It’s time to level up and try again; getting back up after a relapse is like hitting the reset button on a motivational video game. It’s important to find the right supporters for your recovery, just like finding the right treatment. If you are struggling with other mental health issues or are looking for a specialist near you, use the Psychology Today therapist directory here to find a practitioner who specializes in your area of concern. For more on addiction, codependency and personal change, take a look at my website and blog, If you have explored how you might make use of each of these three kinds of motivation, and you have exhausted all the possibilities, then it is truly time to let go, not with anger, because addiction is not a choice, but because that is all you can do.
The Importance of Self-Care and Mindset in Motivation
An excellent video for generating discussion and one of the best TED Talks for addiction and policy reform. This 17-minute video from Mark Tyndall about harm reduction and recovery is one of the best TED Talks for addiction treatment. This piece is somewhat controversial because it suggests that addiction is a social/environmental issue while failing to address the impact of trauma, genetics, brain chemistry, etc.
- As always, it is important to be critical when seeking help, since the quality of counselors are not consistent.
- On the basis of both neuroscience and behavioral evidence, we proposed that substance abuse and addictive behaviors are motivated behaviors.
Chapter 3—Motivational Interviewing as a Counseling Style
The key to workforce development is to train all clinical and support staffs in the spirit of MI so that the entire program’s philosophy is aligned with person-centered principles, like emphasizing client autonomy and choice. During the Maintenance stage, the client has achieved the initial change goals and is working toward maintaining those changes. Counselors recovery motivation can support client action by reinforcing client commitment and continuing to evoke and reflect CAT (i.e., Commitment, Activation, and Taking steps) change talk in ongoing conversations. Sobriety sampling, tapering down, and trial moderation are goal-sampling strategies that may be helpful to the client who is not committed to abstinence as a change goal.
Create a Support System for Motivational Recovery
These affirmations can be empowering reminders of your inner strength and the progress you’ve made. Consider mindfulness and meditation as https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/the-5-risks-of-drinking-after-work/ a form of practicing self-care every day. These techniques can help you stay grounded, reduce stress, and enhance your overall well-being.
Counselors’ use of empathy, not authority and power, is key to enhancing clients’ motivation to change. Karen has over a decade of experience working as a therapist with individuals, couples, and families. She specializes in the treatment of substance abuse and mental illness, and has developed a particular interest in supporting the holistic needs of families who are affected by these struggles. Studies of outcome of addiction treatment may use one term or the other, but they typically measure the same effects. Still, some people in the addiction-treatment field reserve recovery to mean only the process of achieving remission and believe it is a lifelong enterprise of avoiding relapse. Recovery suggests a state in which the addiction is overcome; clinical experience and research studies provide ample evidence.
Set Clear, Achievable Goals
However, the word is often used in different ways in different contexts. Many 12-step programs suggest that sobriety means total abstinence, which means never using the substance again. Other definitions, however, focus on the process of recovery and coping habits that support health and wellness over the long term. It’s the drive to bring about positive transformations in one’s life, especially when dealing with issues like substance abuse or addiction. It involves the wish to break free from patterns, develop new routines, and strive toward a fulfilling life without substance dependency. However, holding onto this motivation is easier said than done as individuals encounter obstacles that can impede their progress.
It is important to emphasize the long-term health effects of addiction go beyond physical health. Substance abuse often causes psychological and emotional issues that affect quality of life, such as worsening relationships, losing job or educational opportunities, financial problems, and low self-esteem. Taking these into account reinforces the necessity for sustained motivation in recovery, allowing individuals to achieve not only physical healing but also emotional and social restoration.
Strategies for Staying Motivated
- Threats don’t work, both because they are so often empty, and because they pose a challenge.
- By focusing on the benefits of sobriety, creating a support system, practicing self-care, focusing on the present moment, and setting realistic goals, you can stay motivated for change in recovery.
- Staying motivated in the recovery journey can be hard due to various reasons such as cravings, triggers, and setbacks.
- Through custom-tailored addiction therapy services and initiatives like behavioral therapy, life skills workshops, and peer support networks, Ray Recovery encourages motivation and nurtures the ability for lasting sobriety.
- Millions of people in the United States with SUDs are not receiving treatment.
