Setting the right goals for your addiction recovery

The recovery wishlist: What do you really want?

Think back to when you were a kid, and you were writing that all-important letter to Father Christmas. You didn’t ask for every toy in the world (or maybe you did!), but you knew what you really wanted. Setting recovery goals works a lot like that. You need to think about what is truly important for you and use these goals to give you strength during addiction recovery.

Maybe you are aiming for stronger relationships, better health or simply waking up every day knowing you are in control of your life again. These goals play a large part in addiction recovery, particularly in therapies like Motivational Interviewing. This is when you really dig deep and figure out your own reasons for change.

But just like your Christmas letter, you have to make sure your goals are realistic. Every child has experienced the disappointment of Santa not bringing them the unicorn or Ferrari that they asked for. Pick goals that genuinely excite you and will make you feel proud when you achieve them.

Stringing the Christmas lights: Setting SMART goals

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound, and these goals can guide you through the Christmas season and beyond. They are important for breaking your addiction recovery journey into manageable steps, which can make the prospect less daunting. Here is how SMART goals work:

Specific

When setting your addiction recovery goals, you need to be clear about what you want. It’s like deciding exactly where you want each fairy light on the tree. Instead of saying, “I want to be healthier”, try something more focused like, “I want to go to therapy once a week.”

Measurable

Just like counting down the days until Christmas on an Advent Calendar, measurable goals allow you to track your progress. This means giving yourself milestones like “I won’t drink alcohol for thirty days”. Not only will this let you know how far you’ve come, but it will also give you a fantastic opportunity to celebrate!

Achievable

We all know that it is important not to go overboard with the decorations and the same goes for addiction recovery. For example, at UKAT rehab centres, we never ban our clients from smoking during treatment because we know that quitting drugs and alcohol can be very stressful. While, of course, we hope they will quit smoking one day, too, it is important not to take on too much all at once. Achievable goals can still be very challenging, but they are small steps that help build momentum.

Relevant

Your goals should align with where you are in your recovery. For instance, if repairing your relationships is your priority, focus on actions that support that. That may include attending family therapy with your loved ones or making sure you spend quality time with them post-rehab. While you will need to give time and energy for other things, too, when you start seeing progress in the areas that matter most to you, it can give you the confidence and energy for later aspects of addiction recovery.

Time-bound

Putting a time frame on your goals is like setting a countdown on Christmas – it gives you something to look forward to! Instead of saying, “I’ll try to stick with this forever,” say, “I’ll give rehab three months and see how far I’ve come.” Having this deadline keeps your focus sharp, and once you hit that milestone, you can celebrate your progress and decide what’s next.

Decorating the recovery tree: Reflecting on your journey

Imagine your recovery is a big, beautiful Christmas tree. Every year, we pull out the box of tree decorations, each representing a moment in your addiction recovery. It may be a victory, a milestone, the memory of staying sober through a tough time or a lesson learned from a setback.
As you set your goals for the future, think about what you’ve learned from the past. What worked? What didn’t? Let these insights guide the next steps in your addiction recovery.

As you set your goals for the future, think about what you’ve learned from the past. What worked? What didn’t? Let these insights guide the next steps in your addiction recovery.

It is also very important to celebrate the good things and equally, to be honest about the areas that still need work. But don’t beat yourself up if you haven’t hit all your goals. Just look at it like a broken decoration – it might be a little frustrating but it doesn’t spoil the tree!

The Christmas carol choir: Finding support

What makes carollers sound so amazing is all of their voices singing together. It lifts their confidence and allows them to harmonise and work through any faults they have. It is the same with addiction recovery – surrounding yourself with the right people is key to hitting your goals.

Think of your support system as your Christmas choir. It can include friends, family, therapists, counsellors and addiction recovery peers you met in rehab. Having a network of people who can back you up makes the journey easier and a whole lot more enjoyable. These are the people who will remind you why you set those goals in the first place and keep you going when things get tough.

Snowy day setbacks: Embracing the challenges

Let’s be honest – sometimes things don’t go as planned. Maybe you have been working hard on your goals, hitting all your milestones and then BAM! A blizzard of stress, emotions or cravings hits, and you temporarily relapse. It is important to understand that the snowstorm may have delayed your plans but it doesn’t mean the journey’s over.

If you slip up, be kind to yourself and think of it as a Great British Snow Day when the council has run out of grit, and your car needs de-icing! But while you might have to adjust your plans or drive slowly for a little while, that doesn’t mean you will be stuck forever. Recovery is full of ups and downs, but the key is to keep going, no matter what.

A brighter year ahead: Turning resolutions into real change

As we wrap up this festive guide to setting recovery goals, remember that Christmas and New Year’s are all about fresh starts. With the right goals in place, the coming year can be filled with hope, joy, and progress on the road to addiction recovery.

Remember, addiction recovery is not about perfection – it is about gradual growth, one step at a time, and that first step begins by reaching out. If you need extra help hitting your recovery goals, UKAT can help give you and your loved ones the Merriest Christmas and the Happiest New Year. Get in touch with us to discuss our addiction treatment programmes and how they can help you turn resolutions into real change.