31 Fantastic Journaling Prompts for Recovery from Addiction
Journaling is a liberating practice that allows you to work through emotions, thoughts, and feelings. So these journaling prompts for recovery are designed to help you. Gain introspection concerning your addiction. As well as process your recovery journey.
Reasons to Journal During Addiction Recovery
Writing allows you to work through your issues tangibly. Firstly, journaling provides a creative outlet. Secondly, revisit and unpack memories. As well as elaborate new ideas. Thirdly, journaling is a fantastic source of stress relief. Lastly, keeping a journal documents your journey. So that you may reflect on how far you’ve come.
Additionally, celebrate your daily progress while maintaining personal accountability. It’s important to celebrate sobriety milestones. Furthermore, personal accountability is huge for successful recovery. Particularly, during the beginning stages.
Keeping a journal is a healthy habit to replace former negative ones. Also, it’s a positive beginning to maintaining a routine. Something many addicts struggle with in life.
Journaling is a mental health safe space. So embrace the process. Allow yourself to be vulnerable with yourself and experience healing and growth.
Thirty-one journaling prompts for recovery challenge you to commit to one month of the journaling process. My sincere hope is that you experience deep reflection and healing.
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Different Journaling Styles
Before you get started it’s important to notate the varying journaling styles. Here are three popular journal formats.
Gratitude Journaling
Gratitude journaling is a popular style for expressing what you’re grateful for. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude is vital for successful recovery. Regardless of what your prompt is for the day, it’s good to include at least one thing you’re grateful for.
Self-Guided Journaling
Self-guided journaling is the dear diary format most people are familiar with. I find this style to be reflective. But having guided prompts helps ensure I’m focused.
Guided Journaling
So these journaling prompts for recovery are the guided journal style. They’re meant to lead you through self-discovery. Without a doubt, there will be gratitude journal prompts. Because being grateful is crucial for recovery.
Related: The Best Sober Journal to Inspire & Motivate Personal Growth
Question Journaling Prompts for Recovery
Asking yourself questions is an effective way to reflect on your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. As well as to dig deeper into traumas that may be your underlying issues for substance abuse. Here are a handful of question journaling prompts for recovery to start documenting your journey.
1. What are you grateful for?
2. How would you explain addiction to someone who’s never experienced it before?
3. What does the word freedom mean to you?
4. If I weren’t in recovery how would my life look right now?
5. What is your biggest fear and how do you plan to overcome it?
6. Who is the person you admire most and why?
7. What about recovery scares you the most?
8. What does unconditional love mean to you, and have you experienced or given it?
9. What is something that you wish other people knew and understood about yourself?
10. How do you want to celebrate your sobriety in five years?
11. If you were giving a motivational advice speech about recovery, what would you say?
12. What does self-care mean to me, and am I practicing it?
13. When were you the most confident in life?
14. What is your favorite memory? Include all the details you can remember.
15. How do you determine whether or not someone is trustworthy?
List Journaling Prompts for Recovery
Without a doubt, making lists helps explore thoughts, feelings, and emotions. So select a number for each list and commit to filling it in. These list journaling prompts have numbers listed for you. However, you can write more or less. A good list is at least three to ten items per question.
16. What are five things you have learned during your recovery process?
17. Name ten things that you like about yourself.
18. What are five things you never want to experience again?
19. Name ten things in your life that make you smile.
20. List three positive things about your childhood.
21. What are five things you are proud of yourself for?
22. What are three things you have done for other people?
23. List ten things that you are grateful for.
24. What are five things you couldn’t live without and explain why?
25. List three things you do better than most people.
Goal-Setting Journaling Prompts for Recovery
After you’ve answered questions and made lists about yourself, it is time to set your goals. There are three sets of goals to address. Sit down and take some time to reflect on what each of these sets of goals looks like for you.
Short-Term Goals
Short-term goals are your immediate ambitions. Usually, these goals are determined between one and six months.
26. What are your short-term goals?
Medium-Term Goals
Medium-term goals are the intentions you set for yourself during the next one to two years.
27. What are your medium-term goals?
Long-Term Goals
Long-term goals address objectives you determine for yourself over the next five to ten years.
28. What are your long-term goals?
Letter Journaling Prompts for Recovery
Writing letters to yourself is a wonderful way to heal and transform your perspective. Letter writing, or transactional writing, helps move you past things you thought you couldn’t get over.
Additionally, writing letters promote compassion, empathy, and forgiveness. As well as developing an attitude of gratitude as you move beyond transgressions. And accept the healing and release that writing provides.
29. Write a letter to your former addicted self.
30. Write a letter to present day you.
31. Write a letter to your future self.
Additional Things to Include in Your Journal
In addition to journaling prompts, you can include different things to influence your creative outlet. Here are a few ideas for ways to indulge your creativity:
- Add color by drawing fun doodles.
- Include favorite pictures throughout the pages.
