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Resolutions can be some of the most difficult demands we place on ourselves every year. For those recovering from alcohol or drug addiction, resolutions can be more than just a lofty goal. There are risks associated with making significant demands of yourself during recovery. If you’ve lived with addiction, you should consider several things when making resolutions, including the right type to make. As the new year approaches, let’s take a moment to reflect on where you came from, what you hope to achieve in the coming year, and how to keep New Year’s resolutions.
Recovery Is a Process
If you want to make New Year resolutions, remember this simple fact: Recovery is a long process. It takes time and isn’t always linear. Recognize that you want to be a changed person and, while you may not be using drugs or alcohol at the moment, you’re on a long journey. As you work to develop those New Year’s resolutions, keep in mind that you’re not yet “cured.” Avoid over-promising yourself or setting expectations of a perfect life.
Let’s explore some options for beneficial resolutions for this coming year.
Resolve to Be Responsible
One resolution you may wish to consider is: Instead of promising to exercise and eat healthily, focus on making responsible decisions. Resolve to take responsibility for your actions. If you have a substance abuse disorder, responsibility is critical and can define your long-term success.
For many people in recovery, learning not to assign blame is a big component of the process. Blaming others isn’t a productive way of thinking. Instead, take responsibility for your actions in the New Year. Put the blame aside and focus on making good decisions for yourself. Remember, the only things you can control are your actions. Other people can try to encourage or persuade you to make negative choices, but you can control how you respond.
Resolve to Forgive
Forgiveness is another important component of the recovery process. In the New Year, make an effort to forgive yourself and others in your life. Take a chance to reflect on your life, the people in it, and how you interact with them.
For example, take a personal inventory of the people in your life now. Are you treating them the best you can? Do they deserve more? Perhaps there are people in your past who’ve caused you hurt or even pushed you along the road to addiction.
Forgive. When you do, you make peace possible for yourself. It doesn’t help anyone else, but it does give you the ability to focus on the good. While you’re doing this, also consider the value of forgiving yourself. Many times, this is the harder decision.
Resolve to Lean on Others for Support
There’ll be peaks and troughs in your recovery process. During the more challenging periods, you may require some external support. At FHE Health, many of our patients stay engaged with ongoing therapy or counseling for years after they’ve completed residential or outpatient care. We welcome you to continue your care.
Your personal support network can also be invaluable. Your loved ones may not always understand what addiction feels like or what you’ve been through, but they may want to be there for you. Let them. This year, resolve to lean on those closest to you, as long as their support comes in a positive form.
When you learn to lean on others, you learn to manage many problems that create addictions in the first place. For example, you learn how to manage stress, deal with depression, and get help when you need it. It’s a simple change, but a life-changing one.
Resolve to Be Positive
While many drug and alcohol recovery patients focus on the here and now, it’s difficult to avoid looking further down the road. Perhaps you’re just moving out to start your recovery process at home. Alternatively, you may be years into your recovery but still dealing with the consequences of your addiction. To aid your long-term success, you have to find a way to be positive.
One way to do this is to commit to it right at the start of the new year. This year, push your bitterness, hurt, frustrations, and negative history aside. Allow your true personality to come through. Reinforce this with positive actions and words. The more positivity you bring into each day, the more opportunities you have for building a better life.
How to Keep New Year’s Resolutions
While many people make New Year’s resolutions, about 80% of them fail, so it’s not surprising that for those recovering from alcohol or drug abuse, resolutions are often difficult to maintain. To help you stick to your resolutions, focus on selecting attainable goals, such as those discussed here. If you’re still wondering how to stick to New Year’s resolutions, consider these tips:
1. Make a Conscious Effort Daily
Write down your resolutions on a piece of paper and place it on the bathroom mirror or at your desk. Read your resolutions or say them out loud every day. By doing this, you’re making a conscious effort to continue to achieve your goals. You’ll keep them in the back of your mind throughout the day and always be aware of what you’ve promised yourself.
2. Realize You’re Worthy
It’s easier to write a few things down on a piece of paper than to make them come to life. When frustrations begin to pile up, you might slip or even want to give up the resolutions entirely. To avoid this, realize you’re worthy of achieving your goals. No matter what your goals are, you deserve to have them. Focusing on this can help you push aside those overwhelming moments to create a new opportunity for yourself.
3. Include Others in Your Goals
While your resolutions can be very personal, having someone to keep you accountable is also helpful. If you don’t have anyone in your day-to-day life to share them with, that’s okay. Allow your 12-step program or your counselor to be there to support you. Include them in your plans so they can encourage you, support you and help you achieve them. Be proud of the goals you’ve set for yourself.
4. Focus on the Why
If your resolution was something like “eat more healthily” or “go to the gym three times a week,” you might find it difficult to stick to those goals because they don’t sound that exciting. Think about the underlying reason behind that goal. Perhaps you’ve received a medical diagnosis and want to eat better to improve your health. Maybe you want to exercise so you can get fit and play outdoors with your grandchildren.
By keeping those reasons in mind, you have something to motivate you beyond the simple satisfaction of achieving a goal. When times are hard, you’re more likely to push forward if there’s a good reason behind your actions.
5. Celebrate Small Victories
Willpower is a finite resource, and even the most well-intentioned and disciplined person slips up from time to time. Rather than thinking of yourself as a failure because you’ve made one poor decision, remind yourself that you’ve made many good decisions in the past. If you miss a workout, go to the gym as soon as possible. If you deviate from your diet more than you intended, get back on track immediately, rather than saying “Well, I’ve blown my diet, so I may as well finish the whole cake.”
Consistency is key, and celebrating small victories makes it easier to “get back on the horse.” Try setting intermediate goals that are more achievable, such as exercising consistently for a month, achieving a personal best in the gym, or saving a certain amount of money by stopping smoking. Keep the motivation flowing by treating yourself with an immediate reward when you achieve those goals.
Get a Helping Hand With Beating Addiction
At FHE Health, we believe the best resolution you can make is to get healthy. If you’re struggling with alcohol or drug abuse or battling mental health issues on your own, seek help. Resolve to make this the year you turn the page and begin creating the life you want for yourself, no matter what that means to you or what you’re up against.
In many situations, the best level of care you can give yourself is treatment, support, and medical care to move beyond addiction. If you’d like to start on the path to recovery, contact FHE Health today to book an appointment with one of our compassionate counselors.
