New Year’s Resolution: Sobriety

Every year we make a bunch of New Year’s resolutions to live a healthier life, whether it is being more compassionate with others, eating healthier, more exercise, or getting sober. The problem with the new year, new me resolutions is that they often start off strong, only to fail in the end. Think about all your canceled gym memberships, the romaine lettuce that went bad in your fridge, the person that cut you off on I-95 that you flipped off, and the time you decided being sober was not for you and went back to drinking or using. First, its not about the date you have, as long as you have a date. If you are using New Year’s Eve as a last hoo-rah, you may not be ready to commit to sobriety, and you are putting yourself at risk for overdose, alcohol poisoning, and death. Then, if you survive New Years Eve, and have a few months of sobriety under your belt, and relapse, it suddenly becomes a ruined year. All or nothing thinking is toxic. Sobriety and recovery take work and it is not always perfect. If you are serious about this attempt at sobriety, why wait until January 1, 2019 to decide that you need sobriety? You can choose sobriety any day of the year and make it a resolution to work on it daily for the rest of your life. While we can’t help you with your resolution to eat more salad, we can help you with your resolution to get, and stay, sober.

There are many things you can do to help assure that your attempt at sobriety succeeds this new year and beyond. Some things you can do to strengthen your sobriety are deciding on going to treatment, whether it is PHP, IOP or OP, this could give you extra accountability and help you navigate early sobriety. Another important decision one makes in early recovery may be deciding on entering community housing. Community housing is a sober environment where you can relearn how to live without drugs and alcohol with the help of sober housing aids. It can also be helpful to get out of an environment you were using or drinking in. It’s important to ask for support from friends and family, who play integral parts in the healing process. Families are encouraged to take part in the treatment process, since they too may need to heal from your addiction. Outside of treatment it is pertinent to create a support group at your local 12 step meetings (AA/NA/CA). These support groups can help you maintain long term sobriety and guide you through the steps of recovery. Creating new hobbies such as exercise or art can help you take your mind off using and teach your brain positive coping skills. When we constantly use drugs or alcohol, it rewires our brains, so teaching yourself new things to enjoy could positively impact your attempt at long term sobriety this new year. Something that will help you as you move from early sobriety onward is giving back to your community by volunteering and making it a goal everyday to be the best version of yourself. Doing things for others can help us remember how good it feels to be this person today.

At Blueprint Recovery, we believe the individual makes the difference. Our staff understands how you feel, and many of us have been where you are now, desperately looking for change. We want to share recovery with you. Our treatment team works with you to decide on the best treatment plan for you. No two people are the same, so why should their treatment be? We utilize holistic, multi-disciplinary care, vocational training, legal support and aftercare planning to help pave the way for your future. Our outpatient program is designed to help take you from early recovery and beyond, call or chat with a recovery specialist today.