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Recovery from addiction can be a long, arduous process. Sometimes, it takes months to years to notice significant improvements in your physical and mental health. The good news is that approximately 72% of individuals seeking treatment recover. Whether it’s been a month or a year since your last drink, celebrating sobriety milestones is always a good idea.
Milestones aren’t just another day on the calendar; they’re a reminder of how far you’ve come and the hard work put into your journey. This article discusses the importance of recognizing milestones and provides a list of common milestones to celebrate.
Importance of Setting and Recognizing Sobriety Milestones
If you’ve ever struggled with alcohol addiction, you know how hard it can be to achieve sobriety. You have to complete treatment and go through withdrawal, but you must also live with the everyday challenges of staying sober. For this reason, it’s understandable to want to celebrate recovery milestones. By celebrating, you’re reminded of your progress and that change is possible. Every milestone is a checkpoint that proves you’re achieving your goal.
Sobriety milestones can help you manage feelings of self-doubt and discouragement. They can also help you push ahead to the next big milestone and focus on what’s ahead instead of damaging past behaviors.
Common Milestones
Many 12-step programs offer chips or tokens that celebrate recovery milestones. The physical task of carrying around a token serves as your accomplishment and can help remind you during times of temptation that you can achieve your goals. These coin milestones can have different colors for different meanings. You must start over with the coin system if you relapse at any point in the journey. The most common milestones to celebrate and their corresponding tokens include:
- 24 hours. The initial chip is either white or silver and indicates your decision to live a sober lifestyle.
- 30 days. The red chip is given after 1 month of sobriety. Recognizing each month’s level of sobriety during the first year can help you stay motivated.
- 60 days. The gold chip is given after 2 months of sobriety.
- 90 days. The 90-day chip is green and indicates 3 months of sobriety.
- 4 months. Those in recovery receive the purple chip at 4 months.
- 6 months. Half a year of recovery sobriety is a major achievement, and a dark blue chip commemorates it. At this point, you’ve probably discovered new ways to fight relapse and push through to a new life.
- 1 year. Chips are provided annually after the first year of sobriety. The bronze 1-year chip represents a full cycle through all the seasons and holidays without returning to old habits. This milestone brings a sense of pride and accomplishment.
- First sober holiday. You may also want to celebrate your first big holiday or party as a sober individual. Peer pressure can often make it difficult during the holidays to refrain from drinking. Achieving this goal can help you reflect on your journey.
How Celebrating Progress Can Boost Motivation
Celebrating recovery is a method of positive reinforcement, which provides a reward or benefit for good behaviors. These rewards increase the chances behaviors will be repeated. Like any celebration, rewards for sobriety milestones also serve as a reminder of the purpose behind the actions and represent a step forward in personal growth.
Parties and celebrations also release dopamine, the feel-good chemical in the brain. When the brain learns to associate good behavior with a reward, it helps you stay motivated to keep working toward your goal. Celebrating small wins can also be beneficial for days when you feel like giving up or you’re not particularly motivated.
Ways to Mark Milestones Meaningfully and Safely
Celebrating recovery milestones can be challenging when you’re trying to remain sober. It’s possible to throw a party with family and friends while still being mindful of how far you’ve come and how hard you had to work to get there. The following suggestions can help you celebrate meaningfully and safely throughout your journey.
- Community celebration. Get in touch with past group members who’ve completed the recovery program with you and invite them to a community celebration. Enlist the help of friends and family to organize a special event. Depending on your personal preferences, your community celebration may include anything from a simple dinner party to a backyard cookout. Encourage everyone to share stories about their recovery.
- Nature retreat. Plan a weekend getaway or a day hiking trip to get some exercise and get in touch with nature. Whether you prefer the local beach, the mountains or a nearby lake, exploring nature can help you reset and encourage you to keep going.
- Painting class. Whether you’re an experienced painter or want to explore a new hobby, taking an art class with friends can be a fun way to celebrate your sobriety. Check Google for local businesses that offer group painting classes; just be sure to skip the alcohol. Tell the establishment in advance you’re in recovery and would prefer soda or water.
- Scrapbook of memories. Gather pictures from your journey and organize them into a collage or a scrapbook. Include special mementos, such as your sobriety coins, receipts, discharge papers from recovery, and anything else that will remind you of how far you’ve come. Whenever you feel discouraged, you can look back through the scrapbook to see how much hard work you’ve put in to remain sober.
Role of Support Networks in Recognizing Achievements
Your support network includes any groups or people who’ve helped you along your path to recovery. It may include family, friends, support groups or professionals. Having others recognize your achievements reinforces the importance of your journey and can help hold you accountable for your continuing sobriety. Celebrating with others also helps you remember you aren’t alone and can always turn to help when needed.
If you or a loved one is on the path to recovery or needs more information on getting started, contact FHE Health to speak to one of our caring counselors. We can provide information on our programs so you, too, can celebrate recovery.
