Journaling Prompts to Help Your Addiction Recovery Journey

• 1. What made me think about alcohol or drug use in the first place?
• 2. Is there something I do that makes using drugs or drinking easier? Maybe you love to drink because it helps you relax. Or maybe it’s shopping. Perhaps it’s staying up late talking on the phone. Write down what you like about your habits.
• 3. How does using drugs affect my life in the long run? For example, if I have more money when I’m not using, will that make it harder for me to stop?
• 4. How could I keep myself from sneaking drinks at parties, concerts, etc.? It may take practice and trust to realize that you don’t need alcohol or drugs every time you go out to enjoy yourself. Do whatever it takes to remind yourself that you’re strong enough to resist temptation.
• 5. Why did I decide to quit using drugs or drinking? What has helped me? Describe how others helped too. Even people who weren’t around when you were using can play an important role in helping you recover.
• 6. I tried to cut back by going through withdrawal, but now I want another hit. Have I learned anything during these times? Can I ever expect to feel different without alcohol or other addictive substances?
• 7. Did I find someone else to replace those friends or activities? It’s difficult to move away from old friendships or routines once you’ve gotten very comfortable with them. But the truth is, they aren’t healthy for you; no one wants their close relationships to harm themselves and others.
• 8. When was the last time I felt like I needed to cut back on my drinking or drug use? Think about the reasons in your list. Was there any reason that stood out?
• 9. Does anyone know where I hid my drugs or alcohol after I stopped using them? Were you around when I took them off the counter? If so, describe what happened next. Did you notice any changes in your behavior?
• 10. Do I have any concerns about my health from all the drinking and drug taking? For instance, am I getting sicker and weaker? Am I gaining weight?
• 11. Do I have any unusual cravings since stopping drinking or using drugs? What are they? Let them be as clear as possible. Sometimes the body just needs its mind focused on something.
• 12. Did I ask for help at any point? What kind of help did I seek? Now that you’ve been clean for some time, would you tell people about your experience? Can others really understand the struggle unless they’ve lived it themselves?
• 13. How much better do I feel when I’m not abusing alcohol or drugs? Think about things that have changed for the better. Maybe I don’t suffer headaches anymore. Or I sleep better. Or I see things more clearly.
• 14. If I couldn’t get high or drunk right now, what would I do? Be honest. You might surprise yourself with what comes up. Perhaps you’d like a day to spend with family, for example.
• 15. Are there any feelings or thoughts that I experienced in recovery that surprised me? These may seem insignificant now, but they’ll become valuable insights.
• 16. How often did I do this thing when I was drinking or using? Did I continue doing it even though it didn’t work well? In fact, do I still do it? Consider each question carefully. The answers might give you insights into yourself that you never knew before.
• 17. Has anyone offered me encouragement? This could mean words of praise or consolation, or perhaps advice. You can offer it, too. And if others did the same thing, think about whether or not they had motives beyond being nice to you.
• 18. Have I done anything to hurt myself recently? Take some time to look over your journal entries from the past few months. Pay particular attention to the last couple of weeks. Were you acting impulsively because you hadn’t been “clean” long enough to realize what you were doing?
• 19. How does my life compare to how it used to be? Look back over your daily journal entries. See if you can spot trends. Try making comparisons.
• 20. Will I be able to live without using alcohol or other drugs forever? Ask yourself. Can you imagine living a different way and still feeling happy?
• 21. Has my life improved over the years? If you’re looking back, you might want to write down a paragraph or two about what you remember.
• 22. Have I learned any lessons by going through this process? Perhaps you realized that you need to pay more attention to the company you keep. Or maybe you found a passion or purpose that wasn’t tied to substances. Whatever it is that makes you special, let it guide who you are.
• 23. Is there anything else I should think about during treatment? Write several paragraphs describing what you hope your future holds. You might also consider writing about someone else’s story. It always helps to hear another person’s perspective and learn from their examples.
• 24. Does getting this far scare me? Yes. Do I wish it was easier? Absolutely. But all human beings try to find meaning in difficult circumstances. When we reach this stage, we know that we’re ready—not just physically, but mentally as well.
• 25. What is my greatest weakness? If you were asked to list your strengths and weaknesses, where would you probably place them on the list? Why? You might use these ideas to help you improve one area of your life while leaving other areas alone.
• 26. Am I satisfied with how I’ve handled myself in the past? If you could change something about your current situation, what would it be? Remember, you are your own best coach! So ask yourself: Which aspects of your behavior will support your goals?
