CRSS CRSS - Certified Recovery Support Specialist Relapse Prevention and Recovery Maintenance Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In relapse prevention, what is a 'trigger'?
- A medication used to prevent cravings
- A person, place, thing, or emotion that increases the urge to use substances (Correct answer)
- A formal intervention by a treatment team
- A warning sign that a sponsor issues
Correct answer: A person, place, thing, or emotion that increases the urge to use substances
Triggers are internal or external cues that activate cravings or urges to use substances, and identifying them is a key step in relapse prevention planning.
Question 2: According to the Gorski-CENAPS Relapse Prevention model, relapse is best understood as:
- A sudden, unpredictable event
- A process with warning signs that begin long before substance use resumes (Correct answer)
- A personal failure that disqualifies recovery
- An inevitable part of all recovery journeys
Correct answer: A process with warning signs that begin long before substance use resumes
Gorski's model identifies relapse as a progressive process with identifiable warning signs that precede the return to use.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP)?
- To document a client's insurance information
- To give clients a self-designed plan for maintaining wellness and managing crises (Correct answer)
- To outline mandatory treatment requirements
- To track medication compliance
Correct answer: To give clients a self-designed plan for maintaining wellness and managing crises
WRAP is a self-directed planning tool developed by Mary Ellen Copeland that helps individuals identify wellness tools, warning signs, and crisis plans.
Question 4: Which of the following is an example of a healthy coping skill for managing cravings?
- Isolating from friends and family
- Calling a supportive peer or sponsor (Correct answer)
- Visiting locations associated with past substance use
- Suppressing all thoughts about using
Correct answer: Calling a supportive peer or sponsor
Reaching out to a peer or sponsor provides social support and accountability, which is an evidence-based coping strategy for managing cravings.
Question 5: A 'lapse' differs from a 'relapse' in that a lapse is:
- A permanent return to addictive behavior
- A brief, isolated return to substance use without full return to prior use patterns (Correct answer)
- A decision to stop recovery altogether
- A planned test of sobriety
Correct answer: A brief, isolated return to substance use without full return to prior use patterns
A lapse is a temporary slip that does not necessarily lead to a full relapse, and how the individual responds to it is critical for recovery continuation.
Question 6: What is the 'abstinence violation effect' (AVE)?
- A legal penalty for substance use during probation
- The guilt, shame, and hopelessness felt after a lapse that can escalate substance use (Correct answer)
- A medication side effect from abstinence
- A rule in 12-step programs about slip consequences
Correct answer: The guilt, shame, and hopelessness felt after a lapse that can escalate substance use
AVE describes the cognitive-emotional reaction to a lapse — feeling like a failure — which can become a self-fulfilling prophecy if not addressed.
CRSS CRSS - Certified Recovery Support Specialist Relapse Prevention and Recovery Maintenance Questions and Answers 1
In relapse prevention, what is a 'trigger'?