Here is a simple and potentially deep handout. It developed out of a process conversation in Mens group when I asked, ‘who was the first person to turn you onto your substance of choice’. From that question and many conversations came, ‘what character traits did that person have’. After many Mens groups it eventually developed into the handout below.

Ideally this is a conversation, but if the group is not open to sharing then I hand out a sheet with the questions and folks write out their answers and then we share.

The intention of this hand out is to get folks to identify traits/ characteristics that might help them in recovery.

Interestingly, people almost always list the first person to turn them on as a negative, sometimes that same person is listed as both negative and positive.

List four people in your life that have had an influence, affect, change.

Two positive and two negative.

List/describe aspects that stood out in their characteristics; (respectful, kind, stingy, generous, loner, people person, ect).