New Year Greetings for Recovery 2016 from Hope Rehab
Hopes hints and tips for a happy New Year in 2016
If you are in recovery from addiction or alcoholism or contemplating treatment then this page has been written for you. I hope we can help you strengthen your recovery or help get you on the right track and make 2016 the best ever year in your life so far.
Hope Rehab has grown from strength to strength in our second full year of operations. We are now over two full years old and a fully established member of the global addiction treatment sector. The Hope team are proud of our achievement and the help we have given the 350 clients who have completed treatment with us.
Sadly much of the world has been a tough year in 2016 with many innocent beings trying to survive. They are victim’s of wars, revolutions, and terrorism etc. If you watch TV regularly it will give a negative impression of the world. When in fact most humans are good people who just want the best for themselves and their family and friends. Unfortunately it only takes a few bad people with an agenda or resentment to cause so much hurt and damage against others. Understandably there are those trying to protect themselves and are taking action to stop terror and crimes against humanity, so look for ways to help end the misery in 2016.
Generally speaking politics and religion should be kept out of recovery, so we at Hope keep our clean and sober noses out of these matters. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of recovery fellowships.
In recovery we promote spiritual values including tolerance, patience, compassion, camaraderie and goodwill to all others. We also make ourselves available to help other suffering addicts and alcoholics when they reach out for help no matter who they are or where they come from.
Recovery 2016
New Year’s resolutions are similar to making babies, in that they can be fun to make but hard work to maintain. So every January many people make New Year resolutions but far fewer see them through to the end. Recovery from addiction is a daily routine. It is so easy to forget your commitment so a daily reminder is very helpful.
With structure and discipline you can create the recovery-life you want by following a few simple hints and tips listed below, you do not have to do all of them just some!
How to have a fantastic 2016 in recovery
Hope’s hints and tips for a happy New Year 2016
Motivation: When we do things for ourselves others may benefit however we are more likely to succeed so make sure this is the case, don’t use kids or family as motivators.
Make it daily: Commit to a day at a time, however its widely known that if you do something daily for 90 days it will become an automatic behavior.
Help is at hand: Get a sponsor, a role-mode, recovery-buddy or mentor, this helps with accountability so to stay on track.
Focus: Write down a wish list and a goals list to decide what your priorities are, then focus on achieving the ones the are most important to you.
Mental filter: Remember the positive moments that helped us in the last year and celebrate the struggles you worked through.
Stay Focus: This year have courage to focus on your dreams and goals, so don’t let others district you or stop you by scaring you to stay still.
Acceptance Lists: It helps to accept changes around you in the world so write down a a daily list of anything you struggle to accept, it helps after a while.
Optimism: Let go of the sadness, regrets, loss and painful moments that have hurt you
Determination: Be painstaking about your development and you will be amazed at the results
Honesty: A uncomprhemising as a policy of strict honesty with self and others will increase the quality in your life, maybe not immediately but over time – this takes courage and faith.
Tough Love: No enabling people to commit further destructive acts toward you or society. This means having boundaries and not making convenient excuses for them.
Use your Past: It is best not to regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it as you may still learn many useful lessons that help you and others. No matter how far down the scale you have gone, we will see how the experience can benefit others.
Meditation: Take 10 to 15 minutes quiet time in your day to experience serenity and peaceful monuments, life will be easier and less stressful.
Improve character traits: You will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. humanity and the betterment of the world at large: A new attitude and outlook upon life will change so self-seeking will slip away
Make new friends: Find people and new relationships that inspire you and help you feel positive.
Finances: Work toward economic security but don’t let this stop you investing in your future or starting the new business.
Get More Out of 2016 Using Tools from Mindfulness
• Mindfulness involves learning to favor direct experience over the running commentary in our heads – it means ‘living more from our bodies and less from our heads’
• Do you feel intimidated by the idea of sitting down to meditate? Don’t worry. You can begin developing mindfulness through moving meditation such as Tai Chi or by using a simple technique such as mala beads.
• Metta meditation helps us overcome the self-hatred that keeps us locked in negative behaviors.
• The development of compassion means you will be better able to deal with the ups and downs in life – this means you will no longer need to turn to alcohol or drugs for comfort.
• Commit to a daily mindfulness practice – even if it is only for 5 minutes.
• Don’t expect for your mind to tranquil – your job is to understand the mind not to tame it.
• Realize that thoughts popping up during meditation is a sign that your brain is functioning properly – just gently return your attention to the meditation object.
• If you are feeling sleepy or antsy (i.e. you find it hard to sit still), try some walking meditation.
• Try not to judge your meditation by how well you feel it went – sometimes the days when you felt most distracted can be the days when you gained the most benefit.
• Every time your return your attention to the meditation object (e.g. the breath), you are increasing your concentration – just like lifting a weight in a gym. This means that in the beginning, the more times you get distracted but manage to bring your mind back to the object of meditation, the better.
Become a Member of the Hope Family in 2016
Even if you currently have no plans to travel to Hope Rehab for treatment, you may still benefit from staying in touch with us. One way you can do this is by joining the Hope Rehab Thailand Facebook Group. You can also start listening to Hope Radio (see below) and read some of our blog posts – speaking of which…
10 Helpful Blog Posts You May Have Missed in 2015
5 Reasons to Come to Thailand for Treatment by Lianne O’Donnell
5 Ways Self-Compassion Frees Us from Addiction by Paul Garrigan
From Rockhead to Rock Climbing by Peter Swift (Guest Post)
Matt’s Recovery Story – Where Am I Now? by Matt (Guest Post)
Tough Love by Simon Mott
Group Therapy by Henk Nagel
Everyone Can Change by Nerissa Hoogmoed
Loving Yourself by Marvin Cotton (Guest Post)
The Walking Death by Kate T. (Guest Post)
Recovery Has Not Been a Quick Road to Nirvana by Tracey W. (Guest Post)
Life Stories from the Team at Hope
Simon Mott
Grant McGeachie
Lianne
Paul Garrigan
Natalie and Brian
Hope Radio – Hope Rehab Mindful Compassion Show
In 2015, we launched our weekly podcast show where we explore topics relevant to mindfulness and recovery in general. You can listen to the show on the website our download to your mobile to your mobile device using a platform such as iTunes
We recently purchased a professional microphone so you can expect much improved sound quality from the podcast going forward.
New Year greetings for Recovery 2016 from Hope Rehab by Simon & Paul
