Tips From Kiva Recovery: Making Your "Be Drug or Alcohol Free" New Year's Resolution Stick

It’s that time of year again when many of us resolve to make changes in our lives. After all, nothing is more indicative of a fresh start than a new year, so making a resolution to quit drinking or using drugs makes perfect sense.

While nearly half of us vow to change, simply making a resolution is usually not enough --- and this is true with any type of resolution. Statistics show that only 8% of people who make New Year’s resolutions stick to them, and those who don’t usually abandon them after just one week. As time goes on how many resolutions are maintained?

· past the first week: 75%


· past 2 weeks: 71%


· after one month: 64%


· after 6 months: 46%

Clearly, resolving to stop isn’t enough. It must be followed up by action. If you’ve vowed to give up drugs or alcohol in the New Year, here are a few things you can do to help you achieve your goal:

Make a realistic, actionable plan. You’re not going to end your addiction overnight. Instead of resolving to “quit drinking tomorrow” or “never use drugs again” setting manageable, attainable steps will help you achieve the bigger goal of sobriety or being drug free. For example, vow to decrease your drinking or drug usage by a certain percentage by the end of the month. When you’ve reached that goal, set a new goal for the next month. Aiming for a smaller more realistic goal will give you more motivation each time you achieve that milestone. And if at any time you find you cannot cut down or quit, seek professional help immediately.

Get support from friends and family. It’s unlikely you’re going to be able to stick to your resolution on your own. So, talk to your friends and family about your desire to be sober or drug free. Ask them to support your efforts and let them know you may need to reach out to them when the need arises ---- which could be at all times of the day. Having your friends and family help you achieve your goal also makes you accountable to them, which, in turn, makes it harder to relapse and return to your old, addictive behavior.

Adopt a new routine. Those suffering from addiction have a pattern that eventually leads to using. Look at what your routine has been and vow to do something different. Remember, quitting an addiction is a serious life change. Which is why it’s important to incorporate new, healthier activities into your schedules --- exercising, meditating, eating right, etc --- to avoid falling into your regular habits of substance abuse.

Cut yourself some slack. Achieving a life that’s free of drugs or alcohol isn’t going to be easy. You’ll likely have a lapse in judgment and may not reach every goal you set. But don’t use a slip-up as an excuse to give up. Instead, use it as a learning experience so you can move even more confidently toward sobriety or being drug free.

Beating an addiction is challenging. The above tips can help you or someone you know achieve the goal of sobriety or living drug free. But if you think you need some additional support and assistance, remember help from a treatment center is only a phone call away.

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David Bohl is Executive Director of Kiva Recovery, the trusted resource in addiction treatment. Focusing on the individual and the strengths within each of us, Kiva’s treatment approach aims to replace addiction with solution-focused, growth-oriented strategies focusing on Lifelong Recovery through Holistic Health, Positive Character Building through Continuous Character Growth, and Life Satisfaction through Contentment. The Kiva Recovery treatment center is located in Vernon Hills. To learn more, please visit www.KivaRecovery.com.