Hope and Healing

                    Addiction Recovery Journal Prompts

Some days you may sit down with your journal and find that thoughts come easily. You know what you want to write. On other days, you may sit and stare at the blank page and not know where to begin. Below are some journaling prompts for those days you need a little help getting started.

• Think about all the people who helped you on your journey to sobriety. Write a speech thanking them. Remember to include yourself in the thank-yous.
• What is one skill you would like to learn in the future? When people are struggling with a substance use disorder they generally only live in the moment. Look forward to the future and the things you would like to learn.
•  Imagine yourself in the future talking to your children or grandchildren about drug and alcohol addiction. What would you say to them? Would you explain your experiences to them? How would you explain your experiences to a teenager or child?
• Can you remember when you first felt like you were addicted to drugs or alcohol? Do you remember how you felt?
• Describe the happiest moment in your life. Explain why it made you feel that way.
•  Are there self-defeating thoughts in your self-talk? Write down three of them and the ways you can reframe those thoughts to encourage yourself.
• Think about four people whom you have trouble getting along with or who irritate you. What is it that irritates you the most about them? Then make a list of at least three positive qualities about each person.
• What might your life be like today if you were not in recovery? What would have happened to you if you had not gotten the help you needed to become sober? Think about the negative consequences and risks you were willing to take when you were in active addiction.
• Take ten minutes and write down as many things you are grateful for in your life. It could include people, pets, your job, objects, places, and anything else you want. Pick one or two items from the list and explain why you feel that way.
• What is one manageable goal you want to accomplish in the next six months, the next year, or the next five years? Why is that goal important to you?