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Step 10B: Check Yourself on Managing Slips

Creator: @SoulfullyAButterfly

Before finishing this Growth Path, let’s conduct a final Check Yourself to ensure, in fact, that you are using these skills with sufficient frequency and effectiveness. Remember: it’s not enough to simply know about these skills; it’s essential that you actually use them.

Answer the following questions using this 5-point scale: 1 = Never, 2 = Seldom, 3 = Occasionally, 4 = Often, 5 = Repeatedly

  • I am convinced in my bones that a slip does not constitute a fall ______
  • I am minimizing my exposure to triggers that may trigger a slip ______
  • I am practicing saying “no” to requests to regress to my old problem ______
  • I am effectively resisting in-the-moment urges ______
  • Intense or prolonged cravings lead me to “surf the urge” ______
  • I am maintaining a positive outlook, such as attending more to the numerous times I succeed than to the rare the times I slip ______
  • If I slip, I condemn the behavior and situation, not me as a person ______
  • I am learning from my previous slips which thoughts, behaviors, feelings, and relationships lead me to slips ______ 
  • I am carrying my Slip Card with me each day ______
  • I am reaching out to my change team for support as soon as I need it ______
  • I am aware of the negative consequences of my old behavior ______
  • If I do slip again, I feel prepared to respond constructively ______

Your ratings on these items should be at least a 4 (meaning “often”) and preferably higher. In research, effective changers average close to 4’s. If so, you are skilled in preventing relapse. We congratulate you on your mastery!

If you are not yet scoring 4’s, please rework the respective skills. Your occasional use of these methods places you at higher risk for not only slips but eventual relapse. And these are skills that you can eventually master with practice and perseverance.