Each G.I.F.T.S. card offers a supportive message to encourage hope and personal efforts to adopt a mindset and life style conducive to sobriety and recovery. Patients are introduced to the G.I.F.T.S. cards during their inpatient stay and MCES where they are incorporated into their treatment. Here is an example, the message on the “Helping Others” card:

Promoting positive thinking is a useful technique for achieving sobriety and recovery. The MCES inpatient co-occurring disorders program, which serves patients who have both psychiatric and substance use disorders, has developed a resource consisting of a series of affirmations that a patient can use in their self-help efforts.

Helping other people, whenever possible, brings relief from the daily challenges of your own recovery. The cards have proved popular with patients who have told our staff that they turn to the cards frequently after discharge. New cards are added from time to time.