Day#27,
no craving and no urges, went to work today after a long holiday, but frankly, it was not a productive day I was feeling down from my overwhelming issues.
anyhow the workday passed, tomorrow I am committing to be more productive, it gives me a kind of fulfillment if I had a productive day.
I am going to the gym and I will see what I can do after,
yesterday I re-read the chapter of Coping with urges from the SMART recovery handbook. it was informative they have some tools and strategies that help to cope with urges:
below are few points from that chapter:
1: you need to Identify your triggers:
2: you need to list the triggers and rate the risk for each one from 1 to 10
3: you need to have an urges log, so you can understand what causes the urge and how to deal with it
4: the urges will come you can’t stop them but you can cope with them below is a list of strategies that you can use to deal with the urges:
1. Avoid triggers.
2. Escape
3. Distract yourself ( focus on your hierarchy of value is a good distraction)
4. Develop coping statements
5. Review your CBA
6. Rate your urge – write it in the log, and compare it’s in comfort with something like being boiled alive.
7. Recall moments of clarity
8. Recall negative consequences
9. Picture your future
10. Use the past
11. Ride the wave
12. Call on role models and coaches
13. Reach out for social support
14. Accept the urge
Advanced strategies:
15. Move Beyond avoidance
16. Bring out your urges
17. Role-play/Rehearsal
18.Refuse to use in social situations
I really recommend to you all to download and read SMART recovery handbook. there is a lot of useful information.