Key 9: Have a Plan — Preparing for the Storm Before It Hits

Even when you're doing everything right—getting outside, eating well, sleeping consistently, connecting with others, living with purpose—there will come a moment when temptation hits unexpectedly. Maybe you're overwhelmed. Maybe you're blindsided by grief, loneliness, or even celebration. Or maybe it’s just a normal day that spirals out of nowhere. In recovery, these moments are not if, they are when. And when they come, your ability to stay sober hinges on whether or not you have a plan.

Why a Plan Matters

Recovery is not just about removing substances—it's about learning to navigate life with a new set of tools. One of the most important tools is a written relapse prevention plan. Just like a pilot flying through clear skies still keeps a flight manual close, you need something you can turn to when turbulence hits. When a plane starts to experience problems, a trained pilot doesn’t guess—they go through a step-by-step checklist to fix the issue. If everything fails, they know how to eject safely.

In recovery, your plan is your checklist. It's your map out of danger. It brings structure to chaos and reminds you what’s real when your brain starts lying to you. Most importantly, it prevents the slide into automatic, impulsive behavior that often leads to relapse.

The Gorski Relapse Prevention Model

One of the most well-researched and effective frameworks for building a solid plan comes from Terence Gorski, a pioneer in relapse prevention. His model is both practical and honest about how relapse happens.

Here’s how it works:

• Step 1: Identify High-Risk Situations. Think about times in your past when you were tempted or relapsed. What was going on? Who were you with? What emotions were you experiencing? Gorski encourages you to name these situations clearly and specifically.

• Step 2: Sequence the Events. High-risk situations rarely appear out of thin air. There’s usually a chain of events—an emotional shift, a pattern of thinking, isolation, maybe poor sleep or skipped meals—that leads up to it. Mapping this out helps you understand your early warning signs.

• Step 3: Create an Exit Strategy. Develop at least three written strategies to use when the sequence begins. This might include calling someone in your support network, going for a run, attending a meeting, practicing grounding techniques, or even removing yourself from the situation entirely.

• Step 4: Know Your Point of No Return Gorski emphasizes the importance of recognizing your personal point of no return—the moment when it's almost impossible to stop the relapse from happening. Your goal is to exit well before that point. Being honest about where that line is for you is critical.

Make It Personal: An Ongoing Exercise

This isn’t a one-time worksheet. It’s a living, breathing document that you revisit often.

Here’s a practical exercise:

1. Write out your history of sobriety and past relapses.

2. Identify three high-risk situations from your experience.

3. For each, write out the sequence of events that typically lead up to the risk.

4. Create a three-step plan for how to exit or intervene early.

5. Name your point of no return—and plan to never get that close again.

Then, keep going. Over time, continue identifying new or upcoming risks (like holidays, difficult anniversaries, or emotional triggers) and update your plan accordingly.

Final Thoughts

Having a plan doesn’t mean you’ll never feel cravings or urges. It means you’re prepared when they come. It means you’ve thought ahead. It means you’re willing to face yourself with honesty and courage—two qualities that define real recovery.

You wouldn’t get on a plane if the pilot didn’t have an emergency checklist. Don’t live your sober life without one either. When the storm comes—and it will—your plan is what keeps you flying.