receive
relief
right
rise
smart
spirit
driver
expect
faith
freedom
God
good
grace
gift
start
steward
today
transformation
truth
trust
guardian
guidance
happiness
help
hope
human
judgment
commitment
understanding
win
wish
won
yes
“The exercises provide a healthy and playful opportunity for self-discovery.”
ROXANNA ERICKSON-KLEIN
Picture of My Addiction
Location: Indoors (need tables for participants to work on)
Time: 90 minutes
Materials: Large drawing paper
Pens, markers, or colored pencils
Colored construction paper and/or scrapbook paper
Magazines
Craft supplies
My Addiction Handout (one per person)
Objectives
• To encourage people to describe their addiction to alcohol or other drugs in more concrete, rather than general, terms.
• To help individuals explore aspects of their addiction they do not want to give up, as well as those they do.
Directions
1. Review directions on Picture of My Addiction Handout.
2. Emphasize that each person can tell his or her story and share it in a safe, nonjudgmental environment.
Observations
This is a simple, yet effective, method to help participants begin to share personal stories. The hands-on approach can help participants, who are unable to find the words, to describe what they want to communicate. Others in the group find comfort in shared experiences and can learn from peers.
Inspired by: A similar activity seen during a professional training at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California.
Picture of My Addiction HANDOUT
Draw or use images to create a picture of your addiction.
Use your imagination to describe and show a picture of how you use, what substances you use, any feelings or events that usually cause you to use, and any feelings you have when you use alcohol or other drugs. You will present your picture to the group.
Here is one example just to give you an idea. Use markers, pens, and photos or words from magazines to create your picture. Make sure it fits on one sheet of paper. Be creative!
Pop-Out Messages
Location: Indoors
Time: 90 minutes
Materials: Construction paper
Glue
Colored markers
Scissors
Sample pop-out message
Optional: list of positive affirmations (see Appendix)
Objectives
• To provide positive affirmations in a creative manner that will help clients, or their loved ones, abstain from using alcohol and other drugs.
Directions
1. Before the session, construct a sample to show the group. As an option, create a list of positive affirmations to put in the books.
2. Begin with scratch paper to learn how to construct the pop out feature.
3. Take two sheets of paper that are different colors, but the same size.
4. Fold both papers in half to form a card.
5. Cut a slit perpendicular to the seam of the inner sheet, about two-thirds of the way across the card.
6. Lay the inner sheet with the slit in it on a flat surface, and turn back the folded edges of the slit forming a triangle on the seam side of the closed card. Fold frontward and backward to soften the fold.
7. Fold flat so the inside sheet again looks like a rectangle with a slit on the fold side. The fold marks will create two triangles from the end of the slit to the fold.
8. Mark the width and height of the mouth on the outer sheet. Write a positive affirmation within that space on the outer sheet.
