Goal setting is one of the fundamental components of the recovery process. Goals give us something to strive for, and achieving them can be a huge boost to our confidence. When it comes to recovery, no goal is too small, and it’s often baby steps that can help us see the biggest results.

Setting realistic, sustainable goals is a great way to start off the new year. In setting realistic goals, being able to identify exactly what it is we’d like to achieve is a good rule to remember. Setting overarching goals like “staying sober” or “staying away from alcohol” may sound good in theory, but it can be hard to measure them. Instead, citing specifics– like reconnecting with a certain person or taking up a specific hobby– gives us something to aim for, and a clear means of measuring when we’ve achieved it. As for those overarching objectives, there’s nothing wrong with aiming for a few of those this year, but it’s important to break them down into their smaller, more manageable components. Just like the rest of the recovery process, achieving our goals isn’t a sprint to the top. It’s a marathon. The smaller goals we achieve now will build up into much larger milestones before we know it.

Setting realistic goals for this year isn’t just about having something to aim for. Science actually proves that goal setting can help us progress faster than when we don’t make them. In 2014, Charles Duhigg described a Scottish study where recovering surgery patients were assigned to two groups at random– one with a set of goals for recovery, and the other, a control group, with nothing at all. Duhigg notes that the individuals with clearly defined goals for achieving recovery started walking twice as fast, and got out of their wheelchairs almost three times as fast.

Setting realistic, sustainable goals can be the key to keeping us focused and motivated each day. This year, aim for goals that are reasonable, measurable, and timely– then start achieving them.

Tree House Recovery of Portland, Oregon is a premier men’s addiction treatment center We believe that addiction can be conquered via a holistic treatment approach that impacts the mind, body, and soul. Goal setting is a key component of the recovery process, and we teach our men how to set the goals that will push them to become the best versions of themselves. Call (503) 850-2474 to get started with Tree House Recovery today.