more than
therapy.

A MORE THAN THERAPY REFLECTION TOOL

My Relapse
Prevention Plan.

A practical place to prepare for urges, choose support, and plan a safer next step without shame.

Start anywhere. Write as much or as little as you choose. For adults and teens planning with appropriate professional support. This is not a child-directed activity.

Choose a section. Every question is optional.

Define the change you want to protect.

Use your own words. This tool focuses on substance-use recovery and return-to-use prevention. A qualified professional can help make goals and treatment decisions appropriate to your situation.

Name the change you want to protect. No diagnosis or substance details are required.

Relationships, health, safety, freedom, learning, stability, or another value I choose.

A skill, medication as prescribed, professional care, peer support, an environment change, or a practical resource.

Appointments, agreed medication plans, peer supports, or questions to discuss with my care team. Do not change treatment here.

Notice patterns without reliving them.

A brief description is enough. Detailed memories of substance use can bring on urges; you may use a mild or fictional example, skip a question, or work with a professional.

Broad patterns in people, places, availability, conflict, isolation, pain, or routines. Avoid vivid details.

Changes in sleep, connection, routines, thinking, or following an existing care plan. These are personal observations, not a score.

A short phrase only if useful. What need might be underneath it?

A setting, access arrangement, task, schedule, or expectation. Consider what is realistic and safe.

Prepare more than one option for an urge.

Choose accessible options that fit your care plan. No coping skill can guarantee that an urge will pass quickly. You can reach out for professional help rather than manage alone.

If ___ happens, I will ___, and I will contact ___ if I need more help.

Change location if safe, contact support, use a neutral distraction, ground with an ordinary object, or another agreed strategy.

A brief refusal, safe transport, a person to contact, and somewhere appropriate to go. Do not drive while impaired.

Whom to contact, how soon, an agreed urgent-care route, and what to do if the first person is unavailable. Confirm arrangements.

Make asking for help concrete.

Choose people or services that are willing and appropriate to involve. Peer support, professional care, and practical assistance can work together. A nickname or role is enough here.

A support person or service, contact method, and when they are available. Check directly.

Another person, professional service, or agreed support arrangement.

For example: I am having a difficult urge and could use company or help following my plan. Choose your own words.

Transport, housing, access needs, food, childcare, work pressure, or reducing exposure safely. Name a specific request.

Respond with care and timely support.

A return to use is not a moral failure. It can require prompt medical attention and a review of treatment. A written plan cannot determine medical risk or make a return to use safe.

Discuss withdrawal and overdose risk, local urgent routes, and naloxone where relevant with a qualified professional. Do not wait for an emergency to check.

A contact, method, and realistic time to act. Seek urgent medical help when needed.

Support with getting to care, a safe place, essential responsibilities, or staying off the road if impaired. Review with a professional.

One supportive statement and one concrete action. Do not treat a setback as a reason to give up on care.

Make the plan usable in ordinary life.

You can update the plan with a clinician, peer support worker, or trusted supporter. Rehearse a low-pressure example without exposing yourself to a substance or high-risk setting.

Confirm a contact, arrange transport, schedule care, or practice a short request for support.

Use a fictional or mild situation. No substance cues or deliberate exposure are needed.

An appointment, a chosen date, a change in circumstances, or an increase in support needs.

What felt workable, what was inaccessible, or what did not help. No score or self-blame is required.

Keep a copy, if you choose.

Print to paper or choose Save as PDF in your browser. An editable copy is a local JSON file that can be reopened here. These copies are not encrypted. Choose carefully where you keep or share them. Downloading does not save anything with our team.

Only planner files up to 256 KB are accepted. The file is read on this device; it is not uploaded. Review the replacement choice before opening it.

Support for your next step.

Explore the therapist directory, optional guided grounding audio, or grief activities and worksheets.

Original prompts are informed by NIAAA guidance on handling urges and NIH information on treatment and recovery. Alcohol-specific guidance should not be assumed to apply to every substance. This planner has not been independently validated as treatment.

Replace the current responses?