what price am i willing to pay

8/3/2019 What Price Am I Willing to Pay

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Therapists Overview

WHAT PRICE AM I WILLING TO PAY?

GOALS OF THE EXERCISE

1. Lead the client to accept the fact that compulsive behavior is a problem and

participate in a recovery program.

2. Lead the client to compare his/her stated values with the actions and

experiences of an addictive lifestyle.

3. Challenge the client to establish his/her own measure for consequences thatwould convince him/her addictive behaviors have become an unacceptable

problem.

ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS FOR WHICH THIS EXERCISE MAY BEUSEFUL

Antisocial Behavior

Opioid Dependence

Relapse Proneness

Sexual Promiscuity

Substance Abuse/Dependence

Treatment Resistance

SUGGESTIONS FOR PROCESSING THIS EXERCISE WITH CLIENT

The What Price Am I Willing to Pay? activity is designed for clients who

minimize the impact of addictive behavior. It challenges the client to decide

what hitting bottom would mean to him/her and to consider what negative

consequences he/she is willing to go through rather than quit. Follow-up can

consist of discussing answers with the therapist or group, self-monitoring for

ongoing negative consequences of addictivebehaviors and discussion of their significance, and the activity titled What Does

Addiction Mean to Me?


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EXERCISE XV.B

WHAT PRICE AM I WILLING TO PAY?

This assignment will help you clarify your own beliefs about which effects of

addictive behaviors such as substance abuse, gambling, compulsive spending,

or compulsive high-risk sexual behavior would be so unacceptable that you

would have to avoid those effects at any cost, even if that meant permanently

giving up those behaviors.

1. You may have heard someone say that for an alcoholic or addict to give upan addictive behavior, he/she has to hit bottom. What does hitting bottom

mean to you?

2. While some people think hitting bottom means something as drastic as

dying,

being homeless, or going to prison, it may not mean that for others. The

phrase means that some experience is unacceptablewe cant let it

happen, or let it happen again, no matter what. Hitting bottom is different

for each of us. Think about what it means to you and answer the following

questions.

a. Have you seen someone else experience a consequence of addictive

behaviors that you could not tolerate in your own life, and if so, what

was it?

b. Have you ever promised yourself that you would give up a certain

behavior if a certain thing happened because of it? If you have, what

was the experience you told yourself you couldnt tolerate?

3. What negative consequences have you experienced in connection with your

compulsive behavior? Check any of these that have happened to you, and

circle any that you have experienced more than once and write the number

of times.


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Spent more time or money than you meant to on the compulsive behavior

Spent money on this behavior that you needed for something else

Avoided an activity because it interfered with the behavior

Compromised your values over the compulsive behavior


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EXERCISE XV.B

Embarrassed or hurt your family

Been asked to quit by loved ones

Lied about the compulsive behavior

Hidden it from family/friends

Hoarded food/pornography/other things related to the behavior

Been alienated from family/friends

Been unfaithful to your partner because of it

Been divorced/broke up because of it

Lost time from work because of it

Lost a job because of it

Sold or traded possessions to get money for it

Committed a crime while practicing the compulsive behavior

Committed a crime to get money for compulsive behaviorBeen arrested, in jail, or in prison because of the compulsive behavior

Traded sex for money for the compulsive behavior

Considered/attempted suicide while practicing the compulsive behavior or

due to its consequences

Accidentally killed someone while practicing the compulsive behavior

Intentionally killed someone while practicing the compulsive behavior

4. Now look back over question 3, which you just finished. Have you

experienced any of the negative consequences you once said would be

unacceptable to you (see question 2b)? If so, which ones? If there are othersfor you, please list them as well.

5. Picture yourself talking with a close friend, or perhaps a brother or sister,

and having him/her tell you about experiencing the consequences you listed

for question 5. Picture this person asking your advice about his/her addictive

behavior. Would you be worried about this personwould you feel that thiswas such a serious problem that it would be best for the person to quit

completely? If so, what advice would you give him/her?


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EXERCISE XV.B

6. Are there consequences listed in question 3 that you may have experienced

once, but that would mean your behavior was out of control if they

happened again? Which ones?

7. Are there consequences listed in question 3 which you have never

experienced, which would signal to you that you had hit bottom and needed

to quit permanently, and if so which ones?

8. Now go back to question 3, and list here any of these consequences you

have

experienced which you do not consider unpleasant or serious enough to

lead you to quit.

9. Review the items you just listed for question 8. By saying that you haveexperienced these but do not feel they are bad enough to make you quit

practicing addictive behaviors, you are saying that going without your

addiction would be worse than those consequences. If you heard someone

say the same thing about another addiction, what would you think about

his/her behavior?

10. After working through this assignment, you may have a clearer idea of what

hitting bottom would mean to you when it comes to addictive behaviors,

and you may also have changed some of your thinking about the role such abehavior has played in your life.

a. Please write about any change in your views on your own behavior.


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EXERCISE XV.B

b. What will you do if you experience one of the consequences that you

said in question 7 would mean hitting bottom to you?

Be sure to bring this handout back to your next session with your therapist,

and be prepared to talk about your thoughts and feelings about the exercise.

what price am i willing to pay

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