Keeping a journal is a great way to see where you are, notice trends in your behavior, and see your progress over time. If you are in addiction recovery, this data is essential because it helps you pinpoint your triggers and learn strategies to avoid or conquer them.
You can get encouragement when you reread about past successes in your journal, such as when you overcame a particularly difficult trial. You can also gather hope for the future as you read about your reasons for staying sober and recommit to your journey.
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Here are some journal prompts to help you in your journey of self-discovery:
Prompts
- Have you considered turning your life over to a higher power?
- Have you made an effort to discover who that higher power is?
- Have you experimented with prayer, and how did it make you feel?
- Have you read the scriptures today, and what message did they have for you?
- What are five things that give you joy?
- What are five things you’ve done that make yourself proud?
- What are five things that make you feel at peace?
- What steps have you taken to conquer addiction? Analyze the steps you’ve taken. What proved helpful, and what proved harmful?
- What is something you can do now that supports your sobriety?
- Where do you want to be in two weeks? What progress will you make?
- Where do you want to be in two months? What progress will you make?
- Where do you want to be in six months? What progress will you make?
- Where do you want to be in a year? What progress will you make?
- What will you do to celebrate your one-year chip? (Chip refers to a medallion given after a year of sobriety.) Who will you celebrate with?
- Have you found a passion project that helps you give back to the world? What does it entail, how does it make you feel, and what is your ultimate goal for that service?
- What have you done to mend your relationships with your family today?
- What have you done to take care of yourself today?
- What have you done to reach out to your Creator today?
- Over the next week, find five opportunities to help someone and write about your experiences.
- If you have children, what is going on in their lives? How can you involve yourself in a positive way? How can you support them in what they want to do and make them feel special?
- If you have a spouse, have you told them how much you appreciate them? Have you expressed your deepest love for them?
- Have you tried praying on your knees? Did it make a difference in how you approached your God?
- Have you tried praying aloud? How did it feel compared to praying silently in your head?
- Sit in nature for 15 minutes with your eyes closed. What did you hear? What did you smell? Could you taste the air? Could you feel the sun? What thoughts came into your mind? How did you feel?
- Have you asked God to know His will for your life and what you can achieve and look forward to?
- Recount a time when you have prayed and felt God with you.
- When you go to recovery meetings, are you focused on how to help others stay sober? If not, how could you do more of this?
- When you go to counseling, do you pray for God to guide your discussion and help you find truth and insight?
- When was the last time you created something with your hands? What did you make, and how did it feel?
- When you lie down at night, do you focus on the future or the past?
- Have you considered how to use your addiction and the lessons you’ve learned to bless others?
- Have you considered how your addiction brings you closer to God? He never wastes a wound. As you rely on Him, you gain strength to fight your battles. Recount a time when you noticed this to be true.
Final Thoughts
As you use these journal prompts, record the impressions that come into your heart. You can often hear God whispering truth to you when you write in your journal. It’s a time when you are still enough to hear what He has to say, especially if you pray before you begin to receive the messages He has for you.
When you write in your journal, don’t focus on failures; focus on your successes. Every inch toward your goal of sobriety is worth celebrating.
While journaling is great, it isn’t enough on its own to take you from addiction to sobriety. It’s a tool best used after admitting yourself to a drug and alcohol detox center so they can safely get you past the detoxification process. They have medicines that will help, so detoxing isn’t so painful or scary. We have detox facilities near St. George, Salt Lake City, and Vernal if you live in Utah. If you live in Idaho, we have a women’s addiction recovery center in Burley.