It is the middle of January already!  And how are your recovery resolutions holding up?  We read a lot about how most people have already given up on their good intentions a.k.a. resolutions by the middle of January.  So, we think now is a good time to revisit this whole idea.

Any resolution we think up is a commitment to ourselves and therefore to our loved ones, which is exciting and not anything to be feared! If we keep our resolutions, everyone we come into contact with in 2020 will experience a positive ripple effect.

At the start of the year, our colleague Patrick Boyle at our sister facility Top of the World Ranch in Milan, Illinois, wrote a blog on New Year’s resolutions that we would like to share with you:

Everyone’s first resolution should obviously be to stay sober! The way we make this happen is to first and foremost be honest! Be honest with ourselves so we can be honest with everyone. Constant honesty in all of our affairs is a must. And if we are truly being honest with ourselves, we know that the success of this resolution also requires us to stay plugged into our sober communities.

Here is a list of possibilities:

1. Learn something new
2. Chair meetings at your home-group
3. Get a sponsor
4. Set more time aside for prayer
5. Set more time aside for meditation
6. Set more time aside for reading
7. Make more time for family
8. Make more time for meetings
9. Eat better
10. Exercise more

My 2020 resolution has me shaking up the status-quo! Learning something new! This year I’m choosing to learn how to play the Bass Guitar. In order to learn something new, we need to ask for help. Just like we did when we got sober, and like we do to stay sober. Second, accept that we have everything to learn. By doing this we humble ourselves; from humility, we get strength, from strength we get hope. And living a life full of hope is the point! We are no longer a hopeless lot! With this new-found strength in humility we can actually take the suggestions given to us and put them into action!

When choosing our 2020 New Year’s Resolutions let’s sit down and take an honest inventory of ourselves and therefore of our lives. Choose what can be accomplished, and choose resolutions that promote personal growth! Let’s put together a plan of action to stay alive, have fun, and love one another in 2020.”

Patrick blessed us with a whole lot of wisdom on how to choose and keep our resolutions:

1. Be honest
2. Stay plugged into sober communities
3. Ask for help
4. Humble ourselves to find strength in humility
5. Take an honest inventory
6. Choose personal growth
7. Put together a plan of action
8. Love one another

To which, we have only one thing to add. We sure have heard it, and it is so true, we have to do this – one day at a time.  Every day you wake up is a brand-new opportunity to live your best life.  That’s our prayer for you, reader.  That you live your best life, one grateful, purposeful, love-filled day at a time.

If you or someone you know is suffering from addiction, give us a call at the Top of the World Ranch in British Columbia. Come join us at our beautiful ranch. Call toll-free at 1.888.996.6306 or email at [email protected].