Daily reminders can do a lot of good in a person’s life. Those who succeed in their endeavors often create routines to help reinforce their commitment to the things they’re working toward in life. If you have a goal, it’s vital to gently remind yourself of the things you need to do to achieve it.
Humans, almost by nature, are easily distracted. The commotion of everyday life can stand in one’s way. When a person loses sight of their target, any progress made can evaporate quickly; this is especially true when it comes to addiction recovery. Men and women who desire long-term healing from the disease of addiction must be ever vigilant. They cannot let up on their program for even a moment; complacency is no friend of recovery.
Each day, people in recovery benefit significantly from reminding themselves that they have an incurable disease. While mental illness is treatable and manageable, continued effort and support is a must. Otherwise, old ways of thinking (addictive thinking) can crop up, and before one knows it, they are on a trajectory toward relapse.
One of the reasons addiction professionals recommend people go to 90 meetings in 90 days (90 in 90) is to establish a daily routine centered around recovery. Simply put, recovery must be the number one priority. Counselors also advise people in early recovery to keep a journal to stay on track. Many people with significant lengths of time in the program still maintain the practice of journaling. Whether it’s to manifest goals, create gratitude lists, or to help process something they are unwilling to share aloud, journaling is an excellent tool for anyone working a program.
Thinking About Addiction Recovery Each Day
Journals can also serve as a marker of progress; what one scribbles down after 24 hours sober is much different than what they write after one year. Putting thoughts on paper each day can be a helpful reminder that you have a condition that requires extra attention and continued action.
Actor and podcast host Dax Shepard shared some insights into his addiction recovery with Gwyneth Paltrow recently, ET Canada reports. While the Parenthood star has 14 years in recovery, he says that for the first 12 years of his sobriety, he started each day the same way. On Paltrow’s podcast, Goop, Shepard reports that at the beginning of each day, he’d open a journal and remind himself that he is an addict.
“I wrote a page in my journal every single morning because I had this thought that if I can’t commit 20 minutes to remember I’m an addict each morning, I’m going to end up blowing nine hours a day as an addict,” Shepard said. “I have to be able to say, minimally this is your commitment.”
Those who keep their addiction at the forefront of their mind are less likely to slip up. The things they do for the sake of continued progress determine their program’s strength. While establishing new routines and traditions can be challenging, there are great remaking and sticking to a commitment.
“You’ve got to acknowledge you are an addict every day, first thing, right when you wake up, you write a page,” Shepard advised. “It doesn’t even have to be about being an addict. It’s just this physical activity there to remind myself, ‘I have a thing that I’ll never not have.’”
California Residential Addiction Treatment
If you or a family member are living with untreated alcohol or substance use disorder, we want you to know that freedom is an achievable goal. The miracle of recovery can be yours too; please contact Hope By The Sea to speak to an addiction specialist about our programs.
