Staying Motivated in Recovery

After physical and mental health, basic needs and finances will likely be the next highest priorities. Additional goals, while still important, may need to be worked on a little later after the primary goals are being managed well. Now that you’ve generated your list of possible personal recovery goals, you may find you have identified several different areas you could choose to work on.

Set Realistic Goals for Recovery Motivation

Individuals seeking treatment must ultimately be convinced not only of the dire threat their substance abuse presents to their health and livelihood, but also to the benefits of living a sober life. The practice of recovery and support of a community that shares your struggles and victories will help sustain your motivation. Most individuals don’t feel motivated to seek out treatment during the initial stages of addiction.

• Cravings vary in duration and intensity, and they are typically triggered by people, places, paraphernalia, and passing thoughts in some way related to previous drug use.
• One minute you think you have control over your life and the next minute you find yourself lying to the people you love the most – including yourself.
• Turning to another activity—listening to music, going for a walk—when an urge hits can maintain recovery.
• We believe that each individual has the strength and capabilities to overcome addiction, and our goal is to help them tap into their innate motivation for recovery.
• “My sons are just now starting to come around to consciousness,” said Miller during an OTAs media availability.

Biological Health:

Seeing them acts as a reminder to stay on course and make positive decisions. Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) is an evidence-based approach used in addiction recovery that focuses on enhancing an individual’s intrinsic motivation to change their addictive behaviors. MET recovery motivation recognizes that ambivalence and lack of motivation are common barriers to seeking. In fact, many studies have found brief motivation intervention to be quite effective in sustaining recovery. You are not the first person to seek recovery from a substance abuse disorder.

Develop a Structured Schedule

Once you do return to work, it’s important to create a budget and take steps to safeguard yourself as work stress can be a relapse trigger. Consider reaching out to a vocational rehabilitation counselor or career coach to help you update your resume, practice job interview skills, and locate jobs that match your skills and experience. Having a chaotic or disorganized lifestyle can also hinder your recovery. It’s important to develop a structured daily and weekly schedule and stick to it.

• At Carolina Center for Recovery and affiliates, we aim to provide readers with the most accurate and updated healthcare information possible.
• Recovering from the effects of alcohol and other drug use is a lifelong journey.
• This includes alternative therapies like meditation, yoga, art therapy, or acupuncture.

Finding a network is one thing; reaching out for support when you need help getting or staying motivated is another matter entirely. With motivational interviewing, finding motivation can become another healthy ritual that helps reinforce positive habits. We understand that staying self-motivated is often easier said than done, especially when you’re struggling with mental health challenges like depression or addiction. That’s why it’s important to have a plan of motivational techniques in place so you don’t get overwhelmed as you begin. There are two main types of self-motivation that help us with overcoming challenges and achieving positive change in recovery. Internal (or intrinsic) motivation is all about our own inner drive.

Fail to plan, plan to fail.

Motivation is believed to be a strong factor in the potential outcome of rehabilitation from substance abuse and can even predict the success of recovery. The Reasons for Quitting (RFQ) Questionnaire, developed for smoking cessation, has since been adapted for other forms of addiction. The RFQ identifies intrinsic motivation factors, such as concerns about health and self-concept issues, and extrinsic motivation factors, like legal issues and social influence.

What are the common challenges to staying motivated in addiction recovery?

With motivational interviewing, you are guided in bolstering your own internal motivation support system through a series of interviews with a professional. It’s crucial to have a support system in place that can bolster motivation when it’s waning. Having a community of peers, a sponsor, or a therapist can help immensely with providing motivational support. It can be tempting to wait until the moments of a real need to seek support and community. However, staying motivated in addiction recovery requires doing the work of building a motivational support network before you need it. Deciding to enter recovery is a complex process driven by a variety of motivating factors.

Improve Your Attitude and Improve Your Recovery Success

• Once you begin to feel good in your own skin, your desire to steer back to substances will lessen overtime.
• When you seek addiction treatment, you should know that if you continue to live in addiction, this action presents a dire and unyielding threat to your health and life.
• Recovery motivation can be challenging to maintain when the negative consequences of substance abuse seem distant or abstract.
• While you may be unwilling to endure discomfort, addiction recovery can be uncomfortable and difficult at times.
• Instead, focus on yourself and always remember that you are unique and special in your own way.
• Trying to overcome addiction because you are forced to by legal factors or pressure from family and friends is less likely to lead to a successful recovery.
• Setting clear goals related to the purpose of recovery provides a roadmap for progress.

Below, we aim to shed light on the nuances of motivation in recovery, offering strategies and insights to help you stay driven and inspired throughout your journey. After all, it’s not just about reaching a finish line—it’s about the resilience, learning, and growth that happens along the way. Another way to get you through those days when you can’t motivate yourself is to borrow some motivation from others. We all occasionally need a little help staying positive and believing what we’re doing is worthwhile. Get in the habit of spending time with people who lift you up and bring out your best.

Addiction and mental health therapy tailored to your needs

There are also resources such as 12-step groups and recovery groups. It is estimated that up to 80% of those who find long-term sobriety had at least one relapse along the way. Some people experience many setbacks before they find lasting recovery. Your intentions may be good, but it takes more than willpower to avoid having a relapse. Working towards your goals takes a lot of effort and may take a long time.