For many, the New Year is a time for self-improvement – “new year, new you,” as the saying goes. That could mean gearing up for the next big career move, getting into shape, or achieving sobriety.

There’s never a wrong time to get sober, but if making a New Year’s resolution provides the motivation that you need, then more power to you. Here is how to get your sobriety journey started in the new year.

The Power of Choice and Intention
Yoga masters and other spiritual leaders often talk about the power of intention.

If, like many who struggle with addiction, you’ve tried to quit in the past and not succeeded, then you understand the power of intention. The first and most critical step in the recovery process is setting a firm intention – not a half-hearted pledge to quit, but a truly dedicated decision to finally get over your addiction.

To help set your intention, consider writing a list detailing all of the reasons that you have for quitting. This will help strengthen your resolve for the coming battle. Inevitably, at one point or another in the recovery process, you will feel the urge to fall back into old habits – maintaining a clear image of what you’re fighting for will help you resist temptation and stay the course.

Think of New Opportunities
As we mentioned at the outset, the New Year is a time for, of course, renewal – a time to seize new opportunities and tackle them by the horns. The New Year represents the chance to begin life all over again, recreate who you are, and what you choose to spend your limited time on Earth.

Envision all the activities – rebuilding relationships, taking up new hobbies, getting engaged with life again – that you will be able to participate in after you fully recover from your addiction for good.

Time to Say Goodbye to Your Substance Use Disorder (SUD)
Whatever form your SUD comes in, taking the above initial steps will set you on the right course to recover once and for all and open up a whole new slew of opportunities that might otherwise have passed you by had you continued using.