Keeping a journal is an excellent way to reflect on your progress as you navigate your way through holistic drug rehab and transition into a life of purpose, meaning, and functionality. Whether you write in a physical journal or in the notes app on your phone, journaling can help people keep track of ideas, identify concerns, and improve self-awareness.
What Is Journaling?
Journaling is the process of recording your experiences, thoughts, and emotions in writing. You can do this digitally or in a book. It is one of the easiest ways for you to keep your healing process moving forward. Journaling in recovery will allow you to keep track of what you are thinking and feeling throughout the process. That includes both the good and bad feelings and experiences. It often includes the following:
- Dated written entries
- Descriptions of events
- Explanations of feelings
- Hopes, dreams, and goals
You have a single goal through this process. You need to put your thoughts and feelings down on paper. Later, you can use this information to improve self-awareness, revisit areas for improvement, and reconnect with past versions of yourself.
Can Journaling in Recovery Help You?
Addiction recovery is a process with numerous steps and many curves. During this process, you will need to work on healing yourself and dealing with complex emotions. Journaling may help to give you some guidance and support as you go through this process. It also can help you express your thoughts so you can look back and remember them. At Crestview Recovery, we encourage our clients to use journaling as a component of their therapy and as a part of their holistic drug rehab therapy.
You will find that there are many benefits of journaling that will help you not only during rehab but after you complete a drug treatment program as well.
What Are the Benefits of Journaling?
Not everyone likes the idea of journaling in recovery. If it fits your needs and interests, give it a try. Many people will find it to be a therapeutic way of healing. There are various benefits to the process, such as:
- Helping you to express your thoughts and feelings when you may have trouble saying them out loud
- Helping you track your symptoms
- Documenting your accomplishments and successes
- Tracking triggers that impact your thoughts and emotions
- Identify self-defeating or negative thought patterns that put you at risk for relapse
- Documenting goals and your strides towards achieving them
- Collecting your experiences in one place to reflect on later
With journaling in recovery, you may be able to look back in a few weeks or years and see just how far you have come. You will also be able to see how your thoughts and emotions have influenced your outcome.
Keeping a Rehab Journal
At Crestview Recovery, journaling in recovery is a fitting tool and therapy that works alongside the care we provide. If you are receiving addiction recovery support from our team, you will be able to use journaling to document your journey. We may also recommend the use of it in dual diagnosis treatment as well as in depression treatment and anxiety treatment. Your journal could be any of the following:
- Calendar app
- Day planner
- Blank book
- Mixed media
Many people find success with journaling when they are involved in our traditional outpatient treatment or intensive outpatient program (IOP). It allows you to keep track of what happens in your treatment sessions as well as your thought processes when you go home. It can help to complement the care you receive through your treatment.
Journaling in Individual Therapy
One-on-one sessions with one of our Portland therapists give our clients the safe healing space they need to open up and develop a therapeutic dialog about the root causes of their substance use concerns. We use journaling in many therapeutic treatment modalities to help people dive deep. Types of treatment include dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and trauma-informed therapy. Discovering into personal history encourages knowledge and insight that can promote healing. We offer many types of individual therapy at Crestview, including:
- Commitment and acceptance
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Motivational interviewing
Contact Crestview Recovery
Journaling in recovery is one component of the healing process. To get to that point, you need to get the care you need to get sober and to work on your health. Our team at Crestview Recovery is here to help you. We offer many different treatment plans to help you in your recovery, including individual therapy for drug and alcohol addiction, group therapy, and a family therapy program. With comprehensive support and customized treatment plans, we will help you meet your goals and achieve a life without abusing drugs or alcohol. Call us today at 866.262.0531 to get help today so you can get started on a healthier lifestyle.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
