It’s amazing how much clarity and peace of mind goal-setting can bring to your life. Especially during a tumultuous time like treatment and recovery, it can be hard to determine what goals are actually realistic and achievable for you. With that in mind, how do you make good goals during addiction? One way is to use the technique of creating “SMART” goals. SMART recovery goals meet the five following characteristics: they are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based.
What Are S.M.A.R.T. Goals?
The reality is that substance use disorders (SUDs) often cause tremendous challenges. With SMART Goals, you can build success in your recovery and work towards building a better future. SMART goals are extremely effective in helping people achieve long-term sobriety. Let's review the five characteristics of SMART Goals and what they mean:
Specific
Setting goals for addiction recovery can be daunting. Writing specific goals can make it easier for you to make sure that you can actually reach those goals. Specific goals allow you to track your progress, and, as a result, they increase your focus and motivation.
Measurable
Measurable goals give room for tracking progress. Measurable goals are highly useful because they allow you to see progress in your sobriety. These goals also help you connect the dots and find tangible evidence that you're making progress. If you’re not seeing tangible evidence that you’re working towards your recovery goal, it’s likely that you need to make some changes. Measurable goals allow you to follow up on your progress and have realistic and achievable expectations.
To set a measurable goal, think of a concrete, specific goal like “I want to go five days without drinking alcohol." Next, measure your progress by counting the days. For instance, if you went for five consecutive days without drinking alcohol, you should celebrate your reached goal.
Measurable goals also extend into other aspects of living. A measurable goal could be “go on a run once a week” or “read ten pages every night before bed.”
Achievable
Achievable goals help you reach an “aspirational goal” by making them manageable and realistic. To achieve this goal, you can break it down into smaller, more manageable chunks. Achievable goals help you increase your drive and your motivation. As you achieve these manageable benchmarks, you develop greater confidence in your ability to do the work.
For instance, let's say your target goal is to improve your fitness. To make it an achievable goal, turn it to walking one mile a day. Once you achieve that goal for several months, add another fitness-related goal, like 30 minutes of resistance training twice a week. As your confidence and fitness improve, you can continue to build upon these fitness goals. It is like a stepladder approach. This approach can help you rebuild healthy habits.
Relevant
Are you someone in recovery from substance use who needs treatment to get back on your feet? Are you recovering from SUD and are searching for a plan to improve your quality of life? Ensuring your goals apply to your recovery can help. To do this, consider setting goals that directly correspond to your current circumstances. For instance, if you're currently struggling with a substance use disorder, set a goal for finding a treatment facility. That goal applies directly to your recovery.
Time-bound
Determining a realistic time period to accomplish the goal plays an important role in having a successful recovery. When setting goals, remember that the recovery journey often involves many phases over the long term. This approach allows you to mark your progress more realistically. You can define goals according to the reality of time constraints. Consider creating a few short-term goals, like attending a certain amount of AA meetings in 90 days, along with some longer-term goals, like reaching a year of sobriety.
SMART goals mean you can prioritize your aspirations, achieving them with confidence while increasing your self-worth.
Tips on How to Stick To Your SMART Goal
Using some of these suggestions can help you set and maintain your SMART goals. For example, keep a note of your SMART goals by writing them on your phone, journal, or computer. Having it noted will help with tracking and reviewing. This can help cement the goals in your mind. Another way to note your goals is to use SMART Recovery's goal worksheets. These worksheets can assist you with turning your goals into SMART goals.
Planning how you want to track your progress is also a great idea. For example, if you're using a journal for planning, consider what you achieved during the last week. Examine and review your progress towards your goals, seeing where you’re going right and where you're going wrong. Focusing on your goals should be a daily activity.
You should also surround yourself with supportive people who will encourage you to reach your goals, asking your loved ones or friends to hold you accountable to these goals. Most of all, though, recovery from a SUD benefits from the ability to be flexible. Learning to adapt to life’s developing circumstances keeps you on track. Pay attention to alternative paths and plans for achieving your goals, and know when you need to adjust your goals or plans.
Do you have a sense of balance in your recovery? SMART goals can help you cultivate healthier habits that sustain long-term recovery. Setting SMART goals focuses on building motivation, managing thoughts, coping with urges, and living a balanced life. SMART goals focus on the key aspects of goal setting, making sure they're specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. This action plan transforms your dreams into manageable goals because it helps you visualize and understand the right steps for you to take to achieve your aspirations. Even the complexity of healing from SUD can be broken down into manageable, specific steps. For instance, you begin your recovery with a specific, measurable goal like starting treatment. At Monte Cristo Recovery, we can help you achieve your recovery goals. Our trained team of professionals can assist you throughout your treatment, helping you to make your recovery successful. For more information about what we offer, call today at (714) 824-9896.