- Use journal stencils if your freehand is subpar.
- Press and dry flowers between the pages.
- Include inspirational sobriety quotes.
- Write scripture throughout the pages.
- Decorate your journal with positive stickers.
That concludes this list of journaling prompts for recovery from addiction. Be sure to grab the best sober journal for your journey. Also, would you hit that social share button for me? Thanks! Those make me incredibly happy. You’ve got this!
Popular Reading:
8 Steps for Effectively Managing Triggers in Recovery
A Comprehensive Drug and Alcohol Recovery Meetings Directory
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These are all excellent prompts. I feel like it would be hard at times to think of anything to journal in the midst of going through such a hard fight. So many emotions can be overwhelming. Sobriety journal Prompts like this could be a big help.
So many great points. I always wanted to start journaling. Thanks for reminding me again with this post.
You have shared many great points. I too find journaling to be the key to so much. JOurnaling helps us to achieve many breakthroughs.
Absolutely! Journaling prompts for addiction recovery have helped me work through so many things. It’s a very healing process.
Journaling can really help with so many things. I’ve been wanting to start for so long.
Do it! It’s incredibly therapeutic and the perfect way to organize your thoughts.
Some of these prompts are good for those who dont have addictions too, no 5. What is your biggest fear and how do you plan to overcome it? is a good one for sure x
Absolutely! Thank you for clarifying these journaling prompts can be healing for people outside of addiction too!
I think it’s a good idea to take on journaling when recovering from addiction. Writing is therapeutic, something that I also get through blogging.
Agreed. Blogging helps keep me focused on the prize of sobriety. Thanks for checking out these journaling prompts for recovering addicts!
You are most welcome and I do pray for your continued recovery. Keep making posts such as this one because it’s helping a lot of people.
This sounds like a great idea….how I wish I had tried sober journaling, way back when I checked into therapy!
It’s never too late! These journaling prompts for recovery from addiction have helped me explore so many thoughts and feelings. As well as set and manage goals and aspirations.
I find journalling to be such a great way to get through difficult times. It’s no wonder it can help through something like addiction and recovery, too!
Absolutely! These journaling prompts for recovery from addiction have helped me get through some difficult times.
Journaling has so many benefits and its effectiveness to our mental health and wellbeing has been proven, at least for me and my favorite style is Gratitude and guided journaling.
Awesome! Those are my favorites too!
My daughter loves to journal. It is a big part of her life and she has been doing it since she was about 15
Wow that’s a commitment! That’s great she’s been faithful in working through her thoughts and feelings with journaling.
I agree that keeping a journal is a healthy habit to replace former negative ones. It helps in channeling our emotions to good ones and just jotting them down in a journal. Helps alleviate anxiety too.
Definitely. These journaling prompts for addiction recovery have helped alleviate my anxiety.
I never thought of journaling as a way to get through an addiction or any bad habits for that matter 🙂
Oh it’s incredibly therapeutic. It’s been a huge benefit in organizing my feelings and tracking my recovery!
As someone in recovery from Anorexia nervosa, all of these would be great to include in a recovery journal. Honestly, journalling and actually working through the issue has always been a better method for me than complete avoidance.
Agreed. Congratulations on your recovery and thank you so much for sharing. Sober journaling prompts have sincerely helped me in grounding myself and working through emotions.
These are great sober journaling prompts. Seems like someone can therapize themselves with these prompts if they have the capacity to self-heal.
Absolutely. These sober journaling prompts for recovery from addiction have encouraged a lot of healing and growth.
What a wonderful and informative post. Those are all amazing selections of sober journaling prompts you’ve listed.
Thank you. Working through these journaling prompts for recovery from addiction have inspired a lot of healing and growth.
These are such great journaling prompts for recovery from addiction. I think journaling is so important to do.
These prompts seem like they’d be so helpful for someone on the road to recovery. Journaling is so important, but it can be hard to know what to begin journaling about.
Journaling is such an important part of our life ! I love the way you explained. Thanks for sharing with us.
Many of these journal questions are good for just about anyone. Though, of course, journaling will be extra helpful to a person with an addiction
These are so helpful for anyone in recovery from anything, not just an addiction. I’ve used many of these in my own journey in recovering from Anorexia.
These journal prompts for recovery from addiction are amazing! I think they’d be very helpful for sobriety!
These are great journaling prompts for recovery from addiction. I love the goal setting prompts! Thanks for sharing.
I just sent this post to my friend who is a recovering addict and I think she would benefit from your blog and this post especially. Thank you for sharing your experiences to help others.
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing to encourage others on their sober journeys. I appreciate you!
These are great journal prompts for recovering addicts! Thanks for sharing.
It helps in channeling our emotions to good ones and just jotting them down in a journal. Helps alleviate anxiety too! I’ll recommend this to my best friend!
Those are all wonderful selections of journaling prompts and thanks for sharing this with us. Some great points to keep in mind as well.