It is easy to get caught up in a lot of details and strategies and suggestions when it comes to your recovery journey. You focus on the details of the 12-Steps. You develop personal strategies for overcoming strong and sudden cravings. You listen to suggestions from your sponsor, your therapist, your family, your friends—and even from the occasional nosy stranger.
You can read books about recovery or watch documentaries about recovery or listen to podcasts about recovery. You can practice mindfulness and keep a journal and optimize your sleep routine. You can make amends and make new friends and stay up-to-date on wellness trends.
But let’s face it: Sometimes it is all too much.
Sometimes what you really want is a catchy saying that can give you just enough motivation to make it through another sober day.
We get it. And we have a collection of catchy sayings and pithy quotes for you to embrace when you just need a little encouragement to keep the recovery journey rolling along.
Quotes to Remind You That You Can Do Hard Things
“Nothing is impossible; the word itself says, ‘I’m possible!’” – Audrey Hepburn, actress
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist
“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.” – Marie Curie, scientist
“When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways – either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.” – Dalai Lama, faith leader
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela, human rights advocate
Quotes from Artists and Celebrities Who Have Been There
“Getting sober was one of the three pivotal events in my life, along with becoming an actor and having a child. Of the three, finding my sobriety was the hardest.” – Robert Downey Jr., actor
“I realized that I only had two choices: I was either going to die or I was going to live, and which one did I want to do? And then I said those words, ‘I’ll get help,’ or, ‘I need help. I’ll get help.’ And my life turned around. Ridiculous for a human being to take 16 years to say, ‘I need help.’” – Sir Elton John, musician
“My recovery from drug addiction is the single greatest accomplishment of my life… but it takes work — hard, painful work — but the help is there, in every town and career, drug/drink freed members of society, from every single walk and talk of life to help and guide.” – Jamie Lee Curtis, actress
“Sometimes you can only find Heaven by slowly backing away from Hell.” – Carrie Fisher, actress
“I got sober. I stopped killing myself with alcohol. I began to think: ‘Wait a minute – if I can stop doing this, what are the possibilities?’ And slowly it dawned on me that it was maybe worth the risk.” ― Craig Ferguson, comedian and host
Quotes on the Importance of Moving Forward Toward Success
“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” – Babe Ruth, athlete
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” – Albert Einstein, scientist
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” – Robert Collier, self-help writer
“Tomorrow is the most important thing in life; it comes to us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives, and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.” – John Wayne, actor
“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life – and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.” – Georgia O’Keeffe, artist
We Can Help – You Can Quote Us
We like this quote from President Theodore Roosevelt: “Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.” Roosevelt was not talking about recovery from a substance use disorder, but his point still applies.
Believe you can get sober, and you are halfway there.
And what’s the other half? Getting the help you need to achieve your goal and reclaim your life.
At Ivory Plains Recovery Center, we offer medically supervised detoxification and a robust rehabilitation program centered on group and individual therapy. We are also committed to a continuum of care, which means you will have the support and resources you need as your recovery journey gets underway. When you are ready, so are we.
