Dealing with Substance Abuse & Changing Your Behavior
Change is a path with milestones, not one leap.
Everything so far has been about understanding. This lesson is about doing.
And it starts with a relief: change isn't a single heroic leap. It's a series of stages
that people move through — and you're allowed to be exactly where you are.
Change happens in stages
Researchers found that people who change a behavior — quitting smoking, drinking less,
anything — tend to move through the same stages of
change.1 Knowing your stage tells you what your next
step actually is.
1. Pre-contemplation
"I don't really have a problem." Often where people land when they're here because
they were told to. Totally normal — and still a starting point.1
2. Contemplation
"Maybe there's something to this." You can see both sides now.
3. Preparation
"I'm going to do something." You're making a plan.
4. Action
"I'm doing it." Actively changing the behavior.
5. Maintenance
"I'm keeping it up." Protecting the change over time.
You can sit at different stages on different days, and that's fine. The model is a
circle, not a ladder.
Relapse is a step, not the end
Returning to use is a common part of changing a chronic condition — a signal to adjust
the plan, not proof that you failed or that treatment doesn't work.2
People loop back and keep going. That's how it actually works.
Your one move: a trigger and a plan
Big change is built from small, specific plans. A trigger is a
person, place, feeling, or moment that sets off the urge to use. The most powerful thing you
can do right now is name one, and decide in advance what you'll do instead.
Write this down — an "if–then" plan
Fill in the blanks, on paper or in your head, and keep it somewhere you'll see it:
IF I am (your trigger — e.g. "stressed after work" / "with a certain
friend"), THEN I will (your coping step — e.g. "call ___", "leave", "take a
walk", "text the helpline").
One sentence. That's a real behavior-change tool — the same kind treatment programs use.
The one idea to keep
You don't have to fix everything today. Name your stage, pick one
trigger, and write one if–then plan. That's momentum —
and momentum is what change is made of.
Support & help lines
Emergency — overdose or immediate danger
Call 911.
In crisis — thoughts of suicide
Call or text 988.
Free, confidential support — 24/7
Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline. Prefer text? Text your ZIP code to 435748 (HELP4U).
