Downward Spiral

Downward Spiral is a sole survivor board game, developed by researchers at the Institute of Behavioral Research at Texas Christian University. The game provides substance abuse counselors with an innovative way to motivate clients and open up discussions about the consequences of addiction on themselves and their families. In a game format that resembles the well-known Monopoly™, players roll dice to move across a board filled with potential downfalls related to family, health, friendships, finances and self-esteem, which are described on game cards that players draw. The objective of the game is to stay alive, without losing all social and financial resources due to substance abuse -- a task that becomes more challenging the longer the player stays in the game.

The Downward Spiral game focuses on the consequences of substance abuse on a person’s family, finances, self-esteem, health, legal status, and life expectancy (or lack thereof). Each player takes the role of a person who continues to abuse drugs throughout his/her lifetime. The last player left “alive” in the game “wins.” The game uses vignettes as well as facts and quotes to emphasize the consequences amassed in the game. An after-game discussion helps focus the players on issues that have surfaced during play.

More information can be found here: http://www.ibr.tcu.edu/pubs/trtmanual/downwardspiral.html