Is this really what I want to be doing or saying? Am I willing to deal with and face the consequences? If I do or say this will things turn out well for me or the ones I love? These are VERY good questions to ask when putting oneself in a potentially detrimental, destructive, or compromising situation.

So the goal is to play it out to the end.

Let’s say I am in recovery from my alcohol problem. BUT I am craving a drink. “If I have that drink it will taste and feel good”… And that’s often where the thought stops. But if we play it out a little further… “If I have one drink, I won’t feel much of a buzz, so I’ll probably have 2 or 3 or 4, and then, well, my judgement will be compromised so I’ll likely just keep going and maybe even drink till I pass out. That will make it VERY hard to get up for work in the morning, and if I don’t show up for work I’ll likely get fired because chances are this is not the first time this has happened”… we can keep going, and things could, and often do, get much worse from there, but you get the idea.

So, again, bringing this way of thinking into our consciousness is not just reserved for keeping urges and cravings in check when in addiction recovery, this applies to ALL of us.

[insert pain and regret inducing circumstance here]. SO for example if I let my temper get away from me and yell at my partner, I might think I’ll feel better by getting a load off my chest, but the reality is that I’ll probably end up calling him down, calling her names, saying things I’ll regret, and then feel VERY guilty and end up spending the rest of the evening feeling like a pretty awful person for treating someone I love so awfully. Not to mention, I’ve damaged our relationship and hurt someone I love.

Play it out to the end.