Why Language of Key Self-Help Groups Works

Relapse prevention is why most people seek treatment, and with opioid use disorders (OUDs), there’s about a 90 percent relapse rate. This article explains why and how specific sayings from self-help groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) help addicted people prevent relapses.

In many cases, the first use of the substance felt positive, and early use is also when memory for drug euphoria is established. These memories persist. The prefrontal cortical system is “hijacked” by the addiction, compromising free will and co-opting decision-making, risk-benefit analyses, and cognitive capacities. All the person can think about is the substance. They are trapped in a never-ending cycle of seeking, finding, purchasing, and using.

AA and NA sayings offer patients and clinicians important tools to externalize cravings, reduce shame, and stay engaged in daily recovery practices. Clinically, relapse prevention involves rehearsing in the mind possible relapse situations and developing healthy ways to say no and exit. For example, before a relapse, addicts are taught to take action, such as going to a meeting. Just sitting in a meeting may be enough to thwart relapse. A self-help meeting is a safe place where they will not be judged, and they are not alone.

"One Day at a Time"

“One day at a time” is a relapse prevention strategy and core cognitive reframing tool in AA and other recovery movements. It’s part of a set of sayings to manage the monumental task of giving up drugs or alcohol. “One day at a time” encourages focusing on short-term, achievable abstinence goals to avoid becoming overwhelmed by thinking of “never using again.” It’s a brilliant way to help a person not use. Instead of worrying about gaping months or years ahead of not using, they attend to the immediate present, breaking down abstinence into manageable, endurable intervals.

Many people think relapse prevention is saying no just before they are about to use. The reality is that when an individual has one drink or one drug use, it may quickly lead to a relapse of uncontrolled use.

“Just for Today” is similar to "One day at a time," often used in NA and found on many recovery coins. This statement reframes sobriety into a daily commitment, not a lifelong burden.

The Cucumber and the Pickle

The “cucumber and pickle” analogy is well-known in AA and addiction recovery circles. The cucumber represents the social drinker—someone who drinks in moderation, stops when they wish, and doesn’t suffer major consequences should they abstain. But once that cucumber is placed in a vinegar, salt, and spices solution—as the brain is repeatedly exposed to alcohol in this analogy—a chemical change occurs. The cucumber becomes a pickle. At this point, the person’s brain, behavior, and body cannot respond to alcohol or drugs in the same way as in the past. Instead, the person lost control, developed tolerance, experienced craving, and cannot safely return to controlled use.

Similarly, irreversible brain changes occurred after repeated use of alcohol or drugs. The brain’s reward circuitry (particularly dopamine and glutamate systems), the executive control regions, and the stress-response pathways are all changed. This is the “hijacked brain”—one that may never fully return to its pre-addiction state, even after abstinence. People with extremely adverse childhood and life experiences, who drank or used drugs "to forget what happened to me," have said that AA became their safe place. Individual AA members, sponsors, and speakers often talk about their trauma and relationship to addiction.

Other AA Sayings

• “The Elevator is broken. Take the Steps.” is a metaphor for gradual recovery. "Easy Does It", take your time, work through steps 1 through 12 of the Twelve Steps, takes consistent effort, emphasizing that there’s no quick fix to sobriety. Individuals learn to change their thinking, realizing that establishing an addiction took years and that it will likely take longer than a month to recover. "It works if you work it" .
• “You’re only as sick as your secrets” is another self-help statement. Encouraging honesty in yourself and others in recovery is important because secrecy and shame often precede relapse. Clinical experience has shown that when clients feel they cannot be honest, this often indicates an impending emotional relapse and substance lapse.
• Another relevant AA saying is “HALT: Never get too hungry, angry, lonely, or tired,” which identifies relapse triggers. A lack of self-care often precedes relapse. Self-care may be as basic as getting enough sleep, eating right, and showering as needed. In addition, for many, self-care is also about emotional self-care. "The Goal is Progress Not Perfection". Clients must make time, be kind to themselves, and give themselves permission to have fun.
• “The first drink gets you drunk.” This is an AA warning that relapse doesn’t start with a binge—instead, it starts with one drink reactivating the entire cycle.

AA offers several well-known sayings and principles that are often used as tools in moments when someone feels they may relapse.

• “Play the Tape Through” is another cognitive behavioral strategy to stop people thinking about the “good old days,” and instead consider what happened in the past after the first use of alcohol or drugs, and where it had led the next day and week. It’s meant to counteract the romanticized version of substance use that the brain may offer in a moment of craving. “This too shall pass,” reminds people that cravings and urges are temporary. The intense desire to use won’t last forever, and if you can get through the moment, you can stay sober. “First things first" prioritizes sobriety above everything else in moments of stress or confusion. "Keep It Simple" or don't overcomplicate things. Without sobriety, nothing else works.
• “Relapse is Part of Recovery” is a controversial but widely repeated slogan. It validates the experience of slipping without shame and encourages getting back on the sobriety path. While some addiction experts argue this slogan risks normalizing relapse, others suggest it’s a realistic acknowledgment of the chronic, relapsing nature of addiction.
• “Call Your Sponsor" is not a saying per se, but is a core AA action step when someone is struggling. Reaching out interrupts isolation and helps the person remember they’re not alone.

Relapse Essential Reads

7 Strategies for Breaking Habits That Trigger Relapse

Sinning in Your Sleep

Summary

Relapse prevention is job number one, starting immediately after a person stops using. AA has decades of shared experiences, sobriety advice, and helpful sayings. Initial treatment and recovery may last many years as the person focuses on separating drives to use from actual use, rebuilds family ties, makes new sober friends, and forms mentor-like relationships. "Keep Coming Back" is key to staying connected to the group, meetings , and recovery. This is a major adjustment, starting with accepting they have an addiction, prioritizing treatment, relapse prevention, and adopting a desire to change and live honestly without user friends. Slowly and steadily, people develop new skills for dealing with cravings. Specific language used in self-help groups actively helps people change. AA and NA are fellowship programs of attraction, fostering recovery through modeling relationships, connection, and change that is a living example of recovery, peace, and community. AA's structure of slogans, meetings, steps, and sponsorship provides a scaffolding for change and growth.