questions with appropriate answers and then share your answers with the group.

• Why am I here?

• How did I end up here?

• What are my expectations about being here?

YOUR INDIVIDUAL RECOVERY PATH

The recovery path will take you through most of the stages described below; how long it takes and the exact sequence of events, are up to you. It is important for each person to negotiate his unique, individual recovery path.

• Decide whether you are suffering from impaired control over your use of alcohol or other drugs.

• Get ready to quit by overcoming denial and ambivalence

• Quit! Determine how you’ll handle detoxification and withdrawal. Find a recovery mentor who will help you cope up in the process of quitting.

• Take responsibility; philosophically, the position is simple you are not to blame for your disease, but you are responsible for your recovery.

Responsibility demands action on many fronts. Take care of your body with proper nutrition and exercises, learn to relax without alcohol or drugs, regain access to your legitimate feelings, and express them appropriately, and finally focus on spiritual tasks necessary in helping you become truly whole and human.

• Stick to it by practicing the everyday art of relapse prevention.