At Hope By The Sea, we would like to wish you a safe and sober New Year’s Eve. We hope that your Christmas holiday, while perhaps difficult for some, went off without a hitch, meaning relapse-free. If you read our previous post on the subject of Christmas, then maybe you gleaned some useful tips for navigating significant days of the year clean and sober.
Those of our readers who didn’t have an opportunity to look at “Recovery First: Protect Your Sobriety This Christmas” can benefit from giving it a read. While New Year’s Eve is a substantially different holiday than Christmas, staying sober during any trying time of the year is formulaic.
Men and women who are committed to keeping their sobriety must have a plan in place for New Year’s Eve. It’s vital that you stay away from any situation that might compromise all your hard work, such as New Year’s bashes where copious amounts of alcohol will be consumed. A New Year’s Eve party that is not held by a member of the fellowship is no place for people in recovery.
If you are in early recovery, then we implore to begin making preparations for staying sober on December 31st. Moreover, you will find it beneficial to start thinking about how you are going to make 2020 a productive year in recovery.
Long-term recovery is about making continual progress; there isn’t a finish line or point when you can stop and say to yourself, ‘I’m recovered.’ One must always be looking to achieve new milestones both inside the rooms and without; perhaps you would like to see your life circumstances improve as you “trudge the road of happy destiny?”
Anything is Possible in Recovery
Once clean and sober and working the Steps, people’s lives drastically improve. Cleaning up the wreckage of your past takes time, but slowly and incrementally, you’ll find that new doors will open. Maybe you’d like to get your GED or seek higher education? One thing is for sure: men and women in recovery can achieve anything provided they keep doing the next right thing.
If you keep showing up and doing the work, you will find a new sense of discipline that will give you the confidence to reach for the stars. Many individuals have gone on to graduate from college and secure excellent employment; such people will tell you that they owe their accomplishments to their recovery.
In the first year of recovery, it’s essential that you continue following the direction of your sponsor. Regularly attending meetings and sharing will enable you to work out any problems that you face in life. Working the Steps is a means to one day walking others through the steps; paying it forward is the bedrock of the long-term recovery. Doing all the above, day after day, will make for a more responsible and accountable person, an individual who can take on new challenges and cope with the stressors that accompany your goals.
At Hope By The Sea, we genuinely believe that anything is possible in recovery. We hope that you take some time leading up to the New Year to sit down with your sponsor and make a list of realistic goals you can work towards in the 365 days to come. Some of your goals may take more than a year to accomplish, but you can see your dreams realized if you keep doing the next right thing in recovery.
Talking with your sponsor about your resolutions for 2020 will help you understand if you are biting off more than you can chew. A sponsor can serve as a sounding board, and they can help you determine if the time is right to pursue a particular goal. Whatever you decide, always remember that recovery comes first; anything that is put in front of one’s sobriety will compromise your progress.
Southern California Addiction Treatment
If you are one of the millions of Americans who battle the disease of addiction, then 2020 can be the year you find the miracle of recovery. We are confident that you can break the disease cycle with our assistance. Please reach out to us today if your New Year’s resolution is sobriety to learn more about our programs and services. Hope Starts Here!
