5 Ways to Find Motivation in Staying Sober

Study participants felt residents were most likely to be receptive to feedback when it came from other residents rather than house managers. Within an interpersonal context of understanding and support, they were more motivated to address issues they needed to work on and acknowledge ways they were vulnerable to relapse. One participant stated, “They’re more apt to listen to their peers in regards to behavior or advice or criticism, motivation for sobriety whether it’s constructive you know whether it’s critical or just trying to be helpful”. Additional studies are needed on motivation as a longitudinal construct in a variety of peer-oriented environments. Studies are also needed to better specify interactions within SLHs that increase and hinder motivation among different types of residents. Your core values may include good health, sobriety, and the importance of family.

There will be times when you question why you are trying to stay sober when a drink or drug would make you feel better. Having the motivation to stick with recovery will show that there is nothing that drugs or alcohol will make better. You will gain the confidence to stay on the path of recovery and be better for it in the long run. Every morning or evening, make the effort to write a list of five things you are grateful for during your new life of sobriety, or even just five positive things you can name about the day. Staying focused on the reasons sobriety is preferable to the alternative can help you reinvigorate your motivation to stay sober.

Process and content of focus groups

Even if your schedule does not permit you to be a full-time student, there are options for weekly or bi-weekly classes instead of classes that occur every day. Regularly attending a class regarding a subject you genuinely are interested in can be a great motivator to continue finding enjoyment out of life while sober. It can also make you feel more excited about life and give you confidence in yourself and your abilities.

You can achieve a sense of relief by releasing events and emotions you may not yet be ready to discuss with your counselor. In addition, the ability to recognize the struggles you faced a few months or a few years ago will help you view the progress you’ve achieved in a new light, giving you the inspiration you need to continue pursuing recovery. Internal motivators include our own feelings, desires, values, and goals for ourselves and our lives. Asking yourself questions like these helps to motivate you internally. If you’re involved in a 12-step program, you likely already know the importance of milestones.

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A higher power often refers to a deity, but some people interpret it as nature or self-will. Religion or spirituality can help people achieve calmness, peace and sanity. Staying connected to a higher power can give people the strength to avoid drug or alcohol use and commit their lives to sobriety. Reactions of focus group participants to our findings highlighted a number of points.

Addiction is a cunning disease that lures in its victims when they least expect it. 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. Most of the time, addicts will start to struggle in their work-life, relationships, and all other responsibilities. Whether it’s what you read or watch, the people you talk to, or your own self-talk, try to stay positive with uplifting news, people who encourage you, and thinking that’s going to help you meet your recovery goals. Most people who make their way into recovery have left a lot of pain and suffering in their wake. Feeling guilty or ashamed of past behavior or actions during active addiction is natural and healthy.

Find Balance in Your Life

Some of the immediate changes you will need to make will be obvious—like not hanging around the people that you used with or obtained drugs from. After all, you can’t hang around your drug dealer or old drinking buddies and expect to remain sober for very long. 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.

This type of criticism is usually not a true reflection of what is happening because even someone who sits around all day might be motivated. The problem is not that they lack motivation per se, but that they are, instead, motivated to do what others would consider wrong. Therefore, you can define motivation as the driving force behind an action. When you are drowning in doubt and darkness, you may lose sight of the good things present in your life. By making a conscious effort to name the things in your life that you have to be grateful for, you can remind yourself that good things are present and good things are coming. Consider practicing gratitude journaling or making a mental list at night before you go to sleep.

Set Achievable Recovery Goals

Without that personal motivation, they would not make the decision to fight their addiction. Staying motivated by the reasons that drive you toward treatment is key to maintaining sobriety long enough to reach the happiness of living a life of recovery. Based on an individualistic experience, finding what motivates https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/is-it-possible-to-get-sober-without-aa/ 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.

Other definitions, however, often focus on the process of recovery and developing coping mechanisms and habits that support health and wellness over the long term. Total abstinence may be the goal, but the reality is that setbacks are common. But abusing drugs or alcohol over an extended period can cause more severe health consequences, including cardiovascular, respiratory and psychological problems. Substance abuse can also lead to violence, trauma, injury or diseases such as HIV. Reading motivational or inspirational quotes can elicit change and help people avoid substance use.

How to Combat a Lack of Motivation in Recovery

It can almost feel like you’re floating through life half-awake, pushing away that internal voice that whispers (and sometimes screams) “there’s another way to live”. But it can be tough to anchor into greater meaning and purpose in today’s modern world, full of constant noise and distraction, especially when you add in the regular use of a numbing-agent like drugs or alcohol. Living with this kind of alignment is damn near impossible when you’re drinking or using drugs because these substances lower your inhibitions and make it harder to stay true to your own values. This simple act of focusing on the benefits goes a long way in helping you gain initial momentum and in avoiding emotional relapse once you’ve gotten sober. Although these new activities are healthy and productive, they can be a stumbling block to lasting recovery if they become a transfer addiction to fill the void left by the original addiction. A structured routine will help you achieve other goals in your life, whether they are short-term (like being on time for work) or long-term (like going back to school and changing careers).

Motivation was measured using the costs and benefits subscales of the Alcohol and Drug Consequences Questionnaire (ADCQ),4 which was conceptualized using perceived costs and benefits of continuing sobriety. Examples of costs included items such as “I will have difficulty relaxing”, “I will get depressed”, and “I will feel bored”. Examples of benefits include items such as “I will have a better relationship with my family”, “I will feel better about myself”, and “I will be more active and alert”. Overall, participants expressed strong motivation for sobriety; they consistently reported higher perceptions of benefits than costs of sobriety at each interview.