Most of us set goals for ourselves this time of year. It’s only natural. As the ball dropped and ushered in the new calendar year, we set higher personal expectations New year new you, right?
For many improving our health is at the top of the resolution list. We want to get in shape, we want to have more energy, we want to quit smoking, and we want to quit drinking.
Those are all admirable resolutions. But, unlike the former two, the latter two have an added dimension of difficulty, mainly that tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana are addictive substances. In other words, it’s easy to miss a day at the gym and still get right back at it, but so much harder to ignore that deep itch for a drink or a smoke.
So here are a couple of tips that may help you along the way.
1. Tell someone. Whether family, friends, or coworkers telling people that can encourage you and hold you accountable is a great way increase your chance of success.
2. Remove temptation. Whether it’s that beer in the back of the fridge or that last nug in your mason jar, just trash it. Keeping that last reserve ‘just in case’ makes it easier to have a misstep.
3.Clean up. If your clothes smell like cigarette smoke, throw ‘em in the wash. If your recycling bin smells like beer, wash it out.
4. Keep it simple. If you want to quit, don’t also plan to go to the gym everyday, go completely vegan, and start a series of children’s books. That’s too many things and a misstep on one will spread to the others. Don’t overload yourself with resolutions. Take it one at a time.
5. Consult a professional. Tell your doctor that you want to quit and they can provide you with tons of helpful resources.
Additional resources,
Tobacco: 802quits.org. Vermont’s comprehensive smoking cessation organization.
Stop Smoking subreddit filled with others ending their relationship with tobacco.
Alcohol: The Stop Drinking subreddit filled with others trying to end or control their consumption.
Marijuana: The subreddit for those trying to limit and end their dependence on marijuana.
Happy New Years from us here at Alliance for Community Transformations.