Overview
(1) ABSTINENCE OR ACQUISITION PROJECT AND JOURNAL
(Journal due March 6)
Beginning January 28th, you are asked to abstain from any mood-altering chemicals, foods, or activities for 30 days (January 28th through February 28th). The substance will be of your choice and may include alcohol, other drugs, nicotine, caffeine, sugar, or other similar substances. An activity
may include gambling, spending money, watching television, spending time on the computer,
swearing, etc. The purpose of your abstinence is to help you understand what chemically dependent people face in treatment and recovery in this culture. You will also hopefully begin to
evaluate the role chemicals play in your life. You should choose something that is truly challenging for you, as this will help you learn much more than if you chose something easy to change in your life.
You must keep a journal describing and reflecting on your abstinence, with at least 3 entries
per week describing your experiences, thoughts, feelings, successes, and struggles. Each day's entry
must be one double-spaced page, which adds up to 3 pages per week.
You must tell your instructor at the beginning what substance you will be abstaining from, and
you must tell at least 2 important people in your life that you will also be abstaining from that substance. You must develop a plan to deal with the difficulties of withdrawal,
including the possibility of relapse.
In your journal, describe yourself and your environment in terms of areas such as the following:
➢ Your reasons for choosing this substance or behavior to abstain from or acquire
➢ Who you told about this experiment and who you turn to for support
➢ Your daily experiences and feelings
➢ Your physical state (health, energy, sleep, nutrition)
➢ Your psychological state (motivation, emotions, coping skills, self-esteem,
thoughts, perceptions, confidence, self-efficacy, emotional management)
➢ Your social life (social support, debilitation, changes, friends, family,
classmates, perceptions about others, reactions of others)
➢ Your spiritual state (choices, honesty, belief systems, ethics, practices, honesty, personal
value system)
➢ Your environment (media, advertising, social mores)
➢ What you are learning about yourself
➢ What you are learning about your environment
➢ What you are learning about addiction
➢ What you are learning about behavior and attitude change
Finally, write a 3-page, double-spaced conclusion about how this experience will help you
understand or work with people with chemical dependency. Be specific. You will not be graded on your success or failure in abstinence, but on your growth in understanding yourself
and the dynamics involved in managing addictions. However, it is important to do your best
to abstain for the full 4 weeks. Choose a behavior or habit you want to acquire. For four weeks, work on developing that
habit or acquiring a behavior. Use the same reporting and recording process as if you had
chosen abstinence. Some examples might be: starting a daily exercise program, meditation, eating healthy foods, or other self-care activities.