5 Tips for a Quick Start on Accomplishing Your Recovery Resolutions
Are you ready to start right now, this minute, to make changes in your life that will support your ability to stay sober in 2018? Here are a few tips to give you a quick start on your recovery resolutions:
1. Stop what you’re doing right now. Do not postpone the process of planning your resolutions. Begin right now with no excuses or delays.
2. Think about the things that are causing you stress. Consider what parts of your life feel problematic. Is it a relationship or friendship that is more stressful than you would like? Are you having health problems — including mental health symptoms — for which you are not seeking appropriate care? Do you feel safe at home and do you share that home with people who are supportive of your recovery? There may be a number of different areas of your life that you can focus on to improve your life in recovery.
3. Create a single, behavior-based goal that will create positive change. What is most pressing in terms of focusing on wellness and balance, and creating a stress-free life for yourself? Is finding a new home that is safe and supportive a good choice for you? Would finding a second job or a new job help you to manage your finances and decrease your stress? Once you choose your goal, make a list of the little things you can do to make it happen. For example, if you chose to change your living arrangement, you might start looking online at available rooms/apartments, share at a 12-Step meeting that you are looking for a place, and put the word out to friends who may know of something that would be more suitable for your needs.
4. Enlist a buddy to do it with you. If you have a friend who is working the same recovery resolution as you are, or if they are also working to better their life in recovery, ask them to buddy up. When you have someone to talk to about what you are doing, you can both encourage and inspire each other.
5. Set reminders. If you chose a new behavior to implement in the new year like working out every day, drinking more water, or going to sleep at an earlier hour, set reminders for yourself on your phone and/or calendar. If you chose a larger goal, like a new home, create a board with pictures and quotes that you can look at every day to keep you focused on why you are working so hard for this new change.
First Things First: When It’s Time to Return to Treatment
If you are struggling with staying sober and feel you are constantly on the verge of relapse or are continually relapsing in private, the best way to start strong in recovery in 2018 may be to enter a treatment program like the First Responder Lifeline Program at American Addiction Centers. Our highly acclaimed addiction treatment program offers police officers and other first responders:
· PTSD assessment and evaluation
· A comprehensive plan implemented by a multidisciplinary treatment team
· Motivational and interactive therapies that are evidence-based and effective in treating trauma-related disorders and addiction disorders
· Family groups, education, support, and therapies to help people at home take part in recovery
· Reintegration assistance
Do you need help starting 2018 off on the right foot in recovery? Call American Addiction Centers today at (888) 731-FIRE (3473).
