Substance use recovery / SUR-A07-1
Return-to-Use Response — Concept brief
Understand the idea behind return-to-use response and consider whether it fits your context.
8 minutes · Handout · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Jordan misses an appointment after a return to use and feels embarrassed to call.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. A return to use calls for reassessment and support rather than shame.
The idea
A return to use calls for reassessment and support rather than shame.
An ordinary example
Jordan misses an appointment after a return to use and feels embarrassed to call.
What this can look like
Draft a nonjudgmental plan to reconnect with care, review immediate safety, and ask what needs to change.
Check the fit
What message would make reconnecting easier? 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 message would make reconnecting easier?
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.