Greater awareness of personal substance use triggers is the main support offered in this CBT-SUD patient workbook, making it useful for adults in recovery, veterans, substance misuse groups, addiction counselling sessions and relapse prevention work. The workbook focuses on cognitive behavioural therapy for substance use disorder, with language that fits group treatment as well as individual reflection between sessions.
The opening material sets out clear CBT group rules and guidelines, including confidentiality, attending from a private location, regular attendance, arriving on time, completing home assignments, avoiding attendance while under the influence, and showing respect for other group members. These pages could help facilitators, drug and alcohol workers, therapists and recovery group leaders establish expectations before moving into skills practice.
The first topic, Exploring Triggers, breaks triggers down into social, environmental, emotional, cognitive and physical categories. Prompts ask about who the person uses with, where use usually happens, what cues are present, what mood comes before using, what thoughts happen before, during and after use, and whether withdrawal or physical pain may be involved. These questions are practical for people trying to understand cravings, urges, relapse patterns and high-risk situations.
A simple CBT chain is introduced, linking triggers, thoughts and feelings, behaviour, positive consequences and negative consequences. The example about not being able to sleep shows how a trigger does not automatically lead to drinking, because the thoughts and feelings that follow can change the behaviour. That makes the workbook suitable for use in CBT addiction treatment, recovery planning, substance abuse worksheets, alcohol relapse prevention groups and drug counselling homework.
The workbook is adapted from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Substance Use Disorder Among Veterans: Therapist Manual by DeMarce, Gnys, Raffa and Karlin, and the content shown is written in a structured, session-based format. It may be particularly helpful for clinicians supporting adults who benefit from written prompts, group discussion and between-session practice around triggers, cravings and alternative coping responses.
