Page 78 - Teen Manual

Bridge-Burning (BB)
CORE CONCEPT: You cannot act on a harmful behavior if you proactively remove the means.
Bridge-Burning refers to proactively removing the means of acting on your urges to engage in ineffective behaviors. The concept of Bridge-Burning recognizes that relapse into harmful behaviors happens more easily when there is the immediate opportunity to act on impulses. Eliminating the opportunities and/or inserting barriers between urge and action will result in more opportunities to practice skills.
Bridge-Burning with substance use
• Remove all alcohol and drugs from your home.
• Remove all alcohol- and drug-related objects and paraphernalia from your home (e.g., cocktail glasses, corkscrew, pipes, papers, lighters, and/or anything associated with use).
• Erase the numbers of using friends, associates, and dealers from your phone.
• Block the phone numbers of using friends, associates, and dealers from your phone or
• Stay away from bars, liquor stores, and locations associated with use, changing your routines and routes to actively avoid them.
• Do not carry cash.
• Tell anyone and everyone that you have given up substances. • Actively tell others when you experience urges to use.
List other ways of Bridge-Burning to substance use:
Bridge-Burning with self-injury and/or suicidal urges
• Remove razors, lighters, and other self-injury tools. • Mix up and change rituals associated with self-injury.
• Remove the specific method of acting on suicide.
• Tell others when you are unsafe and need help.
• Spend time with others and in locations in which you would not harm yourself. • Go to the hospital before acting on suicidal urges.
List other ways of Bridge-Burning with self-injury and/or suicidal urges:
get a new number.
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