NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FOR RECOVERING ADDICTS · Resolutions for Recovery: Attainable Goals for the New Year Set Exercise Goals. 7KH PRVW FRPPRQ UHVROXWLRQV DURXQG WKH ZRUOG DUH
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FOR RECOVERING ADDICTSDecember 29, 2014 | Written by : Alastair Mordey
A new year brings new opportunities for change and growth. For many people – addicts included – this takes the form of New Year's resolutions.
However, we all know that many resolutions are never actually achieved. This year, make your resolutions for recovery attainable and geared
towards making your life as a recovering addict easier.
When it comes to setting goals for the new year, many people think too far ahead, or use very broad resolutions. This makes the goals hard to
achieve. So why not take a lesson from addiction recovery methods, and take your resolutions for recovery ‘one day at a time'?
Your resolutions for recovery should be easy to implement and quick to see results in order to stay motivated and on the right path.
Resolutions for Recovery: Attainable Goals for the New Year
Set Exercise Goals.
The most common resolutions around the world are ‘losing weight' and ‘getting fit' – but that is far too
broad of a goal, and the majority of people end up giving up after a few weeks because they do not
actually know how to get fit or lose weight. Instead, set attainable goals such as walk or run 10km per
week. That is less than 1.5km per day! Once that becomes easy to do, raise it to 15km per week, and
keep going in that pattern.
Regular exercise and physical therapy has a wide range of benefits, including boosting your mood and reducing stress. Whether you like to work
out in a gym, at your local pool, or playing a sport with friends, setting some goals for fitness is a great way to stay in shape, reduce stress, and
increase your chances of long-term sobriety.
Change your Eating Habits.
Along with exercise, the food you eat helps keep you grounded in a healthy body… and mind. And since
most addicts have neglected their health while addicted, it is ever more important to eat well in recovery.
To ensure that you are getting all the nutrients and foods you need to keep you feeling satiated (and less
likely to desire abusing drugs or alcohol), check out a recovery diet guideline, and make weekly goals to change your eating habits. Eliminate potato
chips or all snacks one week. The next week make it your goal to eat at least three types of vegetables each day. Slowly introducing new habits into
your diet (instead of abruptly changing it all at once) will make it easier for you to keep it up long term. If you are unsure of how to eat properly, set
up an appointment with a nutritionist in your area.
After that, tell your close friends and family about your resolutions for recovery – tell them what you are doing and why. This is a helpful way to hold
yourself accountable for your goals, as friends and family will frequently ask you how you are doing with them – and you're going to want to have a
positive reply.
The Secret to Making Your Resolutions a Reality
Depending on where you are in your life and in recovery at the moment, different goals will speak to different people. Keep in mind that many
people fail at sticking to their resolutions for recovery because they do not truly see the benefit, or they feel that that the activity or action is too
difficult.
Making one or two small changes consistently can yield greater benefits than a change carried out half-heartedly, which results in giving up too
soon. That is why it is important to choose resolutions for recovery that really mean something to you, and resolutions for recovery which have
achievable goals on a daily or weekly basis.
This year, aid your recovery with attainable, short-term goals that you can take one day at a time.