A plan is easier to use when it fits the time, place, and support you actually have.
“I will ask for help” is a meaningful intention. A more usable plan might name who you will contact, how you will reach them, and what you will do if they are unavailable.
Choose one situation to prepare for.
Work with your counselor or support person to identify a situation that may be difficult. It could involve a place, an interaction, a feeling, or a change in your routine. You do not have to describe detailed substance-use experiences to make a plan.
Name a first step and a backup.
Your first step might involve contacting program staff or reaching out to a support person. Your backup should be realistic at the time you might need it. Consider phone access, transport, privacy, service hours, and whether the person has agreed to be a support.
Keep care in the plan.
Coping skills and connection sit alongside individualized treatment. Use your plan with your care team and prescribed treatment. A worksheet is not an overdose response plan, a detox plan, or a reason to change medication.
Make reconnection possible.
If a return to use occurs, prompt contact with treatment support can help you reassess what is needed. You do not need to wait until the next group or have a perfect explanation before asking for help. For immediate danger, suspected overdose, or severe withdrawal, seek urgent medical care.
One small practice
Check one support contact with your care team and write a reachable backup. Keep completed numbers somewhere private and accessible to you.
Try the companion worksheet.
Identify personal risk situations, write a first response and backup, and plan support.
My Recovery Response Plan ↗Educational reflection, not individualized treatment. Clinical background: SAMHSA TIP 35 on maintaining change. This original article is not an endorsed or validated treatment resource.
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