How I Use Play the Tape Forward in Sobriety and Everyday Life
Learning to See the End Before It Begins
The first week at the treatment facility was rough, and I talk more about that in my journey here: My Journey. I was depressed, anxious, angry, confused, and uncertain. I didn’t know how any of this was going to play out—or if I even belonged there. Like many addicts, I told myself, I’m not as bad as the next guy, so what am I doing here? From the very beginning, learning to play the tape forward became one of the most important tools in my sobriety.
During those first few days, I learned what it meant to play the tape forward, a phrase that would become one of my most important guiding principles in sobriety.
But as the days went on, I started to feel a little more comfortable. I began learning things, and that’s when I was introduced to the phrase again: play the tape forward. At first, I had no idea what it meant or why people kept saying it. Still, it was something a lot of people held on to at the facility.
The idea is simple: imagine someone offering you a drink or your drug of choice. In that moment, visualize what happens if you take it. Maybe the first “tape” in your mind shows you cutting loose, having one drink, and everything seems fine. But you don’t stop there. You keep playing the tape forward—days, weeks, months, even years into the future. If that tape ends in relapse and your life in shambles again, then the answer to whether you should drink or use is a flat-out no.
At first, I thought this was silly. How could something that simple actually work? But the more I used it, the more I realized it’s the perfect guiding principle to live by. It gives me everything I need to stay on track, and for me, it’s worked flawlessly.
From Sobriety to Everyday Life Decisions
This principle isn’t just for recovery—it applies to everyday life decisions too. It’s like a superpower, the kind where a hero can see a million different forks in the road and choose the one path that leads to a better future. That’s what playing the tape forward feels like: choosing the path that leads to living a good life.
Now, I’ll admit, it works best with the big decisions. Like using or not using. So far in my recovery, the answer continues to be no: I cannot drink, and I cannot use. Every time I play the tape forward, it ends with me losing everything.
As you move along in sobriety, family or friends may ask, “Do you think you’ll ever be able to drink again?” I actually love that question, because it gives me a chance to talk about this guiding principle and how it helps me. It shows people how powerful it can be.
I play the tape forward all the time—whether I’m asked directly, or I’m at a get-together where everyone else is drinking. And honestly, I don’t think my tape will ever change. I’m just not the kind of person who can have one drink and enjoy the night socially. For me, the tape always ends with wanting more. And once I’ve had enough, it doesn’t stop at alcohol. It leads to other things. And I’m done with that.
For me, abstinence will always have to be the rule. But having this guiding principle—this phrase, this mental tool, whatever you want to call it—in my back pocket is essential. It has carried me through recovery, and it continues to shape my life every single day.
If you want to learn more about this kind of thinking, SMART Recovery explains similar strategies for managing cravings and decision-making.
