Therapists Overview

TAKING DAILY INVENTORY

GOALS OF THE EXERCISE

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Develop a program of recovery that is free of addiction and antisocial behavior. Take responsibility for ones own behavior. Identify patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior that pose a threat to sobriety and develop a plan of action for improvement. Clarify the importance of taking inventory as part of preventing relapse. Provide a method for taking inventory to continue using in the future.

ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS FOR WHICH THIS EXERCISE MAY BE USEFUL

Relapse Proneness Substance Abuse/Dependence Treatment Resistance

SUGGESTIONS FOR PROCESSING THIS EXERCISE WITH THE CLIENT

The Taking Daily Inventory activity is designed for clients who are not inclined to introspection and need prompting to self-monitor for addictive patterns of thought, emotions, and behaviors. It highlights any drift toward addictive patterns before actual relapse occurs, and is a good sequel to Early Warning Signs of Relapse. Follow-up can include reporting to the therapist or treatment group trends that were noted by the client in daily inventories, feedback from the therapist or group about discrepancies between what the client reports and what they observe, and journaling assignments on any consistent challenges identified.

EXERCISE III.B

TAKING DAILY INVENTORY

Your daily emotions, attitudes, and actions move you either further into recovery or back toward addictive behavior. Checking your progress frequently is an important part of staying sober. 1. Using a scale in which 1 = low and 5 = high, score yourself daily on these items: Moving Further into Recovery: Honest with self Honest with others Living for today Hopeful Active Prompt Relaxed Responsible Confident Realistic Reasonable Forgiving Trusting of others Content with self Helpful to others 2. How did you improve today? Moving toward Relapse: Dishonest Resentful Depressed Self-pitying Critical of self/others Procrastinating Impatient Angry Indifferent Guilty Anxious Ashamed Fearful Withdrawn Demanding

EXERCISE III.B

3.

What roadblock(s) to recovery/progress can you identify today?

4.

What, if anything, do you wish you had done differently today?

5.

On a scale of 1 to 5, what is your level of commitment to recovery today?

6.

What did you learn about yourself today that you can use to assist continued prog-ress?

7.

If you began working on any new change today, what was that change?

8.

Please look at your Moving toward Relapse scores from question 1 and describe one concrete strategy to decrease your risk of relapse and increase your chances of staying in recovery.

Be sure to bring this handout back to your next session with your therapist, and be prepared to talk about your thoughts and feelings about the exercise.