For 2020 and Beyond,
Be the Only Resolution that Matters

The New Year is quickly approaching, and with it comes the start of a whole new decade. I began thinking about my resolutions this year. Diet and exercise are towards the top of the list this year. Continuing to expand on improving my relationships with my parents and siblings are important to me. I want to continue to learn and grow in the new career path that I’ve chosen, one which allows me to help others overcome the same things I struggled with through most of my adult life. I want to continue growing as a person who has dedicated his life to living the right way after so many years living in a way that brought me so much unhappiness. When I started thinking about my goals and aspirations this upcoming year, it dawned on me just how nice it is to have this mindset. To want things in life again. I can think this way now because of the one resolution I turned into a reality. Living drug-free.

Now that my mind isn’t full of the clutter that comes with drug addiction, it’s easy to see why resolutions in years past came with such a hollow feeling. I knew deep down that none of the things I told myself I was going to do would ever come true while I was abusing drugs and alcohol. But I would give myself the pep-talks, nonetheless. I would tell myself that this would be the year I was going to do better at work. This was the year I was going to spend more time with family. This was the year I would get back in the gym or start playing sports again. This was the year I would quit smoking and concentrate more on my health. I made a lot of promises to myself, but none of them were more frequent than the promise I kept making again and again. The promise to clean myself up, to quit using drugs and do something with my life that mattered.

Making a New Years Resolution to turn my life around was easy to say. It gave me a whole year to find the time, which I of course never did. That was my biggest problem as an addict. I would tell myself and others a plan of action frequently, but without any action ever carried out. I like to compare this to joining a gym in January with plans to get in the best shape of my life. The gym membership only works if I go, but more importantly, it only works if I go and work out hard while I’m there. Saying I’m going to quit using drugs, knowing full well I can’t do it alone, will only be carried out if I take the necessary actions to get help, accept the help, and make the necessary changes during treatment to better my life.

Getting results in the gym doesn’t happen overnight because I didn’t get out of shape overnight. It’s going to take some hard work and discipline. Likewise, making a lifestyle change for an addict won’t seem easy, but by putting one foot in front of the other and beginning on the right path, the results are obtainable. Addiction doesn’t have to follow you into the next decade. No matter what stage of life you are in or what has become of your life while living with addiction, the next 10 years will unequivocally be better with drugs in your rear-view mirror. Don’t make a resolution to do it, be the resolution. If you or anyone you know is seeking help, please reach out.

Justin P—Narconon Suncoast Graduate