Addiction has changed you, but recovery will change you. Find out who you truly are. You are capable of reaching your full potential in recovery. Recovery is a lifelong process and living a sober life is the ultimate commitment. There is more to recovery than simply being abstinent from drugs. You must have the resources, tools, support, coping skills, professional treatment, and the proper mindset. After all, initially getting sober is the easy part, staying sober is hard. Much harder than you may think. The most important factor in achieving complete sobriety is the motivation behind it all. Why do you want to be sober? The answer might seem obvious but, you really need to want it. Every part of your being has to be committed to changing your lifestyle. You need to have the motivation to get sober and to stay sober. If someone is to ask what motivated you to make this change, what would you say? Do you know what your answer would be? What is your sober motivation?
Find Your Sober Motivation
What is sober motivation? Motivation is the driving force that turns your thoughts into action. Think about what inspires you to live a sober life. What factors in your life have driven you to make this decision?
Think about that moment of clarity when you know that you are ready to stop using. Now is the time for you to make the change from addiction to recovery. Whether your life is just beginning to fall apart or you have hit rock bottom, it has become clear that you are now ready.
You have made the official decision to say goodbye to the drugs, to your addiction, and you want help. No more chaos, no more pain, and no more unhappiness. Furthermore, you want to live a sober lifestyle, to be clean and to start over. You are now ready to start fresh in a new life of sobriety.
But why? What is the motivation behind this life altering decision?
Sobriety is Selfish
While in treatment, you will hear time and time again that you have to want it. You have to get clean because you want to. You can not get clean for somebody else. Do it because you want it. Let me tell you, staying sober is hard for anyone and if you are not all in, then it’s not going to work. Plain and simple. Every part of you has to want it and be ready and willing to change – mentally, spiritually, and physically.
Although, you are not your motivation. Your motivation for wanting to get sober and stay sober can come from a number of things. You need something that motivates you to change your entire life. After all, being a recovering addict instead of in active addiction is a complete lifestyle change.
Sobriety is selfish in the sense that it’s all about you, but the motivation behind wanting to be in sobriety doesn’t have to be all about you. There are many different circumstances that motivate people to begin their recovery journey. One of those reasons may also be your sober motivation.
Motivating Factors To be Sober
Marriage
It is no secret that addiction can put a strain on your marriage. Trust is broken, infidelity may have taken place, lies, heartache, and so on. Addiction can affect a person’s marriage greatly. If addiction is the underlying problem in your marriage. Try getting clean instead of getting a divorce. It very well could be the solution to your marital strife.
Children
Not only can your addiction put a strain on your marriage but, it can hurt your children as well. Depending on your child’s age, the potential harm a child faces can traumatize a child for life. If old enough, they could become addicts themselves. In many cases, addict parents even lose custody of their children, sometimes permanently.
Work/Career
Addiction greatly affects your behavior and appearance in the workplace. It could jeopardize your job or chances for an amazing career. Once addiction deepens, many addicts can not even hold a steady job. If you are lucky enough to still be employed, try to fix the situation while it is still possible.
Legal
Unfortunately, legal issues go hand in hand with drug addiction. Addicts will commit crimes to get money for the drugs that they need. Addicts may face probation, parole, house arrest, loss of license, and even prison time. Legal issues can follow you and affect other areas of your life as well.
Health
Clearly, addiction affects your health, so needing to improve your health could easily be your motivation for getting clean. Drinking alcohol or using any illegal drugs not only diminishes your well being, but can cause you to contract diseases and destroy your body’s ability to properly function.
Better Life
All of these reasons are motivation to living a better life, but maybe the thought of a better life is the original motivation for your sobriety. While it may seem selfish to some, it’s a fabulous and justified reason. Being in recovery can and will improve every aspect of your life.
The number of reasons that motivate one to be in active recovery instead of active addiction are endless. Your motivation can be one reason or all of these reasons combined. Overall, every inspirational factor leads to the ultimate motivation. The yearning to live a more desirable and fulfilling life.
Staying Sober is Hard, Especially in the Beginning
You take on sobriety with a driving force, an unstoppable willpower, and personal incentive. While the very beginning of your sobriety, detox, and treatment will seem difficult, you must remember that the fight of your life has just begun. Your sobriety is a never ending battle.
Staying sober is hard, very hard. Especially, during the first year. There are millions of obstacles and issues that you must face.
-
Wreckage of The Past :Your problems won’t simply disappear, you must face them accordingly.
-
Sober Lifestyle : Creating a new life. A life without the use of drugs, you need coping skills and structured support. Your dreams are now achievable in recovery. Although, to accomplish your goals, you must become productive in life and in sobriety. It requires hard work and dedication.
-
People, Places, and Things : Changing people, places, and things are crucial to your recovery. If you do the same things with the same people, in the same places. What did you change? Nothing. You can’t do the same thing and expect different results.
-
Self Discovery : Addiction has changed you for the worse, but recovery will change you for the better. Finally, you can work on finding out who you truly are. You are capable of reaching your full potential as an amazing person in recovery.
It is true, staying sober is hard. Yet, the longer you stay clean and work on your recovery. Then, the more benefits you will reap. With each step and each day, your life will improve and your motivation to stay clean will grow stronger and stronger.
Eventually, sobriety will come naturally. Fighting for your recovery with strength and courage will come from deep within you. You will not think that staying sober is hard anymore. You will be living a sober lifestyle. Living as a productive individual who is inspired, empowered, and motivated in your recovery. Even though you may think that staying sober is hard, remember, you are worth it.
We want to know what motivates you. Why did you choose recovery?. What is your sober motivation?