4 Reasons Why Setting Goals is Important for Recovery

Dealing with addiction is up to this day the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. But, at the same time, it is also the one I’m most proud for. It was a long windy road I never thought I could walk through, and my family, friends, and everyone that is in my life proved me wrong.

I had so much more in me to show and to fight for that just that realization felt as if someone had shaken my whole world and turned it upside down. When I first joined the drug detox program, I had many doubts.

Not only on whether I’d be able to finish but also if everybody would stick around to see me succeed. Then I had doubts on myself because I didn’t want to disappoint anybody anymore.

In the end, I learned that the first person I should never disappoint is myself. And, through the help of my sponsor and everybody around me, I pushed forward. I achieved all the goals that I had set myself and it helped me to see how far I had come down the line. Here are 4 reasons why setting goals during recovery is so important.

You’re responsible for your goals

Acquiring a sense of responsibility when you’re going through recovery is an actual blessing. At the start of the program, I felt as if I was stripped off everything I had. I felt powerless and had nothing to look forward to.

Setting up goals gave me a sense of control that helped me to get my life back together. Whatever goals I had, they were all entirely up to me and nobody else. Which also meant that if ended up failing, there was only one direction I could point my finger at.

Once I had been walking the line for a while I could look back with pride knowing that it was all on my own. Falling and getting up, all on me.

You stay motivated

By setting short and long term goals, I learned that my own life wasn’t just a train with one stop. I had a whole road to follow and my goals helped me to notice every time I made progress.

Finding motivation to go through such a difficult time can be very challenging, which is why it was also important for me that I had a network of support around me. My family, my friends, everyone I loved including my sponsor during drug detox helped me to never lose my horizon.

Reaching all those check-points down my path was encouraging me to push further and never take my eyes of my biggest goal: recover.

You grow in every aspect

Personal growth was the added value of setting goals that I didn’t even think of when I first started. Being able to see how I was slowly leaving my comfort zone to achieve what I wanted, made me realize that I was growing.

I started off by setting small short term goals such as making it out of bed or shaving every day. It might seem silly or senseless for some, but when every single thing in life becomes a burden, setting yourself such goals make the difference from being in “A” or “B”, and I became eager to keep walking towards the next stop, because I knew that every single step I took was driving me further from my starting point and closer to my finish line.

You live life to its fullest

By setting goals you start realizing how everything you do pushes you forward to achieve something. The smaller the goals, the more appreciation, and attention to detail you have.

You never think how amazing it is to be grateful for another day you can get out of bed until it becomes a challenge. Life to me became divided in millions of little diamonds that I could just stare at in complete thankfulness.

It made me feel like I had to live every second to its fullest. With my sponsor, I learned the value of all the little things that when combined together we’re building the new life I was aiming to.

A life with no regrets, full of love and passion, which is something that many forget rather easily. Every goal I had set myself was another reason to live. My biggest one being finishing the program and starting anew on a totally different mindset.

Setting up short and long term goals helped me to acknowledge my progress in life. From actually making it through recovery, to realizing that my whole life was a never ending project I had to work hard for.

To me, every second counts as if it was the last one because I made every second my own personal goal. Pushing through the hardest times in life makes you appreciate everything you have on a whole new level and that’s a lesson that thanks to my sponsor, and everybody else who was involved in my recovery, I will never forget.

If you want to suggest any other reasons why setting up goals is important for someone going through rehab, or would simply like to ask a question about my experience, leave a comment below.