(Spoiler Alert: They’re Fun Too!)
Ever been forced to read “What Color is Your Parachute” by your high school guidance counselor (the author raises her hand) or taken one of those personality tests? What if those tests could add something meaningful to our recovery — as if we’re playing a game of Clue and suddenly discover that one piece of missing information we’ve been waiting for so we can make an accusation? Ah-ha! So it WAS Colonel Mustard in the conservatory, and now we know the weapon too!
I’m a big fan of getting a 360-degree view of recovery. I feel like there can never be too much information, too many insights or too much learning in recovery. Turns out, it’s all part of being open-minded and practicing willingness in recovery, and personality tests can help with that process! (Oh, and by the way: capping off the list below are some online personality tests I recently vetted — they’re fun and free!)
1. Clarity of Values
Remember that episode of “The Wonder Years” when Kevin finally realized what he stood for? That’s the vibe here. Personality tests can assist in uncovering a customized vision for our lives. Sobriety gives us permission to own our recovery — one of the greatest acts of self-love.
2. Insight into Needs
It turns out, our needs go deeper than just coffee and a new pair of Doc Martens. Personality tests can help us uncover what truly keeps our motors running (and spoiler: it’s more than Dunkaroos). When we start meeting those needs, sobriety can stop feeling like a Beastie Boys “Fight for Your Right” anthem and more like smooth sailing with Christopher Cross.
3. Support Network Compatibility
Building our sobriety crew can feel like assembling the perfect Dungeons & Dragons squad — there’s always a need for the right healer, a solid tank and someone wielding black tar. These tests can help us align with like-minded people who are also on journeys of self-discovery. It doesn’t have to be a 12-step group or traditional meetings — it’s about building a chosen family that supports us as we support them.
4. Motivation Insights
Personality tests might offer the cheat codes to understanding what really drives us. Combined with guidance from a mental health professional, we can begin chipping away at problems to find solutions. With that insight, we can move forward — kind of like when Matt Damon finally makes progress with Robin Williams in “Good Will Hunting.”
5. Strengthened Sobriety Tools
Sobriety tools are like a Swiss Army knife — they’re way more useful when they’re customized. Tests can help build toolkits that are as tailored as our JNCO Jeans once were oversized. Whether it’s journaling, meditating or blasting “Jagged Little Pill” on repeat, finding what works for us individually can make all the difference.
6. Reduces Shame
Guess what? We’re not broken — just human… with quirks, kind of like the cast of “The Breakfast Club.” Personality tests can normalize traits we may have been fighting all our lives. Many spiritual practices teach us to embrace and refine our dark sides, finding the positive aspects in what might seem like flaws. Who knows? We might even be inspired to write about it and share it with our detention class.
7. Encourages Vulnerability
Vulnerability might feel as terrifying as wearing acid-wash jeans again, but it can be just as iconic. These tests help us accept ourselves, including the reasons why we drank. Sharing with others creates connection, increases dopamine and makes sobriety less daunting — less of a lonely solo mission and more like a “Real World” cast reunion. I mean, who doesn’t want that?
8. Explores Purpose
Finding purpose can feel like searching for Waldo — it’s tricky at first but impossible to ignore once we spot it. Personality tests may offer clues about how our experiences fit into the bigger picture, shedding light on new revelations. No red-and-white-striped shirt required.
9. Aligns Career Choices
One of the first things I learned in recovery is to seek out new playgrounds and playmates. Personality tests can offer clarity about whether we’re meant to lead, create or discover untapped skills — like when Melanie Griffith in “Working Girl” ordered dim sum for a meeting and tied it to her business proposal.
10. Supports Mental Health
Mental health is like an “X-Files” episode — there’s always something lurking beneath the surface. Personality tests might help us open that evidence box and work with a professional to address deeper causes. With better mental health, sobriety feels less like a “Double Dare” obstacle course.
11. Personalized Therapy
Therapy can feel like ordering shoes online — sometimes they don’t fit, even if they look perfect. Insights from personality tests can help customize therapy plans as precisely as Michael Jordan’s shoes.
12. Explores Identity
If we’re no longer “the party animal,” then who are we? Personality tests help answer that question, revealing the new version of ourselves. It’s like a recovery version of “What Not to Wear” — and the test results are just the accessories.
