Goals

Substance Use/Addiction Goals

Goal 1: Reduce the impact of substance use on daily life

Patient wants: “I want to feel more in control of my substance use and how it affects my life.”

Clinical focus: Increase awareness of use patterns, consequences, triggers, and behaviors that maintain problematic use.

Goal 2: Build healthier ways to cope without relying on substances

Patient wants: “I want to have other ways to deal with stress and difficult emotions.”

Clinical focus: Develop practical coping strategies that can be used during cravings, emotional distress, and high-risk situations.

Goal 3: Strengthen motivation for recovery and meaningful change

Patient wants: “I want to figure out what I actually want to change and why.”

Clinical focus: Explore ambivalence, values, personal reasons for change, and realistic recovery steps.

Goal 4: Maintain recovery and reduce risk of recurrence

Patient wants: “I want to stay on track even when things get difficult.”

Clinical focus: Identify triggers, warning signs, recovery supports, and relapse-prevention strategies.

Goal 5: Improve functioning and relationships affected by substance use

Patient wants: “I want my substance use to stop getting in the way of my relationships and responsibilities.”

Clinical focus: Improve communication, boundaries, routines, responsibility, and engagement in valued areas of life.

Substance Use/Addiction Goals

• Address underlying emotional, psychological, relational, and behavioral factors contributing to substance use.
• Develop healthier ways of managing distress, unmet needs, and life experiences that have contributed to substance use.
• Improve overall functioning, emotional well being, and quality of life while supporting meaningful and sustainable recovery.