6 Ways To Stay Motivated in Early Sobriety

While addiction cannot be overcome by willpower alone, early recovery is a time when willpower comes into play.

Every day, someone in recovery needs to focus their energy on their sobriety. Without support, this can start to feel overwhelming. To that end, we offer some tips on things you can do to keep yourself motivated to stay on the journey.

6 ways to stay motivated in early sobriety:

1. Start a recovery blog. Publicly journaling about your experiences can help you connect to others so that everyone feels less alone. It also helps you keep track of patterns in your recovery–when you get frustrated, when you feel cravings, when you feel optimistic, etc.
2. Lean on your support system and get a sponsor! Most 12-step groups offer the option of sponsorship, where someone experienced in recovery and doing well on their journey can mentor someone who’s just starting out. The sponsor can be someone to call when anxiety, sadness, or cravings hit, someone to help you work the steps, and someone to connect you to opportunities for sober fun. 
3. Gratitude goes far! You might want to keep a gratitude journal or at least say out loud to yourself every day a few things you’re grateful for. Gratitude helps build resilience in recovery, and it will help you feel connected to others and to your world. 
4. Give back. Try volunteering at a local food bank or animal shelter. Take a service position in your recovery support group. Mow the lawn for an elderly neighbor. Whenever you turn the focus on someone in need, you get perspective on your own situation. 
5. Practice self-care. Self-care isn’t selfish. Nor is it indulging in candy and movies every night. Self-care is about giving yourself the ingredients of health–good food, exercise, spiritual connection, strong relationships–on a consistent basis. 
6. Engage in new activities. Now that you are sober, so much more is available for you to enjoy. Maybe you can rediscover an old hobby that fell by the wayside when you suffered from active addiction. Maybe you can try something new–a cooking class, an art class, gardening–and discover a new talent or passion. 

Wherever you are in your recovery journey, we hope these tips help you stay motivated. You are worth it!

Contact us today if you or your loved one is ready to reach out for help. We can start you on the road to recovery.