During the early stages of recovery, most people are highly motivated to stay sober. However, maintaining sobriety is a psychologically and physically demanding endeavor. Sustaining your motivation is key to staying committed to your recovery. However, as time passes, your motivation levels could quickly decrease, ultimately increasing the chances of relapse. This post offers you tips and guidance on maintaining motivation in recovery at Oceanfront Recovery.
Identify Achievable Goals
Think of sobriety as a marathon. Come up with specific and measurable short and long-term goals that you can achieve. Identifying certain ‘checkpoints’ will help keep you on track and provide you with a feeling of accomplishment every time you reach one of them.
Create And Maintain Structure
Having a schedule of daily positive activities can help you create order. The structure you create will also be essential in helping you maintain motivation in recovery and reach the checkpoints you identified earlier.
Maintain Healthy And Positive Habits
Continued substance abuse often affects your body’s well-being. A popular option among common motivational techniques used during addiction recovery is adopting healthy habits. These habits decrease bad moods and alleviate anxiety and depression, allowing you to feel good mentally and physically. Positive habits could include getting adequate sleep, maintaining a healthy diet, and exercising, among others.
Look For Something To Be Grateful For
Addiction recovery may be a bumpy ride. While there will be good times, there will also be a few difficult times that make it easy for someone to lose their motivation in recovery. Making a list of the things you are grateful for will help you during those difficult times while teaching you to appreciate the good times.
Document Your Recovery Journey
The longer you stay sober, the harder it might get to remember why you chose recovery to begin with. You might think that you are not making any progress. By documenting your recovery on a journal or a blog, you can see your growth. Seeing the progress you’ve made will help motivate you for the journey ahead.
Join A Community
Today, there are several ways to connect with others. Alcoholics Anonymous or AA is one community you could join if you are struggling with alcohol addiction, but the options don’t end there. There are online communities that you can connect and interact with recovering addicts. Some of them have online chat sessions and meetings in which you can participate. Joining a community will remind you that you are not alone.
Take Some Time Out For Yourself
It is easy to be swept up by the routines of life. You could be tied up in work, or several other obligations. Over time, such a routine could be stressful and overwhelming. Try taking some time every day and do something you enjoy. You could read, listen to music, meditate, or practice a hobby.
Help Others On Their Journey
One way to maintain motivation and gain strength and hope during recovery is by helping others. Through this, you are shown where you were and also see how far you have come. It also reminds you where you could go back to should you relapse. Helping doesn’t have to entail being someone’s sponsor. It could be as easy as sharing your story or helping organize meetings.
Seeking Help
These are just a few motivational techniques to try out. Recovery is more about progress than perfection. Being open about the struggles you will face will enable you to get some help, building a more reliable system in the process. Programs that could help re-motivate you include:
- Intensive outpatient programs
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Aftercare rehab programs
- Dialectical behavior therapy
Sobriety is a never-ending process, and for many, a daily struggle. At Oceanfront Recovery, we have a team of care providers that understand that daily struggle and are prepared to provide you with help and support. Our approach to addiction treatment will be sure to help you maintain motivation in recovery. Talk to Oceanfront Recovery at 877.296.7477 for more information.
