Cycle of Addiction

Understanding addiction can be a difficult concept. Most individuals see the negative behavior of using drugs and label that person as "bad" or "weak". Many drug users are unable to properly cope with stress, and the underlying cause for some drug abusers may be instant relief of stressors. The cycle of addiction can be a hard one to break.

In this activity, students will create a storyboard that illustrates the cycle of addiction. They should be sure to include a description of each step and determine when the best time to break the cycle is. In the storyboard example above, the best time is indicated as the "caving to use" stage, however this is not always the case for people.

Student Instructions

Demonstrate your understanding of how to break the addiction cycle by creating a storyboard.

1. Click "Start Assignment".
2. Use a five cell cycle layout with titles and descriptions.
3. List the five steps of the cycle in the each of the title boxes.
4. In the cell’s description box, briefly explain briefly what usually takes place during each step.
5. Indicate the best opportunity to break the cycle in the appropriate description box.
6. Write a brief reflection statement in the description box for guilt/shame.
7. Illustrate a visual example of each step in the cells using a combination of appropriate scenes, characters, and items. Do not depict the actual use of the drug.