Why Is My Recovery Plan Not Working?

Do you ever feel that you have hit a stopping point in recovery? Like you have reached a locked gate and feel that there is no way through? While it may not be easy, you can jump over that fence and start fresh in your recovery.

As you work through the process of recovery, you may notice at some points that your recovery plan no longer appears to be working. This can be frustrating, but it is not uncommon. Recovery plans often take a great deal of patience and experimentation to become as effective as they need to be.

There are many reasons your recovery plan may no longer be working. Fortunately, there are also many ways to overcome this halt in your journey.

Loss of Motivation

One of the most common reasons for a recovery plan to not succeed is the loss of motivation to continue. As you work through recovery, you may reach a point where your progress feels too minimal for the effort required to further it or even maintain it. This is a common feeling in recovery, as many of the accomplishments and milestones are hard to notice.

Losing motivation is a quick way to give up your progress and get yourself stuck in a halt in recovery. While you may not always feel motivated each day, it is important to figure out what needs to change so that you can increase your motivation.

Unaddressed Roadblocks

At times, it may feel like your recovery plan is no longer working. In reality, this may be a point where you have hit a roadblock. This means that you have encountered an obstacle that you feel unable to handle. Your recovery plan at its core may still be working; you just may not have the skills necessary for the situation yet.

If you find that you have hit a roadblock in your recovery, work with your treatment team to determine what skills you need to overcome this obstacle. Your treatment team can help you find appropriate resources, such as skills development groups that can help you.

Re-Assess Your Treatment Plan

You may find that your treatment plan is not the right fit for you at this time. If you feel this way, let your treatment team know. Try to pinpoint which aspects of the plan are no longer working. Looking deep into the reasons why your current plan is not working can help you and your team set up a successful plan you can move forward with.

When re-assessing your treatment plan, you may choose to rethink the plan altogether or make a few minor changes. There may only be a few aspects of your recovery plan that are setting you off balance. By understanding what parts of the plan are not aligning with you, your team can work with you to set up a plan that is better catered to your needs and success. It often takes multiple attempts to make an effective recovery plan, so there is no shame in making changes as necessary.

In the end, you must have a recovery plan that you feel comfortable with. If you attempt to fulfill a plan that does not engage with your goals and desires, you may lose motivation to continue in recovery. Take the time to create a plan that you are excited about.

Alternative Methods

Exploring different alternative methods to maintain sobriety can give you a fresh new perspective on recovery. It is an opportunity to try something new. Using alternate methods can help you establish new coping skills and practices to keep yourself on track. 

Clarified Goals

When you notice your progress slowing down, it may be a great time to re-assess your goals. Think about the goals you currently have in place and determine if they still align with your values and desires.

If your goals don’t still excite you, consider altering them. If they do still align with you but you are having trouble making progress with them, think about what intermediate steps are not proving effective. There may be other approaches you can take to achieve what you want from your goals.

While you are thinking about your goals, remember to create a few short-term goals intended to help you regain focus on recovery. Short-term goals are a great way to work toward something with a clear end in sight.

Holistic Approaches

At Dream Recovery, we believe there are many benefits in the use of holistic approaches for maintaining sobriety. Holistic approaches can vary from engaging in physical activity, meditating, spending time in nature, practicing your spirituality, and including many other practices. The goal of holistic practices is to create a sense of balance. Therefore, focus on the aspects of your life that are currently being neglected.

Holistic practices can be a great approach to use when re-assessing your treatment plan because they focus on balancing out areas within your life that are not up to par. This can give you a clear indicator of what you may need to add or alter in your current recovery plan to continue your success.

Effective recovery plans are not always easy to establish. It often takes a great deal of experimentation to create and refine a plan so that it continues working for you. You may find that a recovery plan works for a while but eventually loses its influence on your sobriety. This can be hard to move past, as you may feel that you are starting over in your journey. If you feel stuck in your progress, reach out to your treatment team. We are here to help you re-assess your plan and work with you to implement alternative methods to help you maintain your sobriety. Feeling stuck does not mean you have to start over in recovery. You may need a few simple adjustments to your treatment plan. To learn more about overcoming this obstacle or to re-assess your treatment plan, reach out to Dream Recovery at (949) 732-1960.