Some people don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. They see it as something people say just to have it said out loud, as if it would make it real. That people break them, so there’s no point in making them in the first place. However, there are others who need that feeling of a fresh new year in order to make a change or even kick their addiction. The people who really want to make a difference in the new year will make it once that year embarks. Here are some tips for making a New Year’s resolution last whether you’re sober or not:
Do you Really Want to Change or Not?
A New Year’s resolution is only worth living up to if you truly believe it will benefit you in the long run. Making the decision to become sober in the new year, or even lose weight or kick a bad habit, should be a decision you want to make. It shouldn’t be something you have to force yourself to do, although it may be hard to conform.
Think about why you’re choosing the new change to be your New Year’s resolution, is it something you’ve pondered over before, or is it simply a decision made on a whim? If you’ve thought about it before, and the idea of not changing triggers something anger or annoyance your mind, it may be a sign that this is the year to try it out. Only take the step if you really see yourself making it.
Stay Consistent
There are some things we do that require little to no thought, like when you instinctively start brewing your coffee in the morning. It’s just natural to do ritualistic things, but staying consistent with something like a New Year’s resolution isn’t as easy. The key to making your New Year’s resolution last is to stay consistent.
Try keeping up with your resolution for one month straight. Once you do this, it starts to become instinct. Your body will naturally begin to make the change on its own, and it will become easier to conform to the change both physically and mentally.
Cut Out the Bad
Another key to making a New Year’s resolution stick is to cut out all of the bad things surrounding you and you are the change. If your resolution is to get sober and stay sober, cut out negative influences in your life. You’ll also, obviously, want to cut all ties to drugs and alcohol by deleting your source and removing substances from your home.
Your resolution could be about cutting out dairy from your diet, so you’d want to remove all dairy products from your home. Another thing you’d want to cut out would be anything that causes stress. Stress can encourage you to pick up old and bad habits and instantly drop your resolution. Avoid stressful people and situations to sustain your change.
Long-Term Goals
Finally, you don’t want to make your New Year’s resolution a clean-cut solution to your problems. Instead, it should be something you can plan throughout the new year in small goals and accomplishments. Think about the first few months, what do you want to happen first? Then, once you accomplish that, think about what you’d want to accomplish next.
If you split your resolution up into small goals to complete throughout the year, you’ll see how easy it is to keep up a good habit. This is especially true if you make the goals consistent, such as every month or every other month. Making a New Year’s resolution isn’t going to change your life, but keeping up with it will do just that if you let it.