In recovery, it is healthy to set realistic goals that you can achieve over a short or long period of time that push you forward in healing. However, once you reach these goals, it can be challenging to know what to do next. You may feel as though you are stagnating, with nowhere further to go. Nevertheless, you can always continue pushing and making progress in recovery even when you have reached the goals you have set for yourself. Knowing how to move past this point in recovery and continue striving for more in a healthy way can be highly beneficial in your recovery. Here is what to do after you’ve already reached your recovery goals.
Setting and reaching a goal in recovery is a huge deal that shouldn’t go unnoticed. You have continuously put in the work towards your own healing and sobriety, which is something to be proud of. Have a virtual celebration with your sober buddies over Zoom or Skype, take a self-care night for yourself, or do your favorite sober activity to help you relish in this moment. You worked so hard to come to this point, and you now have the opportunity to celebrate yourself, so take the chance to do so!
Instead of starting on a new goal altogether, consider expanding the goal you have just reached. For example, if your goal was to attend 20 support group meetings within one month, change that number to 40. Expanding your goals is a great way to keep them relevant and continue progressing in recovery without overwhelming yourself. You know you can achieve it, it is pertinent to your recovery, and it is time-bound to ensure you get it done.
Now that you have achieved the goal that you have been working towards and taken the time to celebrate your victory, it is time to set a new, perhaps bigger, recovery goal. Doing this will help you continue growing in your recovery journey and help you make even more progress than you ever thought you could. Of course, you should keep in mind what is realistic for you and your journey. You want to make sure that the goals are realistic, measurable, achievable, have clear outlines, and are relevant to your recovery.
When you are ready to set your next goal, you want to make sure you are doing it properly to ensure you don’t feel stuck or as if you will never achieve what you are striving for.
First and foremost, you need to ensure your goal has clear guidelines that state what you want to do. Instead of saying, “I want to grow closer in my personal relationships,” you should outline specific ways you can do so. Think of ways that will help you achieve this goal, such as “I want to genuinely apologize to my friend for ____,” or “I want to be a better friend by showing up to James’ party on Saturday.”
You should also make sure these goals are measurable in that you know you can see if you are making progress because of your actions. You also need to ensure they are relevant to your recovery; if not, there is no point in doing them. You should also give yourself a certain amount of time as to when you want to achieve the goals. Giving yourself a time limit will help you not procrastinate your goals and make them more realistic. By ensuring your goals fit these criteria, you can begin setting and achieving goals that will help your overall recovery.
Goal setting and chasing can take up a lot of time and energy. If you have just reached a goal that you have been chasing for an extended amount of time, consider taking a break from your own goals and helping someone else within the recovery community. Helping someone else will benefit your recovery by helping you feel valuable and supportive to others and increase your bond with those within the recovery community. Ask your sober friends if there is anything they are currently working on that they could use some support with. Remember not to push, as goals can be a personal endeavor, and people may not want to share the experience with you. Let them know you are there and will help out in any way they need it.
Reaching your goals in recovery is a triumph worth celebrating. You have gone from the darkness of addiction to not only maintaining your sobriety but actively working towards it every single day. Now that you have achieved a goal, you may be stuck on what to do next. NorthStar Transitions can help you keep you on track in recovery and motivate you to keep pushing forward during this period. We understand that recovery can feel stagnant at times, but continually having goals that you can achieve can help motivate you to stay sober for the long haul. Our alumni program is full of supportive individuals waiting to help you achieve your own recovery goals. Located near Denver, Colorado, we have created a home base full of support and love within our community. To learn more about how NorthStar can help you achieve your personal recovery goals, call us today at (303) 558-6400.
