Setting up goals is among the first things that should be done by individuals who want to get a hold of long term solutions after having been cleansed from toxic substances. Why aim for long term? This ensures that former sufferers will not retrace their steps back into rehab facilities.

There are a lot of possibilities of returning to the dark phase if the case is not properly managed. It’s one of the reasons why experts dealing with sober living in Los Angeles take great effort in creating a unique kind of environment that can take care of concerns that, we, as family members cannot take charge of.

Setting it up

Hope is apparent at the onset of every plan or project; without it, nothing positive comes out in every inch of exerted effort. Trusting that the goal can be fulfilled is also needed in order to deliver what was initially thought of and to make it work in favor of the goal. Here are some tips that can help you set up your goals:

  1. Be precise: Follow the dates on your goals to see if you have done things right at a set timeframe.

  2. Prioritize: Label goals from the most important to the least so you may know how much effort you have to use to arrive at the bottom of the list.

  3. Be realistic: Take on the easier ones first and prepare yourself to tackle the harder parts later.

Lifetime goals can be laid down by an individual himself as it requires 100% conformity to his own mindset and capacity to do things. It creates an overall perspective wherein faults and achievements are easily seen and available solutions are used to obtain a positive end. Nevertheless, drafting long term goals would highly depend on aspects which include:

    • Attitude – If there’s something on your mind that prevents change, then, that should be identified at the time total recovery is planned. Bearing negative thoughts can destroy a person and every move to transform himself into a better citizen could be fruitless. There has to be a covenant to change for the better and action is needed to make this work.

    • Relationships –A recovering addict’s way of thinking is different from that of others who are not into substance abuse. Ties that bind this person with his family and friends are destroyed once he delineates from the norms of society. As for how long he can maintain these relationships is the perennial question. How long can he hold on?

    • Physical aspect – Recovery doesn’t start and end in one-on-one conferences and advices. It also involves physical activities that hasten up recovery as far as the body is concerned. It is understood that a healthy and fit body leads a person into thinking the right way that’s why in sober living programs, patients are asked to embark on routine activities that mold not only the body but the individual as a whole.

    • Advocacy – Not all people take this aspect into consideration as a majority of them think that taking on an advocacy against substance abuse can use a lot of money. This wrong notion limits one’s self into doing something good towards others.

Taking time to talk in front of an audience does not involve money and the time it entails is just a fraction of your waking hours. Promoting projects that take up most of the patients’ time can be obtained through sponsorship. Businesses that have budget for this type of advocacy are at hand.

All these reminders should be written to make you remember everything that has to be done. Believing in yourself can make a big difference in this type of effort where others have failed big time.