Whether you’ve just completed substance use disorder treatment or are several years into your recovery journey, it’s normal to occasionally encounter times when it’s hard to maintain momentum and motivation in your sobriety. When that lack of motivation comes, we’ve got you covered. We’ve listed ten ways to stay motivated in your recovery.
The importance of maintaining motivation
Motivation is the driving force behind seeking recovery in the first place. Despite what they say in the rooms, sometimes we don’t always get sober for ourselves. And that’s okay. Maybe you got into recovery because your partner threatened to leave you, or you were at risk of losing your job. Maybe you went to mandated treatment instead of facing criminal prosecution. Maybe you got help for your substance use disorder to keep or regain custody of your kids, or because your doctor gave you a frightening prognosis.
Whatever your reason for finding recovery, it served its purpose at the time. And it’s common for those reasons to change. When I sought treatment, it was because I was severely depressed and my life was so small that I couldn’t face carrying on. Fortunately, I got help. Today, however, my reason for continuing in my recovery isn’t fear of continued depression. My motivation is that my life is so great without substances that I want it to continue that way. Alcohol and drugs would add absolutely nothing to my life. I see people drinking, and I find it kinda boring. I don’t want to sit at a dinner and listen to people get louder and repeat the same stories over and over. I like the quality of my sleep and I love waking up without a hangover.
That doesn’t mean I don’t sometimes think about it. Especially when I’m dating or out for dinner, and get a pang that maybe I’m missing out. Today, those thoughts are fleeting because I remind myself of my motivations. For some folks, though, losing motivation can be serious and may mean returning to use. While relapse is a common part of the recovery process, remembering your whys can help you maintain your momentum in recovery.
Reasons why you might lose motivation
We may leave rehab and think we’ve got it covered. Maybe you worked out an extensive relapse prevention plan with your counselor. Or maybe you think you have a solid program, but it gets derailed because life happens. There will always be things we are unprepared for and times of acute stress. During those moments, we may lose sight of our motivation for recovery. These circumstances, or triggers, could include:
- Death of a loved one
- A stressful job
- Feeling overwhelmed by responsibilities
- Jealousy/envy: seeing friends enjoy substances and feeling like you’re missing out
- Rejection
- Conflict at home or in your family
- Losing connection with your recovery community
- Insufficient coping skills
- Stopping the things that helped, like working out, attending meetings, going to therapy, etc.
- Physical and mental health problems, like depression, injury, or sickness
- A loved one receiving a chronic health diagnosis
- Ambivalence
10 tips to re-energize your recovery goals
Whatever the reason for a loss of motivation, these tips will help you recommit to your recovery motivation and maintain the momentum in your journey:
- Define your why: Name the reasons you are in recovery.
- List the benefits: what are the main benefits of recovery in your life? For example, how has your life improved? What improvements have you noticed to your mental and physical health?
- Social supports: List your support network and people who have been central in your recovery journey. You may also identify the need for more support and if that is the case, it may also be worth mentioning where you’ll find that support. Like a local recovery organization, perhaps.
- Self-care assessment: Spend some time evaluating your self-care activities and if they are sufficient to support your recovery. If you attend meetings, are you hitting them regularly? Perhaps working out is your motivation, and you need to recommit to blocking out time for working out. It’s important to find the things that support your self-care. These change over time, too. So maybe running worked great initially, but now you might find yoga more helpful. Don’t be afraid to switch things up.
- Recovery activities: What things are you doing to maintain your sobriety? Are you going to therapy every week or attending meetings? Sometimes we do these things early in our recovery, but as time progresses, they can drop off. If you find yourself thinking that meetings aren’t helpful, look into whether therapy might be more beneficial. Or try a different recovery activity, like going to a recovery gym. Whatever it is, ensure you block out time in your schedule to do it regularly.
- Celebrate: When was the last time you celebrated your recovery? As we progress in our sobriety, we tend not to make a big deal about reaching another milestone. Remember how motivating these were in early recovery? Could not celebrating be a sign that you’re taking your recovery for granted? Find ways to celebrate!
- Evaluate structure: If your life is feeling overwhelming or you’re dealing with a lot of responsibilities, it might be helpful to assess the structural support you have in your life. Setting up routines and structure can really help sustain you. Some that might help include:
- food shopping at the same time every week
- meal prepping
- having a list of regular shopping items and keeping a list on the fridge of things you’ve run out of
- getting a dog walker
- working out regularly
- taking a break to eat instead of eating lunch at your desk
- Practice self-compassion: You will never have the perfect recovery. As much as you may try, it’s important to remember that life happens. Find ways to remind yourself that you are human, and all humans make mistakes. The key is to not beat yourself up and to not let it deter you.
- Consider professional support: Sometimes in recovery, some other issues come up. Maybe we discover an underlying mental health condition or find we’re struggling with recurring traumatic memories. This is normal. Trauma impacts most people with substance use disorder. And no matter how good your recovery program is, you may struggle with the symptoms of trauma. This doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. It simply means you need to seek professional help. Not every recovery facility is trauma-informed, and some treatment focuses solely on substance use disorder. When it comes to mental health and trauma recovery, it is recommended to seek specialist support from a qualified professional.
- List your credits: When I first started my recovery journey, my sponsor asked me to make a credit list every day—a list of things I did well and deserve credit for. I didn’t know what to write. She told me that I’d stayed sober that day, I’d engaged in healthy habits, and I’d attended a meeting. Today, when I feel like my to-do list is never-ending, I try to remind myself to list my credits. I don’t think we spend enough time recognizing how much we’ve accomplished in recovery and how far we’ve progressed. This practice always helps me remember what I’ve achieved because of my recovery.