31 Powerful Journaling Prompts for Recovery from Addiction

Journaling is a liberating practice that is good for your mental health. It 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. Also, to process your recovery journey with a personal recovery journal.

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 and elaborate on new ideas. Thirdly, journaling is a fantastic source of stress relief. Lastly, keeping a recovery journal documents your journey. So that you may reflect on how far you’ve come on your recovery journey one day.

Additionally, celebrate your daily progress while maintaining personal accountability. It’s essential to celebrate sobriety milestones. Furthermore, maintain personal accountability. Responsibility is huge for successful recovery, particularly during the beginning stages. So get your thoughts organized and onto paper.

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 your first month of the journaling process. I sincerely hope that you experience deep reflection and healing and continue onto one year of recovery journaling.

Different Journaling Styles

Before you get started, it’s important to note the varying journaling styles (there is no wrong way to journal). Here are five popular journal formats to consider using as a recovery journal.

Gratitude Journaling

Gratitude journaling is a popular style for expressing what you’re grateful for in recovery. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude is vital for successful recovery. So regardless of your prompt for the day, it’s good to include at least one thing you’re grateful for having in your addiction journal.

Bullet Journaling

Bullet journaling or, boho journals, are popular with artistic people. They are a grid design journal and you design it yourself with fun gel pens and boho stickers, and stencils.

Self-Guided Journaling

Self-guided journaling is the dear diary format most people are familiar with in journaling. I find this style to be reflective, but having guided prompts helps ensure I’m focused.

Prayer Journaling

Another journal style is prayer journaling. Prayer journaling provides an intimate relationship with God and helps you discover who you are and what is important to you.

Guided Recovery Journaling

Finally, these journaling prompts for recovery are the guided journal style. The prompts lead you through self-discovery and I like it best for the addiction recovery process. Also, there will be gratitude journal prompts because being grateful is crucial for successful real recovery.

journaling-prompts-for-recovery-from-addiction

Question Journaling Prompts for Recovery

Asking yourself questions is an effective way to reflect on your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Also, dig deeper into traumas that may be your underlying issues for substance abuse. Here is a few question journal prompts to start documenting your recovery journey. Finally, remember that complete honesty is valuable to your recovery process. So don’t cheat yourself out of real recovery and get the most out of these writing prompts.

1. What am I grateful for on my addiction recovery journey?

2. How would I explain addiction to someone who’s never experienced it before?

3. What does the word freedom mean to me?

4. If I weren’t in recovery how would my life look right now?

5. What is my biggest fear and how do I plan to overcome it?

6. Who is the person that I admire most and why?

7. What about the recovery process scares me the most?

8. What does unconditional love mean to me, and have I experienced or given it?

9. What is something that I wish other people knew and understood about me?

10. How do I want to celebrate my sobriety in five years?

11. If I were giving a motivational advice speech about recovery, what would I say?

12. What does self-care mean to me, and am I practicing it?

13. When was I the most confident in life?

14. What is my favorite memory? Include all the details that I can remember. Was there a special loved one there?

15. How do I determine whether or not someone is trustworthy?

List Journal Prompts for Recovery Journal

Making lists helps you to explore thoughts, feelings, and emotions. So select a number for each list and commit to filling it in. These journal prompts have numbers listed for you. However, you can write more or less. A good list includes three to ten items per question in your recovery journal.

16. What are five things that I’ve learned during my recovery process?

17. Name ten things that I like about myself.

18. What are five things that I never want to experience again from my substance use days?

19. Name 10 things in my life that make me smile.

20. List three positive things about my childhood.

21. What are five things I’m proud of myself for achieving in sobriety?

22. What are three things I’ve done for other people?

23. List ten things that I’m grateful for in life currently.

24. What are five things that I couldn’t live without and why?

25. In what ways does my recovery inspire others? Do I inspire myself?

Goal-Setting Addiction 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 in your addiction journal. So sit down and take some time to reflect on what each of these sets of goals looks like for you.

Short-Term Goals in Recovery

Short-term goals are your immediate ambitions. Usually, these goals are determined between one and six months.

26. What are your short-term goals in recovery?

Medium-Term Goals in Recovery

Medium-term goals are the intentions you set for yourself during the next one to two years.

27. What are my medium-term goals in my recovery process?

Long-Term Goals in Recovery

Long-term goals address objectives you determine for yourself over the next five to ten years.

28. What are my long-term goals in sobriety?

Letter Journaling Prompts for Recovery

Writing letters to yourself is a beautiful 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 my younger addicted self. What do I want to tell my younger self?

30. Write a letter to present-day me. What do I need to know today?

31. Write a letter to my future self. What do I want to tell my future self?

Related Reading – 10 Amazing Gratitude Journaling Prompts for Recovering Addicts

Additional Things to Include in Your Addiction Recovery 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. Are you proud of yourself? I don’t know whether or not anyone has expressed what a badass you are? So let me congratulate you on your addiction recovery journey, you badass! Also, would you hit that social share button for me? Thanks! Those make me incredibly happy, and it’s the kindest thing you can do for me. You’ve achieved sobriety, and you’ve got this!

Popular Reading at Sober Healing

52 Inspiring Recovery Quotes for Your Sober Journal

How to Stay Sober: 20 Tips for Successful Recovery

Website | + posts

Elizabeth Ervin is the owner of Sober Healing. She is a freelance writer passionate about opioid recovery and has celebrated breaking free since 09-27-2013. She advocates for mental health awareness and encourages others to embrace healing, recovery, and Jesus.