How Can You Set Effective Treatment Goals?
It has been said that “you cannot cross the sea by simply standing and staring at the water.” This is especially true when it comes to recovery. In recovery, it is critical to be an active participant and set effective treatment goals. The good news is that there are many effective tips and tools that can help you to become an effective goal-setter in recovery (both short-term and long-term). Keeping this at the forefront is yet another critical component of healing at the cellular level.
How Can You Set Effective Treatment Goals?
Setting effective treatment goals is all about preparation and action. It is also about connecting with the right people in recovery. This includes recovery professionals and recovery peers. Now, goals can be defined both formally and informally. According to the Consulting Psychology Journal, “Colloquially, a goal is any desired outcome that wouldn’t otherwise happen without some kind of intervention. In other words, a goal is a detour from the path of least resistance. Formally, a goal is a desired future state (an end) coupled with a set of antecedent acts that promote the attainment of that end state.”
Of course, setting effective treatment goals is easier said than done, and it is way easier than actually accomplishing them. However, the key to setting effective treatment goals is to start making them. Many people don’t achieve their goals because they did not satisfactorily start to compile them in the first place. It is also important that these goals be created in a structured manner. They cannot just be “willy nilly,” they need to have set components, such as timelines and objectives. Of course, goals also need to be created under a sound mind and body. This is why it is critical to be on the journey of recovery before goal-setting begins.
Many of us who have struggled with active addiction know what it feels like to set unrealistic goals while still drinking and using. They often sound like, “Tomorrow, I am going to stop drinking and/or using, and then I’m going to be ready to fix all of my other problems.” Of course, it is this latter part that can stop the first part from ever happening. When it comes to recovery, the first and only goal that anyone should set is getting sober. Everything else can come later. After all, nothing can happen in recovery unless we are first recovered.
What Do Effective Treatment Goals Look Like?
Effective treatment goals are going to look different at all stages of recovery. As previously mentioned, an early goal list should look pretty small because the primary purpose is getting sober. These early goals may include completing a safe and secure detox program. Many people don’t realize just how dangerous detoxing can be. In fact, with substances like alcohol, detoxing can even be deadly. This is why connecting with the right detox program is critical.
Not detoxing properly from alcohol can lead to alcohol withdrawal syndrome. According to the peer-reviewed thesis Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome, by Canver, Newman, and Gomez, “Alcohol withdrawal syndrome poses a significant clinical challenge arising from the spectrum of AUD, a prevalent condition affecting a substantial portion of the United States population. Although most cases of alcohol withdrawal syndrome are mild and do not necessitate medical intervention, severe presentations can lead to life-threatening complications and require urgent intervention across multiple healthcare settings. The syndrome typically presents as mild anxiety and gastrointestinal discomfort and can progress to severe manifestations, such as alcohol withdrawal delirium, which poses significant diagnostic and management challenges.”
This is also a good reminder of why early goals need to focus on physical sobriety. Of course, after detox, there should be more early recovery goals created. However, these goals should also keep in mind the credo, “One day at a time.”
Understanding Treatment Goals in Early Recovery
Early recovery can feel very raw. This is understandable. After all, for many of us, it is the first time that we have been without an intoxicating substance in our bodies for years. That is why early goals should focus on feeling comfortable, rather than “checking boxes.” For example, an early goal in recovery may be to attend one recovery meeting a day. This does not require much effort, but it does take a willingness to be vulnerable in a new setting. Early recovery goals may also have to include setting boundaries. This is true for both the individual and the family (and close friends).
After all, addiction is a “family disease.” Many people don’t realize that addiction can affect the family just as much as the individual who is struggling. According to the peer-reviewed journal Social Work in Public Health, “The family remains the primary source of attachment, nurturing, and socialization for humans in our current society. Therefore, the impact of substance use disorders (SUDs) on the family and individual family members merits attention. Each family and each family member is uniquely affected by the individual using substances, including but not limited to having unmet developmental needs, impaired attachment, economic hardship, legal problems, emotional distress, and sometimes violence being perpetrated against him or her.”
It is also important that early recovery goals align with long-term recovery goals. This is why connecting with recovery professionals as soon as possible is critical. Starting with an individualized intake process, a reputable recovery center is going to be able to create tailor-made goals that are able to build on one another in order to help the client sustain long-term recovery. For example, a short-term goal may be attending a daily recovery meeting, and the long-term goal may be getting a set service position at that same meeting. As one can see, the initial goal sets the second one up for success. There are also many other helpful long-term goals that can be set in recovery.
Understanding Treatment Goals in Long-Term Recovery
As is often said in 12-Step recovery, “It took a year to walk out into the forest; we cannot expect to walk back out in a week.” What this means is that, in recovery, we often want results much sooner than they should reasonably be expected. However, we must be willing to be patient. If we put in the work and continue to take the next right actions, the long-term goals will start to be met.
Many long-term goals have to do with relationships. These may be familial or marital relationships, friendship, or work relationships. For many of us, we have burned these relationships with our actions in active addiction. We should not expect to repair them immediately. No, we must make a plan of action (a 12-Step program can help with this). Sometimes we try to rush to mend relationships, and it backfires on us. After all, how many times have we said, “I’m sorry” in active addiction? The answer is “a lot” for many of us. We can not just say “sorry” anymore. No, we have to show it with our actions.
Some of us have long-term goals in recovery that cannot go any faster if we try. These are often legal matters that have their own timelines. However, what we can do is be diligent with dates and deadlines to ensure that we are prepared when any actions need to be taken. All of this goal setting can be difficult, but the good news is there are many effective means, methods, and modalities that can help us as we navigate our treatment goals and recovery.
