Setting Realistic Goals as an Alcohol Rehab Inpatient

Recovering from alcohol addiction can be a long and arduous journey. Once you’ve decided to stop drinking and change your life, your next step is to establish clear, realistic goals that will help you overcome addiction. If you’ve enrolled yourself into a recovery program as an alcohol rehab inpatient addict, goals can motivate you, help you stay accountable, and grow your confidence and self-esteem.

Goals that are specific, clear, and realistic can help you overcome alcohol addiction successfully.

Here are tips on how to set realistic recovery goals as an alcohol rehab inpatient.

Be Specific

Be as specific as possible when setting goals for overcoming alcohol addiction. Vague goals are more susceptible to loopholes, while specific goals are more definitive and effective at helping you stick to the plan. For example, if exercise is part of your recovery program, say “I will exercise for 30 minutes 5 days per week,” instead of saying “I will exercise more often.”

Consider Personal Aspirations

Writing down your goals will keep them in the back of your mind throughout the day.

Think about what you want to achieve in life, and identify how overcoming alcohol addiction can help you achieve these goals. Is your goal to become healthier? If so, recovering from alcohol abuse can improve your mental clarity and overall bodily function. Do you want to rekindle a relationship with a partner or family member? If so, treating your addiction can help you focus more on the people you love after treatment.

Identify things in your life that are important to you and only you, then use these aspirations as reasons to focus on recovery.

Start Small

Long-term goals may be motivating to a point, but smaller, realistic goals are often easier to achieve, and more effective at triggering dopamine, or the “reward” center of your brain. Your goals must be achievable to be effective, especially during the earliest days of recovery.

Instead of setting a goal to quit drinking for one year, set a smaller goal to abstain from alcohol for one week. Then, move on to two weeks, three weeks, one month, 3 months, and so on. This mindset can lead you in a positive direction without making you resent your own goals.

Write Down Your Goals

Instead of tracking your goals in your head, write them down every day to help program them into your subconscious mind. Scientific research shows that this method sometimes triggers your brain to work on goals even when you’re not consciously thinking about them. Try writing your goals every day first thing when you wake to set yourself up for a positive, successful day of recovery.

Assign Due Dates

Assign deadlines to all your goals so you have timeframes to work with in regards to meeting each goal. If you find that certain deadlines are unrealistic based on your recovery progress, it’s perfectly okay to modify your dates to make them more realistic and achievable. For example, if you haven’t quite met your goal of losing 10 pounds during the first month of treatment, give yourself an extra few weeks to meet your goal, and write down the new due date.

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Ask for Help

Recovering from alcohol is often difficult to achieve on your own, which is why alcohol rehab inpatient facilities offer round-the-clock support to help you through detox and recovery. If you’re facing problems meeting one or more of your goals — even if they seem relatively easy —  don’t feel discouraged, and don’t hesitate to reach out for support and help. Inpatient facilities are staffed with counselors and medical personnel who can help you overcome barriers in the way of your most important goals.

Envision Yourself as a Non-User

When creating goals, envision yourself as a non-user. Write down goals you want to achieve that don’t involve alcohol. This practice can help you envision a sober, fun, successful, fulfilling life, which can help guide you toward an alcohol-free lifestyle following treatment.

Are you looking for treatments and rehab facilities that can help you overcome alcohol addiction? Call our helpline at 800-430-1407Who Answers? for guidance and support, and to learn more about how an alcohol rehab inpatient facility can help you achieve sobriety and greater mental and physical health.