Cravings & Choice Points / GRP356
A Pause with an Exit — Shared Pattern Map
Create a short pause plan that includes a way to leave a difficult situation safely.
25 minutes · 3–12 people · Adults with trained group facilitation
Facilitator PDF · Fillable participant PDF · Open activity / add to session
UNDERSTAND THE IDEA
A cue, an urge, and an action are not the same event.
People, places, stress, and learned associations can cue craving. Mapping the sequence can reveal places for support or an environmental change. Noticing an urge does not guarantee that it will disappear, and a rising urge is not a failure of skill.
Facilitation lens: Use fictional or already-past examples. Do not provoke cravings, use substance props, or frame endurance as success. Keep access to the existing care plan visible.
Explore the conceptual background · Broad background, not validation of this original exercise.
Try a different interactive experience in the Activity Lab →
Fictional example
A fictional member is invited to stay in a setting that feels unhelpful.
Open with choice — 3 minutes
Explain the purpose, privacy limits, and the option to observe, use fiction, adapt, or pass. Check access needs and group readiness; do not promise absolute confidentiality.
Meet the fictional case — 4 minutes
A fictional member is invited to stay in a setting that feels unhelpful. Ask what is known, what is assumed, and what the person in the case wants.
Practice: Mapping — 11 minutes
Create a short pause plan that includes a way to leave a difficult situation safely. Each person privately maps the fictional case. Offer optional contributions to a shared map, then compare where context, access, and support change the picture. Do not interpret another person's map.
Reflect and compare — 4 minutes
What makes leaving feasible rather than theoretical? Ask what fits, what does not, and what external conditions or supports affect the options. No personal disclosure is required.
Close and integrate — 3 minutes
Invite an optional observation, support request, or small next step. Passing is welcome. Agree how to revisit questions and seek appropriate help outside the exercise.
Practice output
A map with at least two possible support or choice points.
Scope and adaptation
Use ordinary or fictional examples, not graphic substance-use stories or cue exposure. No competitive abstinence scoring, forced disclosure, or required pathway. These plans do not manage intoxication, overdose, withdrawal, or medication changes; follow individualized care and appropriate medical assessment.
Offer reading aloud, typing, drawing, pointing, or observation. Avoid mandatory movement, eye contact, touch, and body focus.
Original AI-assisted educational draft; independent clinical review pending.
Conceptual background
References inform broad principles and do not validate or endorse this original plan.