Substance use recovery / SUR-A05-1
Craving Observation with Choice — Concept brief
Understand the idea behind craving observation with choice and consider whether it fits your context.
8 minutes · Handout · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Jordan practices with the urge to check a phone rather than a substance cue.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. Urges can be noticed without requiring exposure to substance cues.
The idea
Urges can be noticed without requiring exposure to substance cues.
An ordinary example
Jordan practices with the urge to check a phone rather than a substance cue.
What this can look like
Use an imagined low-intensity urge to identify its changing intensity, a pause option, and a support contact.
Check the fit
What helps you observe an urge without turning the exercise into a test? You may disagree with the framing, use fiction, or decide that this approach is not useful today.
A useful distinction
A return to use is information for reassessing care and support, not a verdict on personal worth.
Prompts for this resource
- What part of this idea makes sense to me?
- What helps you observe an urge without turning the exercise into a test?
Conceptual background
Substance Use Disorders — National Institutes of Health
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.