Since my husband has been in recovery, I have been reading a lot from SMART (Self Management and Recovery Training). I was recently posting a reply on the Family Forum and I referenced ‘the process of change’ as defined by SMART.
Im sure many of you have seen this before, but I wanted to share it as I have found it useful in regards to my husbands recovery, and also changes that I have made in my life, etc. Here is my summary, and then a link to the actual essay.
Pre-Contemplation – Unaware, resistant, thinking positives of use outweigh the negative
Contemplation – Becomes aware, but ambivalent to positive/negative, explores potential for change
Preparation – Accepts responsibility to change, evaluates techniques, develops a plan, builds confidence
Action – Engages in behavior change, gains insight and skills, learns to overcome unwanted behavior
Maintenance – Masters and sustains new behavior with minimal effort, establishes new patterns
Termination – Adds new self image consistent with change, confidence and self control
You might also find it encouraging to know: “Most successful self-changers go through the stages three or four times before they make it through the cycle of change without at least one slip. Most will return to the contemplation stage of change. Slips give us the opportunity to learn.” So if a slip does happen, there is still hope !
That’s my abbreviated description; you can look here for more:
SMART Recovery® - Stages of Change
On the Family Forum they have a habit of using the word “quacking” to describe all those statements like: “Im Trying”, “Im going to”…. when they are spoken by someone in active addiction. I truthfully don’t like the phrase “quacking”….. My thought is that “often” these statements are actually a part of the beginning stages of change for our loved ones.