What Are Some Realistic Goals for Addiction Recovery?

Addiction recovery is about much more than abstaining from substance use; it requires individuals to make crucial and sometimes challenging life changes. Making these changes can be daunting. For that reason, individuals must begin with small, measurable goals, but what are some realistic goals for addiction recovery? These goals should be specific, achievable, and tailored to an individual's unique circumstances. 

Of course, before anyone can think about what small, achievable goals a person can make, they must seek treatment. The first step is recognizing and acknowledging the problem and asking for help. We encourage you to seek treatment if you or a loved one is struggling with addiction. West Coast Recovery Centers in San Diego, California, offers a wide range of addiction and mental health recovery services geared toward helping people achieve sustainable recovery. 

What Role Do Goals Play in Addiction Recovery?

As may have mentioned before, addiction recovery is about so much more than abstaining from substances, though, this is a key component. Recovery is about making lasting changes to your life. These changes are significant, changing the landscape of how you think, behave, and feel. The goal of such significant change is to help increase your mental and physical well-being and improve your overall quality of life. 

Goals are critical to making these life changes and are integral in the addiction recovery journey. They serve as a cornerstone for personal growth, inspiring people to prevail, especially on the toughest days. Further, when recovery feels overwhelming, it can cause people to be unsure about how they can rebuild their lives or even think about what they want their lives to look like. Goals offer a structured path forward, providing short and long-term vision for the future. 

Understanding Realistic Goals

Setting realistic goals can be exceptionally helpful in the early stages of recovery. Becoming overwhelmed during these early stages is expected. People do not always know where to turn, and it often takes some time to get one's fitting while beginning a newfound life of sobriety.

Many may also struggle with trying to make huge changes all at once, which can quickly lead to discouragement. More importantly, this can lead to an increased risk of relapse. When focusing on goals that are unattainable or unrealistic, it can kind of feel like setting oneself up for failure, which is why setting realistic goals is crucial. With that, consider some of the following examples of realistic goals for your recovery journey: 

Improving Self-Esteem

Individuals struggling with addiction often experience complex feelings of guilt, shame, and self-doubt. Setting and achieving realistic goals can increase or improve one's self-esteem, restoring one's confidence and overall self-worth. 

Tracking Progress

Another critical reason to set goals is because it will help you track your progress. Monitoring how far you have come in the recovery journey is crucial to acknowledge your success and identify potential improvements. 

Staying Motivated

Further, recovery is not a linear journey. Seeing how far you have come will be vital to motivating you to carry on when you have some bumps in the road. Each success, no matter how small, should be celebrated, and doing so serves as an excellent motivator.  

Increasing Long-Term Success

The last thing we will discuss is how realistic goals increase long-term success. Small, consistent changes are key to long-term success, and recovery is about progress, not perfection. Setting achievable, realistic goals is integral to building a foundation for long-term, sustainable sobriety. 

Types of Realistic Goals for Addiction Recovery

So, we now understand the importance of setting goals, but what are some realistic goals for addiction recovery? Consider integrating some of these goals in your journey to help get started: 

• Building a support network by attending weekly support group meetings for a designated amount of time 
• Developing healthy coping techniques by learning to practice mindfulness for just 10 minutes in the morning or at night for 21 days 
• Improving physical health by setting a walking goal of 30 minutes three times a week for a month 
• Establishing health routines by going to bed 30 minutes earlier and waking up 5 minutes earlier for the next month 
• Engaging in some form of personal development by taking up a new hobby, volunteering in your community, or taking a continuing education class 

S.M.A.R.T. Goals Are Realistic Goals

We can not emphasize enough the importance of starting with small, realistic goals. So, when creating these realistic goals, focus on creating S.M.A.R.T. goals, or goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. When doing so, consider: 

• What exactly do you want to achieve? 
• How exactly can you measure the progress? 
• In what ways can you realistically achieve the overall goal? 
• Why do you want to achieve this goal and how does it fit in with your recovery? 
• What does your timeline look like for achieving this goal? 

Our professionals at West Coast Recovery Centers can help you obtain sobriety and set clear, achievable, and realistic goals for your recovery journey. Call or visit our website to get started today. 

Setting and achieving goals is key to successful addiction recovery. However, these goals must be small and achievable. Otherwise, it can feel like setting oneself up for failure, which can lead to frustration, discouragement, and an increased risk of relapse. By setting realistic goals, individuals can improve their self-esteem, track their progress, stay motivated throughout recovery, and increase their long-term success. Remember, addiction recovery is not about perfection, the journey is about progress, and any progress, no matter how small, is worthwhile. If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, consider working with West Coast Recovery Centers. We can help you set goals for your recovery journey. Call (760) 492-6509 to get started today.