As we start a new year a lot of people will be declaring new year’s resolutions. I used to do this and it did not work, now I know why.

A resolution is when we resolve to quit something, something that’s not good for us. Addiction easily falls into this category. “Swearing off” is rarely effective because it doesn’t deal with the complex underlying issues involved.

However, the main reason resolutions are rarely successful is that just quitting isn’t enough. In recovery we make a decision to change. We decide to take a new direction; in fact, the word decide comes from the same root word as disciple – it means to follow, to take a new direction…

Substance Use Disorders, is a chronic behavioral health disorder. It is treatable and when we recover we become some of the biggest contributors to society. We come from all walks of life, we come from every possible background and our stories save other people’s lives. We are worth saving, hiring, knowing and loving.

For me, it was a quiet moment driving down a canyon road in one of the most beautiful places on earth, the Feather River Canyon in Northern California. It was after a long blackout drinking weekend in which I had managed to piss everyone I knew off, again. I was baffled, that was the beginning.

I learned that in order to change any part of myself and my life, I must first “own it” – you can’t change what you don’t own. Imperfections, mistakes and shortcomings are part of the human condition. This is why we apologize, we pay fines and restitution when necessary, we excuse ourselves, we make amends, we self-correct and then we try our best to do better and not repeat our mistakes. This is humility, this is healthy, this is human.