Do I have a problem w
I will know that my plan is working if:

14

A counselor or professional I can call if I think I have a problem is:
As you read ab

about your ow

or drugs may p

be causing pro

aware of? Cou

in denial abou

drugs? Look a

their actions h

same thing or 
3

Eric drank and smoked pot (marijua

in high school. He also went to “keg

lot of alcohol. He dropped out

of school in his senior year.

Now Eric has a job at a

repair shop. He hates

it. Sometimes he thinks

he has to have a few

beers or smoke some

pot at lunch just to get

through the day. 
What could happen to Eric if he kee

• Eric might be arrested for drunk d

could be referred to treatment by t

• His girlfriend might leave him.

• His boss might smell Eric’s breath 

Or his employer might have an Em

that will send him to treatment.

Now some friends invite

Eric to a party where

there is beer and pot.

Eric goes and gets

drunk, even though he

knows his girlfriend

will be upset.
5

mother. She also works 

at a museum part time

and goes to school. 

As the semester goes 

by, she finds herself 

under a lot of stress. 

A fellow student tells Sue that he 

sell her “uppers” (amphetamines) 

will help her stay awake and get m

done. Sue doesn’t like doing somet

illegal, but she starts taking the p
Sue doesn’t think she needs t

her husband. She doesn’t wa

admits to a friend that they m

Now Sue has a test coming 

what her husband said, but 

and study. At the same time, 

day if she doesn’t sleep. Sue f

doesn’t know what to do abou
7

Yolanda has been thinking

about what her life would 

be like if she stopped 

drinking. She would do 

better at her job, and she

wouldn’t wake up with

headaches and stomach

aches all the time.
shell end up having

more than one. She

takes all of the beers

and pours them down

the sink. She fills out

the Change Plan

Worksheet that her

father talked about.
9

Derrick used to drink a lot and ta

friends at the clubs. Then one nig

of an illegal drug. The judge told h

At first, Derrick didn’t like treatme

his drug use. There were times wh

because it was really hard. But th

DERRICK
Together, Derrick and his counselor have 

do whenever he thinks about drinking or 

• He can do volunteer work in his spare t

people who don’t do drugs.

• He can spend more time with his family

• He can work out at the gym or take a co
With the help of the prison’s

substance abuse treatment

counselor, Don moved into a

halfway house and joined a

drug treatment program.

Away from the gang, and

without drugs in his life, Don

was able to finish high

school and find a good job. 

11

When he was younger, Don hu

reservation where he lived. The

arrested and told to enter a dr

though treatment made him fe

ran into his old gang and slipp

(methamphetamines) every da

was sent to prison.
Every day, Don practices the coping sk

• He’s aware of negative feelings. He ta

• He works out at the gym to relieve stre

• Don HALTs sometimes. HALT stands f

feels these things he stops and thinks

something positive at these times. He 

Now Don is thinking

about a career change.

He would like to become

a counselor for people

with drug problems like

he had. He wants to

work in the clinic back

on the reservation. He

knows he needs to get

more education, though,

and make sure his own 

recovery is stable before

he makes the change.
Avoid the personal “triggers” that coul

• Don’t try to do too much and get stresse

• Don’t ignore the negative feelings that dr

• Avoid people, places, and activities wher

Think about the benefit

• Being healthier and stronger without a

• Having family and friends who know th

• Having a future with lots of choices.

If you think you might have a proble

Change Plan Worksheet on the next p

13 it with you, or give it to a frie
The most important reasons I wa

I plan to do these things to reach 

The first steps I plan to take in ch

Some things that could interfere w

Other people could help me in ch

I hope my plan will have these po

I will know that my plan is working 

A counselor or professional I can 
20-40%

off select items!

SAMHSA’s National Clearinghouse for Alcohol Marijua

and Drug Information (NCADI) 1-800-7

1-800-729-6686 www.m

ncadi.samhsa.gov

This list of resources is not exha

signify endorsement by C

Do not reproduce or distribute this publication for a fee wit

Communications, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Se

Human Services.

This brochure was created to accompany the publication E

Treatment, #35 in CSAT’s Treatment Improvement Protoc

are available for free from SAMHSA’s National Clearingho

Call 1-800-729-6686 or 1-800-487-4889 TDD (for the hea

DHHS Publication No. [SMA] 05-4109. Printed 2005.

Check this box to see if a treatm

its address and/or phone numbe