Thanks again for posting Lynn. I know many people can relate to what you went through. The rationalizing and wanting to quit but not being able to stick with it is so common.

Congrats on all your hard work!

Ashley

Ashley,

I spent many New Year's Eve saying this would be the year I stopped drinking. I rarely had any kind of plan because I really didn’t want to stop. I loved drinking when I was drinking. What I didn’t like was drinking when I wasn’t actively drinking. I didn’t like what it was doing to me. I wanted to be a non-drinker, but I didn’t want to stop drinking. :/

There were also countless other times I tried. I would circle Mondays or the beginning of the month on a calendar as the day I would stop drinking. It never worked. I had plans but they were always allowing me to have a drink at some point. If I managed to stay away from alcohol for a day or two, I ended up rationalizing a reason to have a drink earlier than my plan allowed. 

What finally worked for me was realizing that if I was going to quit drinking, I was going to have to give it up for a longer period. Rather than allowing myself a drink if I stopped for a week, I set the goal for a month. That was 9 ½ years ago. 

I think we all have to use the lessons we learn in our attempts to give up drinking. As many have said on this site, it’s like giving up a friend.  It's hard but it can be done. Find what works for you and stay with it. :)

Good luck!

Thank you for posting Lynn!

Can you share some details about a New Years resolution you attempted or achieved? What made you make the resolution? What strategies did you try? How did you prepare? What was the outcome? What did you learn from it? The questions are just suggestions feel free to add as much or as little detail as you like.

Ashley

Happy March! I was listening to a conversation the other day about New Year’s resolutions. Most everyone was joking about their inability to keep their resolutions such as cutting out sweets, getting more sleep, exercising, etc.

Nobody mentioned drinking which made me think about all the years I tried to cut back or stop drinking on January 1. We often feel like we are in this struggle alone. Does anyone here have a New Year’s resolution experience they would like to share? 

Stay strong everyone!