What encouragement would you give to your future sober self? For sober inspiration that tells your true story, writing a letter to yourself is a great start.
The journey to a sober lifestyle can be challenging, but sober inspiration can make each mental mile feel a little easier. You’re uniquely qualified to understand your own struggles and successes, making you the ideal cheerleader for your future self. So if you’ve been searching for some sober inspiration to reflect on — either as support during difficult days or as a measure of how far you’ve come — why not pick up a pen?
As you prepare to write a letter to yourself, it’s essential to remember you’re not alone. In 2024, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism noted nearly 80% of Americans over the age of 12 reported drinking alcohol at some point in their lifetime. In a study from 2023, the NIAAA noted that less than 10% of adults with a prior-year alcohol use disorder receive any treatment. The fact that you’re actively working on sobriety inspiration and treatment with a provider like FHE means you’re bucking the trend. That’s something to celebrate, so make sure you give yourself credit for that in your letter.
Why Write a Letter to Yourself?
Writing a letter to yourself can feel a little strange at first and might even bring back memories of doing something similar when you were younger, such as in elementary school or at summer camp. The potential benefits remain the same: It offers a sort of time capsule of your current state of mind, including where your thoughts are focused and the biggest challenges you’re currently facing.
During a sobriety journey, this written snapshot can be priceless, allowing a future you a glimpse into the hold addiction had on your life. This makes it easier to celebrate milestones that come after and allows you to quickly see the benefit sobriety has had on your ongoing state of mind. A 2024 study published by the National Library of Medicine noted 51% of study participants who used journaling techniques experienced “beneficial effect(s) for satisfaction with life, happiness with recovery and numerous secondary recovery indicators.”
Sober Inspiration: What to Put in Your Letter
Your letter should be honest, even if the words feel harsh, angry or defeatist in the moment. Remember to use “I feel” statements whenever possible, as these will reflect your true state of mind rather than an emotionally slanted view of reality. Taking sober inspiration from your past words will be easier when you can recognize the shift in your mindset, as well as your own evolution beyond toxic thoughts and emotions.
It’s important to avoid being overly harsh or critical of yourself in your letter, as this can have the opposite effect: negative and self-defeating rather than inspirational. This is where your “I feel” statements will help differentiate your emotional impressions from reality. “I feel useless” is a very different sentence to read than “I am useless” — one is frustration speaking honestly, the other a damaging put-down that can harm your recovery and sobriety. Be gentle with yourself and treat yourself the way you would a friend. Be kind and understanding as often as possible without overly sugarcoating the way you currently think and feel.
How to Start: Prompts and Formats
If you’re not sure how to start your letter to yourself, talking to your individual therapist or group therapy coordinator at FHE can help you find a great starting point. Here are a few ideas to kick off your therapeutic letter:
- Write about a day in your life. Describe your daily routine, including bedtime, the way you eat, your hobbies and the people you spend time with or talk to often, including group therapy friends. Do any of these things affect your desire to drink or stay sober?
- Write about your relationship with alcohol. Be honest about how often you think about alcohol, struggles you’re having with sobriety and the things that help you stay strong in your sober journey. Talk about your emotional state when you first started your treatment with the FHE care team. What prompted you to reach out in the first place?
- Write about your hopes and fears. What do you want your life to look like in 6 months? 5 years? Where would you like to live, what would you like to do for work and what kind of relationships do you hope to have once you’re free from alcohol’s influence?
- Write about the progress you’ve made. No matter how early in your sober journey you may be, celebrating each milestone is important and valid. Whether it’s a few hours, a few days or a few weeks, talk about how life without alcohol has been beneficial to you. It’ll be a great reminder for future you to stay strong.
- Ask your therapist for suggestions. Your FHE therapist or other substance abuse treatment professional may be able to help with sober inspiration that applies to your situation. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you’re unsure where to start your letter; they’re in your life to support your growth and well-being.
Emotional Roadblocks and How to Push Through
Confronting your current emotional state can be a daunting prospect, particularly when you’re laser-focused on the physical aspects of pursuing sobriety. Remember that you don’t necessarily need to write your letter in one sitting; if you feel yourself getting upset or struggling with a thought, feel free to walk away and come back later. Give yourself a broader deadline, such as 3 days, to finish the letter to make sure it doesn’t accidentally fall off your to-do list. Talk about your struggles with other group therapy or sobriety support group members; they may be able to offer advice that comes from experience.
Worried you don’t have enough to say? Don’t worry — there’s no set length when it comes to writing a letter to yourself. The very act of starting and finishing one offers therapeutic benefits that aren’t tied to word count. If a few paragraphs are all you feel up to, commit them to paper and maybe write a second letter later on if more occurs to you. If writing feels therapeutic, go ahead and use up half the writing pad if you’d like. This straightforward exercise aims to help you regulate your thoughts in the present, providing you — and your FHE therapy team — something to consider for the future.
What to Do With the Letter Once It’s Written
If you live with others, you may want to consider hiding your finished letter in a secure location to keep it private. Once you’ve done so, set a reminder on your phone or tell your mental health professional you’d like to reread it at a specific point in the future. A sobriety anniversary, provided you feel stable enough to reflect on your growth, could be a great choice. Imagine opening the envelope with 6 months or a year of sobriety behind you and discovering just how much you’ve grown.
In some cases, a letter can also be used as a cathartic release, allowing you to mentally move destructive thoughts, urges and bad habits into a specific place and purge them out of your daily thought patterns. Letters like these can be symbolically destroyed, buried or burnt to help you visually and emotionally move beyond the obstacles you’ve committed to paper.
Final Thoughts: Self-Compassion on Paper
If you’re ready to start your sobriety journey with the support you need and deserve, we’re here to help, with everything from a caring team that will celebrate your milestones alongside you to professionals ready to offer sober inspiration. Contact FHE today to get started on the path to a stable, sober you.
