Counselor's Manual for Relapse Prevention With Chemically ...

To get where you want to go, you have to be honest about where you are. It is like the man whocalled somebody to ask directions to get to his house. He didn't want to tell the person where hewas at the time because he didn't want him to know, so he told him he was somewhere else. Ofcourse, the directions he received were useless to him.Section II: How Did I Get Here?The second section of this workbook will help you understand how you have gotten into troublein the past. By understanding your past thoughts, feelings, and actions, you can understand whatwill happen in the future unless you change. This section will show you what you have tochange.This section will also help you to understand your thinking, feeling, and ways of acting thatcaused you to use alcohol or drugs or break the law. It will help you understand how one thingleads to the other.Sections III, IV, and V: How To ChangeThe final three sections of this workbook teach you how to change your thoughts, feelings, andways of acting that have gotten you into trouble in the past. They will show you how to make aplan that you can use on a daily basis to change your life for the better.This workbook alone will not change your life. You must also use other forms of help. You canchange your life for the better if you are willing to do several things.Not Use Alcohol or Drugs. The first thing you must do is be willing to stop using alcohol anddrugs. Recovery from chemical dependency must begin with abstinence. There is help availableto do this.Attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) Meetings. The best place tofind out how to recover is somewhere you can be with people who have been in the samesituation as you. You should attend as many meetings as possible. The more you talk withrecovering people, the more you can learn from them.When you go to meetings, listen to what people say. Ask yourself, "How am I like thesepeople?" "How did they change?" "What things did they do that I can try?" Ask someone to beyour sponsor. A sponsor is a person whom you respect who has been sober for quite a while.This is someone you can talk to on a one-on-one basis. He or she can help you by listening andsharing his or her own experiences.When you speak at these meetings, be as honest as you can. You will get more help if you tellpeople how you really think and feel than if you try to impress them. Read as many of the AA orNA books as possible. The more you read about recovery, the more your thinking will change.When your thinking changes, you will start to feel and act differently.Get Counseling. Go to one-on-one counseling sessions at least once a week, and more often ifyou can. Counseling will help you work on issues that may cause problems in recovery.