Motivation Addiction Centers (MAC)
Checklist of Relapse Symptoms
1. Exhaustion
- Allowing oneself to become overly tired; usually associated with work
addiction as an excuse for not facing personal frustrations.
2. Dishonesty - Begins with pattern of little lies; escalated to
self-delusion and making excuses for not doing what's called for.
3. Impatience - I want what I want NOW. Others aren't doing what I think they
should or living the way I know is right.
4. Argumentative - No point is too small or insignificant not to be debated to
the point of anger and submission.
5. Depression - All unreasonable, unaccountable despair should be exposed and
discussed, not repressed: what is the "exact nature" of those feelings?
6. Frustration - Controlled anger/resentment when things don't go according to
our plans. Lack of acceptance. See #3.
7. Self-pity - Feeling victimized, put-upon, used unappreciated: convinced we
are being singled out for bad luck.
8. Cockiness - Got it made. Know all there is to know. Can go anywhere,
including bars, carry out's, boozy parties.
9. Complacency - Like #8, no longer sees value of daily program, meetings,
contact with other alcoholics, (especially sponsor!), feels healthy, on top of
the world, things are going well. Heck may even be cured!
10. Expecting too much of others - Why can't they read my mind? I've changed,
what's holding them up? If they just do what I know is best for them? Leads to
feeling misunderstood, unappreciated. See #6.
11. Letting up on disciplines - Allowing established habits of recovery -
meditations, prayer, spiritual reading, AA contact, daily inventory, meetings -
to slip out of our routines; allowing recovery to get boring and no longer
stimulating for growth. Why bother?!
12. Using mood-altering chemicals - May have a valid medical reason, but misused
to help avoid the real problems of impending alcoholic relapse.
13. Wanting too much - Setting unrealistic goals: not providing for short-term
successes; placing too much value on material success, not enough on value of
spiritual growth.
14.
Forgetting gratitude - Because of several listed above, may lose sight of the
abundant blessings in our everyday lives: too focused on # 13.
15. "It can't happen to me." - Feeling immune; forgetting what we know about the
disease of alcoholism and its progressive nature.
16. Omnipotence - A combination of several attitudes listed above; leads to
ignoring danger signs, disregarding warnings and advice from fellow members.