• 27. Are my friends supportive or noncommittal? Your friends may have heard you talk candidly about your problems, even though they didn’t actually see you struggling. As such, they need to understand and accept the changes you’re facing.
• 28. Did most people react positively toward my efforts? No matter how many good things happen, you shouldn’t feel entitled to favorable reactions every day. Don’t expect everyone around you to agree with your decisions 100 percent of the time.
• 29. How can I continue making progress? At first, you may struggle to answer this question. Maybe you really don’t know where to start. However, there are many ways you can build upon your successes.
• 30. Where will I be one year from now? Think back to the beginning of this chapter and reflect on your answers. Will you still be working hard on yourself? Can you imagine where you want to be at the end of next year?
• 31. How can I keep moving forward? This is an important question because it tells us that you’re committed to living a happy life. If you don’t feel motivated, then you won’t go very far. So give yourself credit whenever you succeed and forgive yourself when you fail.
• 32. What kind of person am I becoming? When you think back over the past month, which qualities stand out as having developed most favorably? Consider whether these characteristics represent the type of person you aspire to be.
• 33. Am I getting further along than I expected? Looking up at the sky, what do you see? Clouds or stars? Either way, this moment represents the beginning of a new era. Reflect on all of the steps you took this year. Were you able to move beyond some of your difficulties? Which ones were easy? Which ones proved difficult?
• 34. Today I… (fill in the blank) Remember, you control only YOURSELF. Focus on reaching your goals by taking small consistent STEPS. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t achieve your dreams. We are surrounded by people who tell us what we cannot do.
• 35. What will I say to my greatest critic? Imagine someone whom you love dearly telling you “You aren’t making me proud.” Say this aloud, and picture her in your mind as she says it. How does this affect you emotionally? Do you get angry?
• 36. What would I like people to know about me? Write down three things that describe you in the best light. Then write down one thing that describes you in a less-than-positive way. Read through both lists together, and compare them.
• 37. Are there any activities I’m avoiding? If so, why? Maybe you feel afraid or ashamed to participate in an activity, and don’t have the courage to go forward. Or maybe you know that you’ll enjoy participating, but fear being seen or judged by other people.
• 38. When was the last time I felt happy? Did I try to change something that made me unhappy? Was it an isolated incident or a recurring pattern? Consider these questions while writing down answers to them. 
• 39. What should I expect to happen today? Take some extra time and really assess where you are right now in your addiction journey. Have you made progress? Have you had setbacks? Have you done anything new today?
• 40. What can I learn from my mistakes? List five situations in which you failed at something important in your life. Write out each failure on separate piece of paper and examine all aspects of them. For example, did you use poor judgment?
• 41. What will I do to help myself succeed tomorrow? Make plans to handle problems that may arise during your day. Before going to bed, plan your schedule for the days ahead, listing everything that needs to be accomplished.
• 42. In what ways does my current lifestyle support my recovery? Write down what you need to accomplish in order to recover from the disease of addiction successfully.
• 43. What’s happening in my brain? Do the feelings that you’ve been experiencing lately seem normal? Are they consistent with how you usually respond to certain events and environments? Do they seem extreme?
• 44. Is there any harm involved in this situation? While you’re still trying to figure out if this activity truly represents harmful behavior, think back over the past week.
• 45. What’s my motivation? Think about the reasons why you continue to drink and/or use drugs. Does this habit serve any useful purpose in your life? There’s always an excuse.
• 46. What has changed? A lot has changed since the beginning of our journey together. Your thoughts, attitudes, emotions, and behaviors have certainly evolved. Now that’s a real accomplishment!
• 47. What’s new? What were you doing before you began this journaling project? Describe what’s happened since you started writing about your experience in recovery. It is likely that many of your old habits have disappeared, and maybe it’s easy to forget that they existed.
• 48. What do I miss? If you’ve spent weeks studying this list, you probably know what you miss most about being addicted. But have you thought about what you also miss when you’re away from your drug of choice?
• 49. How do I want my life to be different? What specific outcomes do you want to achieve? Do you want to earn a promotion at work? Have more money? Gain a certain skill set? Start a business? Make art?
• 50. What am I looking forward to? Write down what you’re looking forward to after completing your program of recovery.

Conclusion

I hope that this addiction recovery journal have helped you to have a more positive outlook on life, as well as improving your overall recovery process.

Best of luck!