Cravings & Choice Points / GRP363
Attention without Trigger Exposure — Scenario Card Exchange
Practice observing a neutral everyday urge and compare how attention shifts without introducing drug cues.
30 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
The example is the urge to check a phone during a task.
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
The example is the urge to check a phone during a task. Ask what is known, what is assumed, and what the person in the case wants.
Practice: Card sort — 16 minutes
Practice observing a neutral everyday urge and compare how attention shifts without introducing drug cues. Using only the fictional case, make cards for the goal, a contextual barrier, an available support, an alternative, and a possible next step. Sort them into what is known, what needs checking, and what requires outside help; discuss cards that can fit more than one place.
Reflect and compare — 4 minutes
What can be learned without rehearsing substance use? 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 card arrangement showing facts, questions, and support needs.
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.