You’re either going to get lost a few times along the way or you won’t make it to your destination at all. I’m still surprised to find so many people who either don’t have a plan at all or their plan is likely to fail because it’s not very well developed. Many adults in the United States resolve an alcohol or drug use problem without assistance (Kelly et al., 2017). This is called “natural recovery.” Recovery from SUDs can happen with limited treatment or participation in mutual-aid support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

Improve Your Attitude and Improve Your Recovery Success

• To overcome addiction, you need to decide it internally, casting aside your previous denials and excuses and abandoning your old patterns of thinking and ways of life.
• If you were active in your addiction for a period of time, you may have developed financial problems.
• David Susman, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, mental health advocate, and Executive Advisor for Clinical Services for the Kentucky Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities.

Whether it’s friends, family, or recovery support groups, find those who lift you up and understand the ongoing process. Moreover, understanding that motivation can waver helps us devise strategies to reignite it when it dims. By nurturing our motivation and learning to rekindle it when necessary, we set ourselves up for a more consistent and fulfilling journey towards recovery. It’s the internal or external push that propels us to act, change, and persevere.

Chris Herren Speaking on His Addiction Recovery Story PeaceLove (

Researchers have studied the experiences of many people who have recovered from substance use and identified key features of the recovery process. One widely used model can be summed up in the acronym CHIME, identifying the key ingredients of recovery. Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and restful sleep can bolster https://ecosoberhouse.com/ your energy levels and, by extension, your motivation. Taking care of your body by adopting healthy habits is an integral part of the recovery process. When we think of role-playing, we might imagine actors rehearsing for a play. They try out different lines and actions, preparing for their performance.

Quotes for finding strength during recovery

Sober support networks are also available and consist of peers in recovery. They provide a secure place for open and honest conversations about obstacles, successes and further progress. Through these networks, individuals are offered not only comprehension but also inspiration from those who have achieved long-term sobriety. Such ties bring about hope, responsibility and inspiration to keep going forward in the recovery path.

What Is Sobriety, Anyway?

Many people who misuse alcohol or drugs have trouble dealing with anger. If left unchecked, anger can have a negative impact on your health and your lasting sobriety. People in recovery from a substance use disorder frequently have problems meeting work-related responsibilities, maintaining employment, and managing money. If you were active in your recovery motivation addiction for a period of time, you may have developed financial problems. Furthermore, external pressures from judgment, family dynamics, or financial strains can complicate the path toward recovery. These external factors might feed into feelings of inadequacy or embarrassment, undermining an individual’s drive to push for transformation.

• This blog post will discuss the importance of motivation in the recovery journey and suggest ways to maintain it, ensuring progress toward long-term sobriety and personal development.
• Even the best-laid plans don’t always go smoothly, and the inevitable obstacle or crisis will occur, often when you least expect it.
• It is easy to romanticize the life you once lived while using substances.
• Natural changes related to substance use can go in either direction.
• The goal of obtaining and keeping motivation to recover is therefore linked to what intrinsically motivates you towards change.
• If you continue to struggle with low-self esteem, talk to your doctor or mental health professional.

Some self-care strategies for motivational recovery include exercise, healthy eating, meditation, journaling, and spending time in nature. Practicing self-care can help you stay motivated in addiction recovery by promoting a sense of well-being and reducing stress. Another one of the most important ways to support recovery is to understand that multiple relapses over a number of years are typically part of the process. They are not occasion for blame or despair but for encouraging resumption of recovery. Families can develop awareness of a loved one’s emotional, environmental, and social triggers of substance use and manage those. Studies show that families that participate in treatment programs increase the likelihood of a loved one staying in treatment and maintaining gains.

• The single most popular path is the use of peer support groups in the community.
• Being engaged with the sober support community and offering service to others not only brings a sense of purpose, but reinforces one’s commitment to sobriety.
• Nevertheless, experts see relapse as an opportunity to learn from the experience about personal vulnerabilities and triggers, to develop a detailed relapse prevention plan, and to step up treatment and support activities.
• Through custom-tailored addiction therapy services and initiatives like behavioral therapy, life skills workshops, and peer support networks, Ray Recovery encourages motivation and nurtures the ability for lasting sobriety.
• Intrinsic motivation, which stems from personal desires and a desire for positive change, is crucial in addiction recovery.
• Then repeat the process for your next most important goal, and so on.

Challenges in staying motivated during the recovery journey

SMART Recovery arms individuals in this battle with an arsenal of tools, one of the most potent being DISARM – Destructive Images and Self-talk Awareness and Refusal Method. It is easy to romanticize the life you once lived while using substances. Maybe it was filled with adventure and carefree days with friends who understood you or maybe you felt like you belonged in that world and not in the new one you are living. Recovery is a huge life change and life can often feel duller as you begin to recover.

Formerly, substance misuse was viewed as a progressive condition that, if left untreated, would inevitably lead to full-blown dependence and, likely, early death. Today, the addiction treatment field recognizes that substance misuse exists along a continuum from misuse to an SUD that meets the diagnostic criteria in DSM-5 (APA, 2013). Many individuals never progress beyond substance use that poses a health risk, and others cycle back and forth through periods of abstinence, substance misuse, and meeting criteria for SUD. At every step of the way, support from friends, peers, and family is useful, but there are also many services and organizations that provide guidance., and many can be accessed through Recovery Community centers.

• On tough days, looking back can serve as a reminder of how far you’ve come.
• Because their motivation is more reliable and more durable, they are more likely to strive to improve their mental and physical health by overcoming addiction.
• Websites give educational materials on addiction, coping strategies, relapse prevention techniques, and self-help guides.
• In a previous post, we talked in-depth on the topic, “How to Set Achievable Personal Recovery Goals.” Generate a list of specific focus areas to work on, and make sure they are important, realistic, and measurable.
• Through these networks, individuals are offered not only comprehension but also inspiration from those who have achieved long-term sobriety.

TRAUMA-INTEGRATED ADDICTION TREATMENT