Bookending Difficult Events

Bookending is a 12-step recovery tool.

• One basic strategy of bookending as a 12-step recovery tool involves making contact with a fellow recoverer both before and after a possibly triggering event. It might mean, for instance, calling or texting someone before and after (see the bookend?) a potentially risky situation, to insure that no relapse is likely to occur.

• “BOOKENDING” DIFFICULT EVENTS: Sometimes sex addicts are triggered unexpectedly. Other times, triggers can be anticipated long in advance. For instance, attending a social engagement where people will be looking their best and drinking alcohol is an obvious potential trigger for most sex addicts. Knowing this, addicts can arrange to “bookend” such an event with phone calls to their therapist, twelve-step sponsor, accountability partner, and/or another supportive person in recovery. During the “before” call, an addict commits to sobriety, and he or she may even discuss plans to avoid relapse in this particular situation. The “after” call provides an opportunity to discuss what happened, what feelings came up, and what the addict might need to do differently next time. (The practice of bookending also helps with the “lonely” portion of HALT.)