How having a vision will help you beat porn addiction

Step 2 – Have a Vision

In the last blog we looked at the C of the CHOICE Recovery Model – Step 1.- Challenge Core Beliefs, this week we’re on Step 2 – H – Have a Vision.

There are two ways of looking at addiction recovery – either you can focus on giving something up, or you can focus on starting something new. Both are true, and you can choose whether to put your energy into seeing the losses, or the gains; the past, or the future. When we have a vision we can see beyond our current reality to a new one; we can dream that something better is possible, something better than the way we live and feel today. According to research, having a vision also helps us to:

• Overcome obstacles – there are many challenges on the road to recovery, but if you have a clear image of the future you want to have then it is easier to overcome the things that might get in your way.
• Establish meaning in life – having a vision can provide an essential sense of purpose and direction – in short, a reason to be living.
• Set priorities – if you know what you want it’s much easier to prioritise your emotional, psychological and physical energy towards achieving it.
• Maintain motivation – when recovery feels like hard work, having a vision can help to keep motivation alive and drive us towards our goals.

It’s so much easier to commit to recovery when you have a vision of a new, happier future; a future that is free of shame and offers fulfilment. This doesn’t mean we deny the pain of what you’ll lose, in many ways giving up addiction is like going into mourning, but when you’ve developed hope for the future, the loss process can be bearable.

First and foremost, Pivotal is a practical course so you’ll find a number of different ways that you can create a vision. The interactive workbook gives a number of different examples so you can find a way that works best for you.

In my clinical experience, creating a vision can cement a commitment to recovery more than anything else and can literally be life changing. And undoubtedly some of the most inspiring feedback we’ve had about Pivotal is that it is ‘life changing’. You can read more about what people have said here.

TESTIMONIALS

That’s all for today – see you next blog when we look at the ‘O’ of the CHOICE Recovery Model.