Plan Before the Urge

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© 2026 Breaking the Bond | Original educational resource | 1
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FACILITATOR GUIDE / 90 MINUTES / 1 OF 4
Plan Before the Urge
Adults in residential or outpatient groups, with a facilitator working within their training and setting. Original
session plan informed by established clinical concepts; not a validated protocol, certification, or full
treatment curriculum.
What participants will practice
Participants can identify a personal high-risk situation or warning sign, rehearse a first response and
backup, and locate a reachable support or service.
Prepare before group
Review current program contacts and after-hours procedures. Plan follow-up for anyone who needs
individual assessment. Know your setting's overdose and withdrawal response. Arrange privacy for
completed plans containing names and numbers. Print both pages of My Recovery Response Plan
for each participant. Bring pens, a board, and a timer. Review the worksheet and your setting's
safety procedures before facilitating.
Choice, dignity & safety
Offer passing, private writing, drawing, or a fictional example. Invite consent before pair work.
Explain confidentiality limits and that peers' confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. Ask for no
graphic stories or unsolicited advice. Use your setting's risk and escalation procedures.
90-minute session map
0-10 welcome and choice; 10-20 teach and model; 20-35 guided reflection; 35-50 optional sharing;
50-55 reset; 55-75 skill rehearsal; 75-85 action plan; 85-90 close.
Teaching focus
Introduce recovery planning as preparation, not a test of willpower. Identify situations and personal
changes that may increase risk, then select coping actions and support. Warning signs differ across
people. A return to use calls for prompt, nonjudgmental reconnection and reassessment; this group
does not replace medical treatment.


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© 2026 Breaking the Bond | Original educational resource | 2
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FACILITATOR GUIDE / 90 MINUTES / 2 OF 4
Open, Teach & Explore
Use the timing as a guide. Adapt the delivery to access needs while protecting practice time.
0-10 / Welcome and choice
Say: "We are planning for support before things get harder. You choose how much to share." Review
group agreements and avoid graphic use stories. Ask: "What is one thing you want recovery to
make room for?" Reflect the participant's own reason without persuading or labeling.
10-20 / Teach and model
Draw three headings: situation, first action, backup. Use a fictional person who feels isolated after a
stressful day and misses a support call. Ask: "What could make the next hour safer and more
connected?" Model contacting a support person and using a reachable backup rather than relying
on a promise never to struggle.
20-35 / Worksheet page 1
Allow 8 minutes for sections 1-4. Ask participants to choose a likely situation, not their most
distressing memory. Prompt: "What can you notice? What action fits your setting? What if that
action is not enough?" In residential care, a staff request may be the appropriate first response.
35-50 / Process and troubleshoot
Offer optional pairs or private reflection. Ask: "Is the plan possible at the time and place you need it?
What could get in the way?" Explore transport, phone access, privacy, cost, and staff availability.
Invite alternatives without assuming everyone has family support or wants the same recovery
pathway.


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© 2026 Breaking the Bond | Original educational resource | 3
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FACILITATOR GUIDE / 90 MINUTES / 3 OF 4
Practice, Plan & Close
Rehearsal is optional. Observe the skill rather than rating the person.
50-55 / Reset
Offer water or quiet. If someone reports current intoxication, concerning withdrawal, imminent use
with immediate risk, or other acute danger, pause group participation and arrange assessment
under program procedures. Do not treat skill practice as the response to a medical emergency.
55-75 / Worksheet page 2 and rehearsal
Spend 5 minutes on sections 5-6. Practice a support request: "I am having a hard time and need
help with my plan." Each willing speaker rehearses a first contact and a backup, then switch. Peers
do not promise crisis availability. Briefly review the worksheet's medical safety box and identify who
provides individualized overdose prevention and medication support.
75-85 / Make the plan reachable
Complete section 7 and check that at least one contact or service is realistic; follow up individually if
it is not. Ask confidence from 0-10 and invite an adjustment. Have participants identify where they
will keep their plan privately. Choose a review date with the care team.
85-90 / Close and reconnect
Invite one next action or a pass. Say: "You can ask for help before, during, or after a difficult
moment. A return to use is a reason to reconnect promptly." Explain homework, verified program
contacts, and the route to staff or medical care after group.
Optional practice scenario
Alex has an evening alone, feels lonely, and has started avoiding recovery contacts. Their first
support person may be unavailable. Rehearse a short request, a second contact or staffed service,
and a safe action while seeking help. Adapt the situation to the participant's own plan.
Feedback prompts
Ask: "Is the first step specific? Is the backup reachable? Does the plan include treatment support?"
Do not stage exposure to substances, pressure people to describe use, or promise that a coping
technique will prevent every recurrence.


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© 2026 Breaking the Bond | Original educational resource | 4
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FACILITATOR GUIDE / 90 MINUTES / 4 OF 4
Carry the Skill Forward
Use clinical judgment. This resource supports, rather than replaces, individualized assessment and
treatment.
Homework & next-session review
Within 24 hours, take one agreed support action and check one contact or service with the care
team. Review which part was usable and what needs changing. If use occurs, reconnect promptly
for assessment and a revised plan rather than waiting for the next group.
Adaptations & stuck points
Use icons for situation, action, and support when reading is difficult. Do not assume phones, safe
housing, mutual-help participation, or abstinence-only treatment. Respect individualized goals and
prescribed medications. For suspected overdose or severe withdrawal, activate medical procedures;
a worksheet is not a detox plan.
Facilitator review & documentation
Check for a first response, backup, and reachable support. Note needed follow-up without collecting
private contact details in shared group materials. Document observable participation and skill
practice under your setting's requirements; do not document improvement that was not observed.
Clinical background & further reading
These original prompts and activities are not copied from the listed worksheets or manuals. Source organizations have not
endorsed this resource. Links checked October 30, 2026.
SAMHSA (2019). TIP 35, Chapter 7: From Action to Maintenance: Stabilizing Change.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK571075/
CDC. Risks and How to Reduce Them.
https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/manage-treat-pain/reduce-risks.html
CDC (2024). What to Do If You Think Someone Is Overdosing.
https://www.cdc.gov/stop-overdose/response/