The decision to get sober from drugs and alcohol is a significant one. You may have wrestled with this idea for years and have finally decided to act. Congratulations on taking this important first step toward a better life.

It is helpful to identify and explore your reasons for making this decision to revisit if you feel your motivation to stay sober is waning.

There are two main types of motivation – intrinsic and extrinsic.

Intrinsic motivation is when we are driven by internal desires. For example, after many years of drinking and drug use, we want to get sober to feel better – we are “Sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Extrinsic motivation is when we are driven by external rewards or factors. For example, we get sober after constant pressure from our spouse.

Many of us are driven to treatment and recovery by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. While intrinsic motivation tends to produce better results, extrinsic motivation is not inherently ineffective. Also, keep in mind that motivating factors during recovery don't always need to be the same. Our factors affecting our motivation can change over time. Our reasons for getting sober may not be the same as our reasons for maintaining sobriety. For example, our initial impetus for getting sober was that our employer mandated it (extrinsic), but after 3 months in, we are driven more by the internal desires to learn about the psychology of addiction to support our recovery process (intrinsic) and to feel the satisfaction of navigating the challenges of sobriety (intrinsic). Therefore, it is important to assess your motivations at regular intervals.

One tool is to write down your motivations for sobriety on a piece of paper or business card. When you are experiencing strong thoughts, cravings, or urges to use, pull out what you wrote to remind yourself of why you are doing this. We know of a person in recovery who wrote down their motivations for sobriety on a business card which they kept in their wallet. After a stressful day about 4 months into their sobriety, they went to the liquor store to buy alcohol, but when they went to pull out their credit card, they saw the business card first, and ended up walking out of the store empty-handed. Today, this individual has more than 10 years without a drink.

We are here to help. Call us at 773-747-5000.