Self-Motivation: Why it Makes a Difference in Recovery and Life

If you or a loved one is seeking an addiction treatment program, it’s essential to understand that motivation for change in recovery is a crucial recovery motivation factor for success. Recovery motivation can be challenging to maintain, especially during the early stages. However, with the right tools and support, staying motivated in addiction recovery is possible.

Looking at the “Opposite of Addiction Is Not Sobriety” Theory

Addicts can make promises to stop, but, for practical purposes, only non-addicts can do so without outside help. The addict brain may think it can outsmart treatment but the experience almost always has a positive impact, even if it doesn’t immediately result in recovery. The times when self-motivation works are when the addict has discovered that there is something more precious than the addiction. It might be a child, a job, life itself, or a personal value such as dignity. It is easy to romanticize the life you once lived while using substances. Maybe it was filled with adventure and carefree days with friends who understood you or maybe you felt like you belonged in that world and not in the new one you are living.

Stay in control of your schedule

There are many roads to recovery, and needs vary from individual to the next. Others do well on their own making use of available community resources. This is a good time to give attention to setting personal recovery goals to start to reclaim a sense of purpose and to improve overall quality of life. With the right mindset and tools, anyone can overcome addiction and live a better life.

What is intrinsic motivation for sobriety?

Motivation plays a vital role in the process of overcoming addiction, as it influences a person’s willingness to seek treatment, adhere to treatment recommendations, and make lasting behavioral changes. To better understand motivation in recovery, remember that addiction itself is a behavioral motivator. People turn to substance abuse to meet emotional or psychological needs. This means focusing on internal drives and desires that can push someone to make positive changes.

• Since everyone is different, there is no set methodology that will work for every person besides a willpower to change.
• No matter how good you get at motivating yourself and staying positive, there will always be days when you feel like you just can’t do it.
• Many online social media communities allow you to connect and interact with other recovering addicts from all over the world.
• People can learn to resist or outsmart the cravings until they become manageable.
• Within the group setting, participants can openly discuss their challenges, achievements, and setbacks, knowing they are in a judgment-free zone.

Staying Motivated in Recovery from Substance Abuse

With the right self-care and mindset, motivation becomes the fuel that drives addiction recovery forward. Virtual MI can help reduce barriers to seeking out treatment such as illness or inability to physically make it into an office for treatment. One study found that remote MI had a positive effect on patients treating pain, disabilities and on overall self-efficacy for change. Recovery is a journey, and that means there will be bumps along the way. Everyone struggles during their journey, and being honest about our struggles allows us to reach out to those who are supportive and willing to help.

Challenges of Motivational Interviewing

The evidence shows that every day, people choose to recover from addiction on their own. One way or another, they learn and deploy a set of skills https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/cognitive-dissonance-treatment-in-sober-living/ that help them get through the strong cravings and urges of the difficult early stages of recovery. Some of the most helpful strategies for dealing with cravings are summarized in the acronym DEADS. No matter which pathway of recovery a person chooses, a common process of change underlies them all. The well-researched science of behavior change establishes that addictive behavior change, like any behavior change, is a process that starts long before there’s any visible shift in activity. Finding inspiration to get and stay sober can allow individuals to experience a number of health, social and financial benefits.

Create a Support System for Motivational Recovery

SMART Recovery is a secular, science-based program that offers mutual support in communities worldwide as well as on the internet and has specific programming for families. All Recovery accommodates people with any kind of addiction and its meetings are led by trained peer-support facilitators. Women for Sobriety focuses on the needs of women with any type of substance use problem. Many people believe that they are powerless to change their own addictive behavior, and often it is a belief that keeps people addicted.