Steps to a Brighter Future: Goals in Sobriety
Before rehab, you were likely worried about being away from your family, not having access to your addictive substance, and being in an unfamiliar place. Yet, now that you’ve successfully made it through your treatment program, you’ve got a whole new set of worries. While life after rehab can be a little scary, you’ve already made it through the hardest part: beating your addiction!
Take the time to reward yourself for reaching sobriety. You’ve put in the time, energy, and effort it takes to choose the higher path in life. However, remember, addiction recovery is a journey that lasts a lifetime. Recovery doesn’t define you but is a piece of what makes you the person you are today. A great way to pave a successful path toward a better future is to create recovery goals. This way, you always have something to work toward and to achieve.
Learning from Your Mistakes
As you go into recovery, know that mistakes are part of the process and, really, a part of life. During recovery, you may find yourself becoming fixated on what you’ve done wrong and how you should have made better decisions. Allowing the past and negativity to creep into your recovery can be detrimental.
No one sets out to make mistakes—but the fact is, they happen, even if you have the best intentions in mind. The best way to have a healthy, happy, and successful recovery is to understand and accept your miscalculations and misjudgments. Know that setbacks will happen but don’t let them derail you from your path of recovery.
The bottom line is that to be successful in recovery, you must accept your mistakes and learn from them. See mistakes as an opportunity. While they may be hidden behind some hard times, a mistake is just another curve on your path.
Short-Term Goals
Short-term sobriety goals should be goals that you can complete either immediately or within six months. By setting short-term goals, you can start to rebuild your self-confidence and willpower. Meeting short-term goals sets you up for reaching your long-term sobriety goals.
Some short-term goals for substance abuse to consider include:
- Attending support groups
- Finding a sponsor
- Getting rid of toxic friends and relationships
- Committing to do one positive act a day
- Throwing out drug-related items
Be sure that the goals you set are positive and, most importantly, achievable. In months or maybe even a few weeks, you’ll find that you’ve already met some of your short-term sobriety goals.
Long-Term Goals
Long-term sobriety goals are those that will require a bit more time. These goals will keep you motivated and ensure that you’re able to stay sober for years to come. A common long-term goal is to reach a year or five years of sobriety. It’s important to also set goals that aren’t centered on sobriety. Some goals to consider include:
- Repairing broken relationships
- Taking on a new hobby or learning a new skill
- Diving into a new career
- Staying involved in support groups
- Sharing your story
Recovery is a lifelong process, and long-term goals help to keep you on track and on the right path.
What Happens When You Reach Your Goals
Remember, as a child, when you first learned to tie your shoes or ride a bike? That feeling of self-gratification is like no other. When you reach your recovery goals, you’ll feel accomplished, excited, and more secure in who you are. You’ll know that you’re good enough to achieve whatever you put your mind to. As you start to cross goals off your list, be sure to create new ones. This way, you always have something to work toward.
Of course, you must reward yourself. Travel to a new city. Try out that restaurant you’ve been eyeballing the last few months. Spend a day at the spa in a state of pure relaxation. Rewards are another part of keeping yourself focused.
Let’s Achieve Goals Together
No matter if you’ve been sober for a month or a year, at RECO Institute we’re here to provide the support you need. Call us today at 561-665-1865 to learn about sober living and other treatment programs.