Positive thinking has been shown, time and again, to improve recovery outcomes. To be resilient and overcome setbacks, it is necessary to focus on what is possible and desirable, rather than on what has gone wrong. With a positive focus, it is easier to “get back on the horse” and try again, limiting the negative effects of a misstep or setback and re-establishing forward momentum toward your recovery goals. First decide to see yourself as someone who is capable of being an honorable person, and someone who is willing to work toward that goal. Once you have embraced this attitude in your mind and heart, you will find it easier to remain on the path to success. Karen has over a decade of experience working as a therapist with individuals, couples, and families.

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. One can find meaning in spirituality through organized religions, AA/ NA groups, nature, music, groups of people, or an understanding of a higher power. Feeling connected to something bigger than yourself can help keep you motivated and accountable to continue your recovery journey. A great way to stay motivated is to set both short-term and long-term goals. Setting goals and having “checkpoints” can keep you on track and give you rewarding feelings of accomplishment and progress toward a goal.

Find addiction treatment near you today

See the box below for the content areas covered by the focus groups. Your brain doesn’t differentiate between drugs and junk food. This could lead to a relapse as your control stagnates and even deteriorates. What inspired you to check yourself into rehab in the first place? Maybe you wanted to get your career back on track after a series of failures. Whatever motivated you to take the first steps towards recovery, hold onto those thoughts tightly, and remind yourself every day that they’re worth the struggle.

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. You may feel like you are stuck in the same routines, have less friends than you used to, or are struggling to find a purpose. This journey is solely yours and despite the fact that you may meet others who are battling with the same disorder, their experience is not your experience.

Develop a Daily Routine and Healthy Habits

The importance of motivation in recovery is often built by finding the internal strength to want to recover. All around you, you may be getting feedback from friends, family, doctors, and peers telling you why you have to recover, but this journey is yours to make and ultimately rests on you. It begins with you building your internal motivation to want to recover for no one else besides yourself. During such consultation https://ecosoberhouse.com/ appointments patients complete a variety of diagnostic assessments and are provided with recommendations for treatment. Patients do not receive any counselling or treatment at these appointments. Patients will be asked to provide information about any previous treatment(s) they may have received and will be excluded if their last treatment occurred within the last four weeks prior to the start of the study.

If you’re changing a habit, whatever you’re moving toward isn’t yet habit by definition. These new patterns require effort and consistency to launch. Start with recovery motivation small, realistic steps, which stick better than grandiose plans. Stay patient when you lose track of yourself and come back to your best intentions again.

Addiction: A Story of Stigma, A Story of Hope Scott McFadden (

In other words, residents who drank or used drugs would be asked to leave, and linked with treatment, for example. They also required residents to attend 12-step mutual-help meetings. There are several ways in which one can find meaning through spirituality. It can be found in nature, organized religions, music, or simply developing an understanding of what a higher power or spirituality might mean for you.

• By the way, this is also why fellowship is so important in recovery.
• Narrative videos featuring the experiences and perspectives of former patients could be a pivotal approach to implementing cost effective and easy to disseminate early interventions to patients currently affected by ED.
• This focus on personal growth can lead to greater resilience and adaptability during recovery.
• Setting intentional goals creates a roadmap that leads us closer to our authentic selves.
• Similarly, information shared by fellow ED patients has been reported by patients to be significantly more empowering than when the same information was presented by healthcare professionals [21].
• You can achieve a sense of relief by releasing events and emotions you may not yet be ready to discuss with your counselor.

Based on an individualistic experience, finding what motivates you to stay sober is a big part of the battle of staying sober. Since everyone is different, there is no set methodology that will work for every person besides a willpower to change. In many ways, this time it is about being open to experimenting and trying out new things in order to learn and grow as a person.

Bringing Real Change

Resilience relies on staying aware of our choices to influence what we can and then navigating all the rest as well as we’re able. A failing lifestyle contributes to the state of overwhelm for this generation, since reactionary, sedentary, and social media–driven ways do not work for anyone. The cutting-edge science of staying strong and happy still points back toward the wisdom of old-school, commonsense choices. Reading through website after website summarizing how to be happier or stronger in 2024, the answers are easy to dismiss.

We’re here 24/7 to help you get the care you need to live life on your terms, without drugs or alcohol. Talk to our recovery specialists today and learn about our integrated treatment programs. This list of addiction recovery quotes is all about inspiration, and the great thing about positive thinking is that it allows you to generate your own inspiration from the inside out.