Tips for Staying Motivated in Addiction Recovery

When someone with substance use disorder becomes sober or first gets out of rehab, there’s a lot of excitement even when they know there is a hard road in front of them. It is exciting to change your life, even if it can seem a bit scary at the time. Consider the advice below to maintain your motivation in recovery.

The team at BlueCrest Recovery knows that lifelong sobriety is a journey that requires dedication. Our rehab alumni program helps our clients stay accountable while learning new ways to stay sober. Learn more by calling 888.292.9652 today.

Set Goals

It can seem like a lot to you to remain sober and have goals at the same time. Being sober is amazing in and of itself, and your life will continue to open to amazing possibilities as a result. You might want to regain what you lost or reach for something you put off long ago.

In fact, it helps your sobriety a great deal to work on other aspects of your life. Addiction has most likely negatively impacted your health and personal relationships. Setting and working toward goals can help you take back what you lost, giving you additional motivation to remain sober.

Choose large goals but break those goals up into smaller ones. For example, if you want to run a marathon, you can’t start running the whole thing just because you used to do it. Instead, start by working toward smaller milestones. You might want to build up to running a single mile, but you need to start with simply walking. Then jog before moving on from there. Achieving smaller goals will help to boost your confidence, which will also prevent you from sabotaging your efforts.

Get Rid of the “All or Nothing” Mentality

On your journey, things aren’t always going to be great. You’re not going to have perfect days, and that’s okay. The important thing to remember is that you don’t throw in the towel just because things aren’t perfect. Don’t beat yourself up or quit because you didn’t work out or didn’t complete something else you set out to do. Pick up where you left off and keep going.

Imagine that you’re walking down a road. Let’s say the road is five miles long, and you want to reach the end. Along the way, you stumble on rocks or veer off the course to take in some pretty views. Maybe you take a nap under a tree for a few hours and start back down the road.

Just because you’re not steadily walking down the road, it doesn’t mean you’re not going to get to the end, and it doesn’t mean you haven’t crossed the same amount of road to get to where you are. Progress is progress. Don’t disregard all your previous achievements and beat yourself up for getting off-track. Just get back on the road and keep going.

Keep a Journal

It’s easy to forget where you’ve been, all you have struggled with, and how you used to think. If you keep a journal and read your earlier entries, you will find that you have grown a great deal. In 12-step recovery meetings, they call a form of this “writing inventory.”

Some things you could record to fuel your motivation in recovery could include:

  • How you feel on a particular day
  • What triggers tempt you to use drugs or alcohol again
  • What positive things have happened in your life since abstinence
  • Your progress toward the goals you’ve set
  • A list of the people who help and encourage your sobriety.

In fact, with a record of what you’ve been up to, you might find that you have drastically changed in just a few months, which is nothing short of amazing. This can be incredibly encouraging on days when you feel down or think you aren’t progressing.

Keep Your Eye on the Prize

You’ll discover many reasons you want to be sober on your recovery journey. Initially, it might simply be because you’re done living the way you did before sobriety. For others, they might want to be sober for their kids. A good way to help keep your eye on the prize and tethered to early recovery is to join a home group in your chosen 12-step fellowship. They will help you with this, as you will become part of a group of like-minded people trying to keep their eyes on the prize.

All your reasons for being sober are valid and will help you stay committed, but it’s important to remain diligent. When life gets hard, you will need to stay focused on what you want. You will need to eliminate all the distractions keeping you from your goals.

Take Time to Love Yourself

You’ve been through a lot, and it’s time to love yourself. Along the way, you might have caused harm to others, but you have been harmed too. Taking time to love yourself helps to undo some of the harm you have experienced.

Self-care lets you know you matter and will give you fuel to keep on moving. You will start to feel better about yourself and grow physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Self-care activities that can boost your overall well-being include yoga, jogging, and other exercises. You can also start daily meditation or take time out of each day to read an inspirational book. Life can get busy, but it’s important to focus on healing, especially during recovery.

Keep a Schedule

Along with maintaining a self-care routine, keeping a schedule is vital to your success. When you keep a schedule, you will prevent yourself from not achieving your goals and having fruitless days. Having a schedule in place is also one of the best things that you can do to properly manage your activities so that you don’t begin to feel overwhelmed.

If you have unhealthy people in your life, your schedule can also help you to maintain your personal boundaries. It’s vital that you attend to what’s important and avoid putting your needs on the back burner for the sake of “helping” others. A schedule will ensure that you avoid distractions, meet your daily responsibilities, and remain focused on your sobriety.

Make a Gratitude List

When you start thinking of all the things that have gone wrong in your life, it’s time to be grateful for all the positive things that have happened to you. Make a list of all the things that are good, no matter what they are. You can be grateful that your bed is comfortable or that at least you have a bed. If you went through rehab, be grateful for the opportunity, and don’t forget to express gratitude daily for being able to live life sober. Keep a list of all the positives in your life and refer to it often. Say “thank you” to your higher power and work hard daily to keep a feeling of gratitude in your heart.

Lifelong Support from BlueCrest Recovery

We understand the power of motivation in recovery. Our team works with clients to create individualized treatment plans that help them stay accountable while learning new ways to remain sober. If you’re ready to regain control of your life and start down the path toward lasting sobriety, contact us today at 888.292.9652 and get started.

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