5 Ideas for Setting Unbreakable New Year’s Resolutions

There are only a few days left in 2019, and the dawn of a brand-new year will soon be upon us. Like most people, you may be adopting a “new year, new you” mindset. However, humans are fallible, and some estimates suggest 80 percent of New Year’s resolutions fail, as people find their enthusiasm waning by February. This coming year, strive to be one of the rare few who successfully keeps your resolutions with these tips.

1. Write a Plan

One of the most significant pitfalls facing people around this time of year is failure to plan. Waiting until the last minute is a recipe for disaster if you’re hoping to make a major behavioral overhaul. Begin by writing down what you hope to achieve, along with a list of things you might do to achieve it and any roadblocks you might encounter along the way. By outlining exactly what you want to get done and the obstacles that could stand in your path, you’ll be well on your way to stick to your resolution and stay motivated for the long haul.

2. Only Make One Resolution

You may have a laundry list of things you want to improve about yourself. However, another mistake people tend to make when setting their resolutions is that they try to take on too much at a time. Expecting to be able to change multiple aspects of your lifestyle in one fell swoop is unrealistic because forming new habits takes longer than you might think. Focusing your energy on only one major objective makes it more likely that you will succeed in accomplishing what you set out to do.

3. Don’t Be Too Vague

When setting goals, too many of us resolve to do ambiguous things like “getting in shape” or “saving more money” without outlining what that looks like and what steps you can take to get there. For example, instead of telling yourself you want to get in shape, resolve instead to train for a 5K, 10K or half-marathon a few months from now. If your goal is to pad your savings account, specify the exact dollar amount you will put aside each month.

4. Get Support

Another way to stay accountable to your goals is to share them with trusted friends and family members, and ask for their help when you feel your motivation flagging. They can help you stay on track and remind you of why it’s worth it to continue to work toward your aims.

5. Don’t Repeat Yourself

You may have heard the adage, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Our final tip for keeping yourself out of a resolution rut is to stop making the same goal year after year, hoping one of these years will finally be the time it sticks. However, if you’ve already tried and failed, it’s likely your confidence level will be lower. Shake things up and go a different direction instead.

Make 2020 Your Year to Succeed

Are you ready for the year ahead to be your best yet? If one of your goals has been to free yourself from the chains of substance abuse and equip yourself with the tools to manage your addiction and live a healthy, sober life, contact us at Hope Academy to learn more about our California addiction treatment center for young adults.

Life After Treatment: Managing Addiction as a Chronic Illness

There’s a common fallacy in addiction medicine that going through rehab is a “cure” for substance misuse disorder. However, the day you get discharged from inpatient treatment is when the genuine work of recovery begins.

Like other chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma or Crohn’s disease, addiction is a lifelong disease. A significant part of your success in recovery is learning to manage your symptoms and maintain your physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.

A Critical Transition

Before you exit your treatment facility, you will need to work with your family and team of clinicians to create an aftercare plan that addresses your short- and long-term needs and helps you avoid relapsing. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all aftercare plan. Some people return home, while others choose to enter a sober living house or an inpatient treatment program to continue working on their recovery goals in a structured environment.

Factors to consider when deciding how you will manage your illness immediately after getting discharged from treatment include:

• Your history of drug and alcohol use
• Any co-occurring mental health disorders, such as depression or anxiety
• Your decision-making ability and impulse control
• Your family’s ability to provide support
• Your unique sobriety goals
• Your willingness to participate in individual and group therapy

What Is a Wellness Recovery Action Plan?

A wellness recovery action plan, or WRAP, for short, can be a tremendously helpful tool for people in early addiction recovery. Creating a WRAP is a largely self-directed process and can take whatever shape is most helpful to you. Since the WRAP concept initially emerged in 1997, researchers have identified its effectiveness, and it has been listed on the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices.

Though everyone’s WRAP will be different, here are some elements to include in yours.

• A sober support network: Loneliness can be one of the most dangerous relapse triggers. Before leaving treatment, plan to continue seeing a therapist and participating in regular group meetings. Have friends and family members who understand what you have been through and why it is essential for you to protect your sobriety above all else.
• A medical treatment plan: Before leaving treatment, have your health care plan lined up, including a general practitioner as well as a psychologist or other specialists, as appropriate. Make sure all your health care providers are aware of your unique needs and that you are managing addiction as a chronic illness.
• A list of known triggers: In recovery, you will need to avoid specific people, places and things that remind you of when you were in active addiction. Doing so will reduce the likelihood that you will backslide into your old habits.
• Relapse prevention planning: While you can take steps to control some of your triggers, others might pop up without warning. For example, perhaps you’re watching a movie, and one of the scenes takes place in a bar. Having a contingency plan in place can help you turn to healthy habits to cope with sudden cravings or powerful memories that might arise. You can also establish what you will do if a relapse occurs.

Moving Forward With Your Life

Admitting you have a chronic illness and that you need help to manage it is part of getting better, but you also need a robust short- and long-term set of strategies to support a lifetime of wellness and recovery.

At Hope Academy, we can help you learn to manage your addiction and establish new, healthy habits and coping skills. To learn more about our programming for young adults, contact us today.