Treatment Goals and Treatment Modalities
The key to an effective treatment plan is to utilize as many modalities as possible. This is often referred to as the multi-angled approach. The multi-angled approach should also utilize treatments from as many realms of recovery as possible. This includes psychotherapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. It also includes experiential therapies like nature immersion therapy, surf therapy, and horticulture therapy. Lastly, a recovery plan should also utilize holistic healing methods like therapeutic yoga and mindfulness meditation.
What is great about the multi-angled approach is that each modality also comes with its own set of goals. So, when combined, a very clear and cohesive goal sheet can be created. Also, the more modalities utilized, the more professionals involved, and thus the greater oversight and insurance of accountability. It is also important that all modalities focus on whole mind-body healing. That means that a recovery plan must hit certain markers. A plan must focus on all aspects of the capital “S” Self: the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual.
A Focus on Mental Health
Perhaps the best modalities that can be utilized for mental health are the ones that are evidence-based. This is because they have been shown to have a long history of efficacy. This includes CBT, DBT, and EMDR. These therapies are also essential because they get to the underlying issues of what causes addiction and mental illness. Remember, it is about why we take the drink or the drug rather than just the drink or the drug itself. EMDR can be particularly effective at treating underlying issues. It may also be particularly effective at treating co-occurring disorders.
It also allows for “self-assessment,” which is critical for goal-setting. According to the peer-reviewed journal, Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience, “This type of psychotherapy allows the individuals to redefine their self-assessment and responses to a given traumatic event in eight defined steps. While EMDR is a relatively new type of psychotherapy, existing literature has demonstrated positive results using this form of therapy when treating patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by utilizing eye movements to detract from negative conceptualizations as a response to a specific trigger, while reaffirming positive self-assessments. Research indicates that EMDR could be a promising treatment for mental health issues other than PTSD, including bipolar disorder, substance use disorders, and depressive disorders.”
A Focus on Physical Health
A focus on physical well-being and making diet and nutrition goals is also crucial for long-term success. After all, many of the symptoms of long-term alcohol and substance use are physical. These negative effects need to be overturned. Of course, this will not happen overnight, but with an effective plan, an indivdual can achieve their nutrition goals over time.
It is also important to remember that physical exercise and physical health goals do not need to be stagnant. While there is nothing wrong with going to the gym, many people avoid the process because they find it boring. These individuals need something more active when it comes to physical wellness. On the Hamakua Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island, we have just the solution – surf therapy. Mere minutes away from our 30-acre luxury property sits one of the best surf breaks in all of Hawaii. Here, our clients can catch some of the best waves in the world while also meditating between the breaks.
Surf therapy has also been shown to offer many other benefits. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Carefully planned water activities tailored to the needs of the individual can contribute to correct psychosocial and cognitive development. The International Surf Therapy Organization summarizes the benefits of adequately indicated surf therapy as follows: improved physical health and mobility; improved mental health, including reduction of specific symptoms, such as posttraumatic stress and depression; improved well-being (strengthening of trust and confidence, encouragement of independence, resilience and protective coping strategies) and improved social skills.”
A Focus on Emotional Health
It is also important to gain a sense of emotional health while in recovery. This can also be garnered by engaging with experiential therapies like art therapy and horticulture therapy. These therapies also offer exceptional goal-setting opportunities, like completing creative works or keeping a garden alive and abundant.
Regarding horticulture therapy, here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab™, our landscape is covered in opportunities to get dirty and work with your hands. We have brimming vegetable gardens, citrus and coconut trees, pineapple patches, and bursting guava bushes. We know that horticulture therapy offers a myriad of benefits, so we take advantage of our unique setting to help our clients take advantage.
The benefits of horticulture therapy are vast and varied. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “People’s interactions with plants, through goal-oriented horticultural activities in the form of active gardening, as well as the passive appreciation of nature, could be therapeutic to people with mental disorders in many ways. First, horticulture could have emotional benefits, such as reducing stress, reducing psychiatric symptoms, stabilizing mood, and increasing the sense of tranquility, spirituality, and enjoyment. Second, it could help people reduce fatigue and restore attention and cognitive ability.” We have also found that horticulture therapy offers a sense of spirituality to many of our clients.
A Focus on Spiritual Health
Spiritual goals can be critical for healing at the cellular level. Also, it is important to distinguish between spirituality and religion. Many people avoid spirituality because they feel that they will have to adopt some type of religious doctrine. This is simply untrue.
In recovery, many people often create their own journey of spirituality. Yes, this may be by connecting to some established religious body, but it may also come from joining a recovery community (like a 12-Step community), or beginning a journey with yoga or mindfulness meditation. The key to spirituality goals is to make them personal and make them accessible. Also, while a sense of spirituality is not required for recovery, it has been shown to be very helpful for those who choose a spiritual path.
Healing at the Cellular Level With Exclusive Hawaii Rehab™
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab™, we believe in long-term success over short-term “fixes.” This is why all of our recovery plans are individualized and comprehensive, with a focus on the future. That focus includes the creation of effective treatment goals.
If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, then the time to recover is now. It is time to heal at the cellular level. You can do this! We can help.
Treatment goals are critical for long-term recovery and healing at the cellular level. It can be highly beneficial to better understand the process of setting treatment goals, as well as some effective and helpful goals to set. This has also been shown to reduce the chances of a potential relapse. If you feel like you or a loved one is struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or both, we can help get you on the right road to recovery right away. You don’t have to go through this alone. For more details about setting effective goals in recovery, please reach out to Exclusive Hawaii Rehab™ today at (808) 775-0200.