It is believed that the first New Year’s celebration was about 4,000 years ago in ancient Babylonia, but it was quite different than our modern holiday. For one thing, it was in March to coincide with the planting of their crops, and their “resolutions” were more like thank yous for past prosperity and promises for the coming year.
Only 8% of Americans actually stick to their New Year’s Resolutions, but when it comes to your health and staying sober, you really want to succeed. If you are ready to commit to stop drinking alcohol as your New Year’s resolution, here are some tips that may help you keep those promises to yourself.
Start Now
As history shows us, the dates are arbitrary. In 46 B.C., Julius Caesar established January 1st as the start of the calendar year, so named for the two-faced god Janus. Janus is the inspiration for resolutions as you look back on the past year, and things to change as you look forward to the new year.
So why wait until January 1st to make a New Year’s resolution of no alcohol. Start today with some baby steps instead of one giant leap on the 1st. Establish some short-term goals now, to achieve your long-term New Year’s resolution.
Ways to Prepare for a No Alcohol New Year’s
The average American doubles their alcohol consumption during the holidays, so that can be a very tricky time to try to quit if you are not prepared. With some careful reflection, you can make your journey to sobriety a lot more likely to succeed. Some ideas that can help are:
- Rely on trusted and supportive loved ones. Explain your resolution and ask for their help, don’t shut them out.
- Be positive. Flip those negative thoughts upside down and find the silver lining.
- End the blame game. There may be triggering factors, but you are ultimately responsible for your actions.
- Grow through gratitude. Each day, write down five things for which you are grateful, or start each morning, end each day, or both by thinking of how fortunate you are to have that day.
- Learn something new. A new hobby, instrument, language, or anything that interests you. It may be a comfort zone to turn to when triggers come your way.
Get Help
If you are concerned about achieving and maintaining sobriety on your own, then contact Summit Malibu. We are available 24/7 to walk you through the admissions process and evaluate for the best next step and to provide more information about substance use disorder and treatment options available.
