The second Friday in January has come to be known as Quitter’s Day. Less than two weeks into the new year, this is where many people give up on their New Year’s resolutions.
In fact, athletics tech company Strava conducted a study in 2019 which showed 80% of makers of resolutions have already given up by the second Friday of January.
If you’re in recovery, you’re on a life-changing tract. Using Quitter’s Day as an excuse to fall back into old habits may be the case for some people, but it doesn’t have to be YOUR choice.
Spectrum Health’s DWI Clinician Mackenzie Gullo shares some inspiring advice on how to stick to you goals on Quitter’s Day and every day:
You know how they say Rome wasn’t built in a day?
Well, Bill W., Dr. Bob and Jimmy K. (founders of AA and NA) didn’t recover in a day and neither will you.
- Take things one day at a time, hour by hour, or even minute by minute if you need to.
- Set smaller goals to reach your larger goal. Instead of thinking “I’m not going to vape ever again,” or “I’m not ever drinking again,” think smaller.
- “I’m going to make it the next hour without drinking” (or whatever you’re trying to quit) seems a lot more doable than “forever.”
The simplest tool can be the most effective. But its effectiveness is in your hands.
This is your time and your year: Don’t give up. You are worth it.
