We start this workshop with discussions on why we use alcohol and other drugs, and the differences between using and abusing. We then consider the major ideas in the community on why people abuse alcohol and drugs – physical, emotional, social and moral. People then discuss the good and bad consequences of using in small groups, and reflect in pairs on the impact their alcohol and drug use has had on their lives. People do an exercise to plot their drug and alcohol use in the past, in the present and where they would like to be in the future. The workshop moves onto a discussion on cravings and how to manage them using a mindfulness-based ‘urge surfing’ and other ways of taking control. To finish, we discuss how to turn lapse into learning using a ‘spiral up’ model of recovery and a story to illustrate that learning from repeated lapses will lead us to a better life.