If you are unsure of whether you are completely ready to follow an abstinence programme or are still bargaining with yourself around the use of substances, take a few minutes to think the situation through from two different perspectives. Also, you might be considering moderation or harm reduction at this point, and it can be helpful to explore your reasons and rationale behind this by using the model below.
CBA is often used in businesses, organisations, teams, and other situations where clarity in the decision-making process is important. Taking the time to consider our choices from a different perspective and making decisions based on executive thinking is far more supportive of recovery than deciding (probably memory-based, trigger state) in the heat of the moment.
Most people undergoing in- or outpatient treatment are highly motivated to be well, so slips and/or lapses in early recovery are most likely a result of reacting in a state of trigger and reverting to unhealthy behaviours to escape uncomfortable feelings, relieve stress or discomfort, release unwanted anxiety or anger, reward success and accomplishment, or achieve a certain emotional state. These are examples of what individuals are doing when old behaviours and memories have not been displaced by healthier, more recovery-orientated choices, behaviours, practices, and memories.
This process takes time, practice, conscious effort, presence, perseverance, and awareness, and new habits and behaviours cannot be developed when we are upset, agitated, overwhelmed, overexcited, anxious, angry, scared, or experiencing any other heightened emotions.
