I’ve been thinking a lot about recovery from an addiction to alcohol or other substances. I’m a Specialist Addictions Nurse and author of The Alcohol Therapy Workbook.
For someone with an addiction professionals often ask them about their goals in relation to recovery. It’s an important question: What are your goals in relation to your drinking and/or substance use?
Afterall, everybody’s definition of addiction recovery is as unique as they are. Asking clients this question and developing a care plan that works towards these goals is at the heart of every treatment system.
But what I’ve been pondering lately is what about the professional’s goals? Are we open and upfront about our goals for the client with the client and their relatives?
We know that professional’s goals maybe influenced by many things including: the ethos of the organisation they work for, their individual values, their feelings about what would be in the best interests of the client, etc.
It got me thinking about my recovery goals for the clients that I work with. I have two goals when working with clients: To make them healthy and happy. These goals are no mean feat.
On first impression these goals don’t seem SMART. But when you explore what both health and happiness mean to the client and how they would like to live their life, they do break down into measurable SMART goals.
If you’ve got an addiction to alcohol or other substances, contact your GP or local community Drug and Alcohol Treatment Service for support.
My Best Wishes,
Antony
