Week 3 Discussion

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Abstinence Exercise

Assigned in Week 4 for discussion in Week 10—please plan accordingly

This exercise is designed to enhance your understanding of abstinence and the thoughts and feelings people often have when they first quit their addiction. For this exercise, you will need to give up a substance (e.g., nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, or sugar) or a behavior (e.g., playing video or computer games, watching television, texting) for a period of 6 weeks. It is important that the substance or behavior be something that is important to you and is a consistent presence in your life; in other words, you should abstain from something that you will truly miss. You will discuss your experience with abstinence in the Week 10 Discussion 2 forum. To prepare for the Week 10 Discussion and to maximize your abstinence experience, the following is recommended (not required; for support and insight only):

• Keep a journal dedicated to thoughts and reflections about your abstinence experience. It is advisable to make at least 3–4 entries per week, with more as needed.

• Track your progress, noting any relapses that may occur. • Note experiences of both internal and external influences on success or relapse. • Consider the dynamic influence of life stressors on abstinence efforts.

The following is the Discussion prompt for Week 10, Discussion 2, in which you will be sharing your experience of abstinence with your peers and discussing important elements of the experience: Post by Day 4 a summary of your experience with abstinence, including your overall success or failure, and what individual traits (e.g., age, gender, personality) were most influential on your outcomes. Then, identify the external influences on your experience, including family, culture, and other considerations you believe were significant. Lastly, discuss how the insights you gained might add perspective to your clinical skills in working with clients who have addiction diagnoses.