Help End the Addiction Epidemic. Join the New SMART Insiders+ Program
SIGN UP

SMART Recovery Tool: Role-Play/Rehearsal

POINT 2: Cope with Urges

SMART meetings are safe places to role-play. Other people act the parts of the people you anticipate will challenge you in high-risk situations. The meeting facilitator can help set up a role-play.

Here’s a sample:

  • Show your role-play partner how you think a difficult person will behave.
  • Your partner plays the difficult person while you play yourself in the situation.
  • Once you finish the scenario, swap roles, and do it again.
  • The people watching the role-play can then show you how they might handle the same situation differently by playing your part.

Consider role-playing challenges associated with events like holiday parties, weddings, and other special events.

Tips & Tools for Recovery that Works!

Role-Playing

Want some great ammunition to overcome urges in certain circumstances you suspect may be problematic (dates, weddings, football games, etc.)? SMART Recovery has the great role-playing tool to help you map out future urge scenarios in your mind, and then play them out with a friend in advance so that you can rehearse the urge situations and create the most desirable non-relapse outcome.

View this helpful video on YouTube.