13. Improves Mindfulness
Personality tests keep us in the moment, helping us avoid reruns of past regrets or future anxieties. Present-moment awareness makes sobriety as joyful as a perfect Saturday morning cartoon lineup.
14. Promotes Forgiveness
Still haunted by that one karaoke night where “Freebird” went horribly wrong? Personality tests might help us forgive ourselves for past mistakes. Forgiveness is as freeing as letting your Tamagotchi rest in peace.
15. Develops Tolerance
Recovery is a marathon, not a Super Mario Kart speed run. Personality tests help us understand why patience feels like a four-letter word and how to practice it. If we survived dial-up internet, we can survive this.
16. Uncovers Passions
Finding new passions in sobriety is like cracking open a new “Choose Your Own Adventure” book. Personality tests can reconnect us with creative outlets or long-lost loves (rollerblading, anyone?).
17. Builds Confidence
Understanding our personality helps us appreciate our unique layers. Sobriety reminds us to own our individuality — our kaleidoscope of colors is what makes us amazing.
18. Explores Relationships with Others
Wondering why mashed potatoes turned into a family battlefield? Personality tests can help us navigate family drama without a “Jerry Springer” meltdown.
19. Reduces Isolation
Isolation is to sobriety what low-rise jeans were to dignity when bending over to tie our shoes in the early 2000s: a bad idea. Personality tests can connect us with like-minded people and remind us we’re never truly alone.
20. Fosters Gratitude
Gratitude isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a game-changer. Personality tests show us how far we’ve come, helping us focus on growth.
21. Encourages Self-Discovery
Personality tests are like treasure maps for self-discovery. They encourage us to dig deep and uncover traits, strengths and preferences we may not have fully realized. Self-awareness is a superpower in sobriety — it’s what helps us navigate life with more intention and authenticity.
22. Strengthens Communication Skills
Understanding our personality helps us identify how we communicate best and how others prefer to interact. This insight can transform how we navigate relationships — turning potential conflicts into meaningful conversations, like a well-choreographed “West Side Story” dance-off, minus the snapping.
23. Offers Emotional Regulation Tools
Personality tests can shed light on emotional triggers and how we react to them. With this awareness, we can develop healthier coping mechanisms. Think of it as the emotional equivalent of upgrading from a floppy disk to the cloud — more efficient, more storage and way more adaptable.
24. Improves Decision-Making
Decision fatigue is real, especially in early recovery. Personality tests can help identify what drives our decision-making style — whether we’re overthinkers, impulsive, or somewhere in between. This clarity makes it easier to trust our gut, weigh our options and feel confident in our choices.
25. Boosts Creativity
Personality tests often reveal creative strengths we didn’t know we had — or ones we’ve forgotten. Whether it’s writing, painting, or crafting the perfect playlist, rediscovering creativity in sobriety can be as exhilarating as unearthing a stack of old “Tiger Beat” magazines.
So, whether we’re playing an intensive Friday night game of Clue, unlocking inner truths or finally figuring out why we low-key hated Kelly and Dylan together in “90210” after Brenda and Donna went to Paris, personality tests might be one of the secret sauces to our sobriety. More recovery tools can only benefit us, with a pinch of just enough clarity to keep us thriving like it’s 1999 (without the Y2K panic), am I right!?!
*FREE online personality tests:
- 16Personalities – A quicker spinoff on the highly utilized and recognized Myers-Briggs.
- Jung Typology Test – Also based on the Myers-Briggs framework, but focused on Jungian archetypes.
- HEXACO Personality Inventory – Explores honesty-humility, emotionality, and other traits.
25 Lists for Your Best Sober Self in 2025 – Hey list lovers! The SOBER UNBUZZED FEED at The Sober Curator is a powerhouse collection of 25 lists, each packed with 25 inspiring ideas, actions, and motivations to help you be your best sober self in 2025. Curated by Sober Curator Senior Contributor Amy Liz Harrison—accomplished author, engaging podcast host, devoted wife, and supermom of eight thriving in long-term recovery—this series blends wisdom, humor, and practical tips you can use right now.
From mindset shifts to daily habits, these lists are designed to motivate, empower, and guide you through sobriety and beyond. Follow Amy on Instagram @amylizharrison or visit amylizharrison.com to connect and learn more.
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