By: Jacob Maslow 

Recovery has a lasting impact on an individual’s life. It corrects how a person has been leading their life by helping them make conscious decisions and changes. However, it takes effort to stay consistent with your sobriety journey. This can include attending group networks or making lifestyle changes that help you stay away from triggers. 

While people on their recovery journey often switch to intensive outpatient treatment programs to get consistent help and assistance for healing, a structured change in how you look at things and work on improving yourself can be the secret ingredient to sustainably achieving your goals. 

Here’s how to achieve this:

Identify Your Triggers

Triggers often incite behaviors related to addiction. They make it challenging to see the good things in life and instead shift the focus to blaming oneself and seeking immediate relief. 

Knowing what triggers you helps you maintain a safe distance and take the necessary steps to protect yourself when exposed to such circumstances without losing your peace of mind or blaming yourself for the situation. Doing so also equips you with the ability to create boundaries, guarding against any ill intentions anyone may have. 

Set Clear Boundaries

Not everyone will understand and appreciate your journey to sobriety. Instead of focusing on such relationships, it is best to reconsider the company you want to surround yourself with. It can be incredibly challenging initially, but the effects will truly be worth it. By disconnecting yourself from people who don’t have a positive impact on your well-being, you eliminate the chances of your triggers getting challenged. Additionally, it will also allow you to connect with people who can truly contribute to your progress. 

Knowing When to Stop

When in recovery, a person often feels motivated and thrilled to improve every aspect of their life. However, it can also become challenging to identify when one is working hard or overstressing oneself with the changes one aspires to make. 

To avoid this from happening, it is highly recommended to seek assistance from your therapists and counselors, who can help create a plan during your outpatient treatment sessions. Such plans break down the bigger goals into smaller, more achievable goals. Through this, you can guarantee consistent progress and motivation without inviting burnout. 

Let Go of Old Habits

Oftentimes, our old habits come in the way of the new life we want to build for ourselves. As a result, an individual often gets confused about where they want to be and how to get there. An incredibly simple way to break the patterns of old habits is to take charge of your responsibilities and identify habits that no longer align with your goals. 

Procrastination, laziness, or a lack of attention to detail are often the habits that lead to a bigger problem. By becoming conscious of your actions, you can have better control over your life. Such changes are time-consuming, and there will be days when you will want to cut some slack. It’s important to find a balance and give yourself the grace to rest when needed.

Set Career Goals

Once you have started focusing on your growth and are doing things that break past habits, focusing on your career becomes a priority. To guarantee success, consider spending time understanding what you are good at, what your interests are, and how you can achieve the qualifications to get the job you dream of. Pursuing a career of your own will allow you to take control of your financial stability and well-being. It will allow you to live independently while saving for your future goals and milestones (acquiring more education, getting married, or anything else). 

Bottomline

Winning against addiction requires everyday effort and willpower. By planning your goals strategically and creating a roadmap to where you want to be, you can multiply the efforts you put into being your best self. However, ensure you are not overstressing yourself or getting obsessed with unlocking overnight success. Instead, work towards changes that are sustainable and easy to maintain. 

Published by: Khy Talara