The student will complete a daily journal charting withdrawal symptoms experienced
(anxious behaviors, panic attacks, tired, exhausted, hunger, etc were mine)
, intensity/duration, and any impact on cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning
c. After three days, the student will write a reflection paper on no less than three typed, double-spaced pages in APA format, responding to the following questions:
Before beginning the three-day abstinence period, what has been your experience of abstaining from substances, behaviors, habits, and otherwise? Discuss both physical and psychological symptoms (I.e. thoughts and emotions).
Did you have any anticipatory thoughts/emotions prior to the start date of your abstinence period? Did you make any arrangements to help with your abstinence period (examples: obtaining interpersonal support, alternative activities, etc.)
Reviewing your daily journal, reflect on the three most challenging withdrawal symptoms you experienced. Did they change over time, increasing/decreasing/maintaining over the three days? What was their impact on your ability to function socially, occupationally, and in other life domains?
Did you experience cravings/urges to return to your previous habit/use? (An urge or craving is a physical or psychological desire to use that is so overwhelming you can think of nothing else.) What was your experience? How did you manage them when they occurred? What was your experience returning to your previous habit/use if you could not manage them?
Reviewing your daily journal, reflect on any events occurring during the three-day period that may have increased stress (in a positive or negative way). Describe your observations. Was there a relationship between your experience of stress and your experience of symptoms?
Reflect on the experience of clients with substance use or co-occurring disorders you may encounter. What do you expect their struggles would be? How would you respond?
If you successfully maintained abstinence over the three days, will you return/have you returned to previous use patterns? If so, do you think you’ll make any changes to your use patterns? What are the benefits and costs of regular vs. occasional use?
If you did not successfully attain abstinence over the three-day period, do you imagine you would try again to abstain in the future? What are the benefits and costs of abstinence from continuous use?