[[Chain Analysis Worksheet.pdf]] | External Link
[[Chain Analysis Video.mp4]] by Wish Recovery on YouTube

(Rough) Transcript of the Video

We all experience triggers at some point, whether when talking to a friend, watching a movie, or even visiting certain places. Unlike social media, triggers don't come with warning notifications. They can happen anytime, anywhere, and sometimes be anything. Triggers can cause us to react emotionally or behaviorally. For example, they can lead to feelings of anxiety or anger or cause us to act out, drink, or use drugs in response. Chain analysis can help you identify triggers and understand how using drugs or drinking serves you.

Common Triggers of Drug and Alcohol Abuse (Especially During Recovery)

1. Work and home anxiety or stress
2. Money and financial concerns
3. Untreated mental illness
4. Visiting a favorite spot associated with using
5. Socializing with someone who uses
6. Suffering from chronic pain or illness
7. Hearing a particular song, genre of music, or certain sounds
8. Seeing drugs or alcohol
9. Smelling certain scents

What is Chain Analysis and How Does it Work?

Chain analysis is a method to understand the purpose of a specific behavior. It aims to find all the variables that lead to a problem behavior. By identifying these factors, you can learn how to modify your behavior.

Steps to Conduct Chain Analysis

1. Acknowledge the Problem Behavior: For this video, the problem behavior is drinking or drug use, but chain analysis can be used for any unwanted habit or behavior.
2. Identify the Trigger: Ask yourself what event or trigger in your environment started the chain. What led to your drug or alcohol use at that moment? Consider what occurred just before the impulse or notion first entered your head.
3. Reflect on Vulnerability Factors: Think about factors that made you and your environment vulnerable. Were you feeling drowsy or hungry? Were there kids playing? Did you have much work to do?
4. Consider Alternatives: Once you've listed all the precise actions and circumstances that led to the behavior, consider alternatives to the trigger response of drinking or taking drugs. Examples include going for a walk, contacting a friend, or reading a book. Sometimes going to the park and yelling at the top of your lungs can help—trust me, I've done it, and it can be relieving if you don't mind getting a few strange looks.
5. Consider Consequences: Think about the consequences of your substance misuse. Did using have any adverse effects on the environment, yourself, or others?
6. Plan for the Future: Consider how you can make yourself less vulnerable to being triggered in the future. Think of strategies to avoid the precipitating event or trigger the next time.
7. Address Harm Done: Consider any harm that's been done and see if you can come up with a way to fix it.

Tips for Effective Chain Analysis

• Conduct chain analysis immediately after a problem activity to recall more about the circumstances that influenced your actions.
• Recognizing the factors that cause and sustain our behavior can help us understand and break the chain.
• Triggers may point to areas in your life where you need to conduct inner work.
• By being patient, persistent, and inquiring carefully about what's going on, you're making progress every time and allowing yourself to develop.