There are so many different places to start when it comes to addressing issues with drinking or any other addictive behavior. Acknowledging where you truly are at with it is a huge step in the right direction. Some things I’ve found that make it more likely someone will stay the course with sobriety or harm reduction are:
Having a support network who offers outside reinforcement of your goals. If you spend enough time hanging around the barbershop, you’ll eventually get a haircut. This goes both ways; sticking around people and places that support you will reinforcement positive behaviors and mindsets on a social as well as personal level. I found a lot of good people in recovery settings, but I also found a lot of good support in the hobbies I pursue.
Build the life you aren’t willing to give up. A lot of decisions that led me or people I worked with to drink boiled down to not having an alternative to look forward to. Enjoy your job/career, get excited about being around the people you’ve chosen to be in your life, have plans/goals/dreams that you’re working at, and most importantly like who you are. That last one can be tough, but getting to know and accept yourself makes choosing your alternative to drinking much easier to do.
Grow. As a person, as a part of a social group, spiritually, mentally, physically, etc. Find things to learn about, work through recovery material, go to therapy, make friends, work out, the list is endless. I found a lot of people in early recovery truly had no idea who they even were or what their favorite color even was. The people who made big turnarounds and stuck with it are the ones who never stopped wanting to grow. No matter where you are at in life, there is always something to grow in.
Most importantly, baby steps forward are still steps forward. You don’t end up climbing a mountain in one gigantic leap, and you don’t change over night. Small changes done consistently over time can yield nearly exponential results. Don’t give up if things go badly, the most human thing to do is to mess up. Everyone does, everyone will. The most important thing is what you do afterward, continue forward or not.
I don’t know you, but I believe in you. Just know that there are people who care that you do well and accept you even if you don’t.
There are so many different places to start when it comes to addressing issues with drinking or any other addictive behavior. Acknowledging where you truly are at with it is a huge step in the right direction. Some things I’ve found that make it more likely someone will stay the course with sobriety or harm reduction are:
Having a support network who offers outside reinforcement of your goals. If you spend enough time hanging around the barbershop, you’ll eventually get a haircut. This goes both ways; sticking around people and places that support you will reinforcement positive behaviors and mindsets on a social as well as personal level. I found a lot of good people in recovery settings, but I also found a lot of good support in the hobbies I pursue.
Build the life you aren’t willing to give up. A lot of decisions that led me or people I worked with to drink boiled down to not having an alternative to look forward to. Enjoy your job/career, get excited about being around the people you’ve chosen to be in your life, have plans/goals/dreams that you’re working at, and most importantly like who you are. That last one can be tough, but getting to know and accept yourself makes choosing your alternative to drinking much easier to do.
Grow. As a person, as a part of a social group, spiritually, mentally, physically, etc. Find things to learn about, work through recovery material, go to therapy, make friends, work out, the list is endless. I found a lot of people in early recovery truly had no idea who they even were or what their favorite color even was. The people who made big turnarounds and stuck with it are the ones who never stopped wanting to grow. No matter where you are at in life, there is always something to grow in.
Most importantly, baby steps forward are still steps forward. You don’t end up climbing a mountain in one gigantic leap, and you don’t change over night. Small changes done consistently over time can yield nearly exponential results. Don’t give up if things go badly, the most human thing to do is to mess up. Everyone does, everyone will. The most important thing is what you do afterward, continue forward or not.
I don’t know you, but I believe in you. Just know that there are people who care that you do well and accept you even if you don’t.