Goals are a topic you’re likely to hear a lot about during your time in drug and alcohol treatment, at least if you get treatment in Lubbock, Texas, at The Ranch at Dove Tree. The most obvious goal people in treatment have is to stop using substances, but what else? What other goals can you set to help you achieve your best outcome?

Why do goals matter?

• Goals motivate you to keep moving forward.
• The right goals can help you to know where you’re going, giving you an objective to reach.
• Goals change the function of the brain, helping to rewire thought processes so that you can achieve the objective you set. The neuroscience of goals is fascinating.
• The best goals – those that are actionable – can help you be honest and realistic with yourself about where you are but also help you overcome the challenges you face.
• Goals help you see the world in a new way, creating a positive level of inspiration to get through even some of the toughest times.

To achieve your goals, they must be realistic, actionable, and specific. When you come in for drug and alcohol treatment, you’ll work closely with your therapist to create the goals best suited for your needs.

Common Goals in Addiction Treatment

To help you get started, consider the most common goals people have in both addiction treatment and recovery. Then, you can build strategies to fit your specific needs and objectives.

#1: To have a safe, drug-free place to live

One of the most important foundational goals is having a place to live that’s safe and drug-free, where you are supported on all levels. A safe place may not be the home you’ve lived in for years. During treatment, many people live in our care facility because it offers hands-on support. Afterward, we may work with you on transitional living, allowing you to find a place to live that supports your recovery.

#2: To learn more about addiction and how it impacts you physically

Educating you on the disease of addiction is another important step in treatment. Even though you know what’s happened to you and how it impacted your life, getting a solid education in how addiction happens, what it does to your brain, and how it impacts your health is critical to recovery.

Arming you with knowledge allows you to better anticipate what’s to come and what you need at any given moment to avoid relapse. Learning as much about this disease as possible gives you the support you need to continue to battle through it.

#3: To develop healthy coping methods

We cannot take away the stress of life. However, in treatment, our therapists will work with you to develop better coping methods for stress, anxiety, fear, and other taxing experiences you have. This is critical to helping you avoid turning to a substance when you’re faced with challenges.

With numerous highly effective stress management strategies available, we can help you alleviate some of the behavioral reasons you turn to substances. You can develop healthy methods that better empower you to live a substance-free life if you know what works.

#4: To address the trauma and mental health challenges behind your addiction

Another core component of the drug and alcohol treatment is addressing any trauma or mental health challenges, like depression or anxiety, alongside your addiction. Your goal here may be to learn what’s happening in your brain that’s leading you to turn to substances. Is there a painful history of abuse limiting you? Are you suffering from the intensity of depression due to a chemical imbalance?

If such an issue exists, you’ll decide how to address it so it no longer limits your future. What plan will you put in place to help you stay strong after treatment ends? 

#5: To develop a strong network of support

Addiction is not a one-player game. To win at recovery, you absolutely need to have the right support structure around you now, during your treatment, and in the years to come. That’s easy to say, but how do you develop such a network of support?

Our team will help you to create the therapy and professional support you’ll need to recover. You’ll also learn about the importance of routine community meetings and mentors. During family therapy, you and those you choose to be a part of your recovery can also create some goals to work together to achieve.

Set the Most Important Goal for You Today: Reach Out for Compassionate Care and Support

The Ranch at Dove Tree is here for you. Take the time right now to learn how we can help you. Set up a consultation, discuss your care needs with our admissions team, and make the decision to build a future in recovery. Our drug and alcohol treatment center in Lubbock is waiting for you.