Each time New Year’s rolls around, it offers an opportunity to reset. Everyone is familiar with the idea of setting New Year’s resolutions. And they can be related to any number of things. For people in recovery, it is often recommended that they take the reset as an opportunity to set sober goals. Crafting an actionable, sober New Year’s resolution is a great way to set yourself up for success as you exit the holiday season. Setting quality sober goals is the same as setting goals for anything else.
Contact Evoke Wellness at Cohasset at 866.931.6429 to learn more about sober support in Massachusetts.
How to Establish a Sober New Year’s Resolution
It’s common knowledge that New Year’s resolutions rarely last or produce meaningful behavior change. However, that’s less of a flaw in the idea of a New Year’s resolution and more an indictment of how people tend to set resolutions for the new year.
Committing to a sober new year is about more than just stating an intention. It requires forethought, planning, and execution. Those will all be explored shortly. But first, here are three broad things to remember when setting sober goals.
Reach Out When You Need Help
Setting sober goals is always a good thing. What is even better is when you put them and tell others about them to ensure you are held accountable by others for sticking to your goals. Share your goals with your therapist, loved ones, and trusted friends. And once you share, ask for their support and guidance to ensure you can stick to your goals. When the going gets tough, having others who already know the bar you have set for yourself can be the difference between staying true to your sober goals and failing them.
Stay Out of Triggering Situations
Another broad thing to keep in mind concerning pursuing a sober new year is how to avoid triggering or stressful situations. It is never good to isolate yourself. But it is good to be smart about what situations or scenarios you are willing to put yourself in. When you create sober goals for the new year, you may also have to cut things from your life. Certain friendships shouldn’t take up as much time if you know they will pressure you to drink or use drugs. Or you may rethink how you drive home from work to avoid going past the bar you used to go to regularly.
Put Recovery First
Committing to a sober new year means putting your recovery first. Setting sober goals should mean saying yes to certain things. Yet it may also mean saying no to others or making sacrifices when something may get in the way of your recovery. Be bullish and honest with those you love when you have to make sacrifices that prioritize recovery. The people who genuinely love and support you will understand.
How to Set Lasting Sober Goals
To set lasting sober goals, you need to do more than just speak a plan into existence. It is worth putting your goal down on paper and sharing it with others. Furthermore, some types of goals are more actionable and relevant than others. Use the SMART method when crafting your goals to ensure your sober New Year’s resolution can last. SMART is an acronym that breaks down to:
- Specific, meaning your goal statement should answer the who, what, when, where, why, and how of something
- Measurable, meaning your goal should be something you can clearly achieve or not achieve through measurement
- Achievable, meaning your goal should be something that is realistically accomplished within the new year
- Relevant, meaning your goal is tied to sobriety
- Time-Bound, meaning your goal has a timeframe for when you will start and how soon you aim to achieve it
Setting Sober Goals in the New Year
Evoke Wellness at Cohasset understands the importance of setting quality sober goals in the new year. Contact us at 866.931.6429 to let us help you with ideas for your goals and how to set them up to last.
