What is your recovery resolution for 2026?
As we begin a new year, it’s a good time to pause and reset. Setting a recovery goal allows us to focus on healing emotionally, physically, and spiritually; to find balance; and to move forward with purpose.
January’s blog topic is, “What is your recovery resolution for 2026?”
As always, you can also write about Al‑Anon’s three Legacies. This month features Step One, Tradition One, and Concept One.
Sharings on the Member Blog may be used in future Al‑Anon publications.
New topics are being added each month!
As my new year hit me differently this year, it reminded me that I can control what I want to see or don’t want to see and to take it one day at a time. I started this year in a place of grief and loss and really having my life be unmanageable. So I remember to say to myself: Just for today, I am (an affirmation) Just for today, I will take care of my needs (first things first) Just for today, I will focus on one task at a time Just for today, I have a life I… Read more »
Some years ago I started picking an Al-Anon slogan rather than a New Year’s resolution to focus on for the year. I have used “Easy does it” more than once because I really need to slow down and not push myself so hard. Other years I have used “Keep an Open Mind” and “Keep it Simple.” This year I have chosen “conscious contact.” Prayer and meditation are not my strong suits; I find contact with my Higher Power more through nature. But there must be something for me in prayer and meditation so I will give it a try. I’m… Read more »
I have grown so much as a person and in my recovery this past year. It became very clear to me what my recovery resolution for 2026 would be: I will be gentler with myself this year. Gentler in not rushing through my life and my days, being more present with the people I encounter, accepting and growing to love myself, accepting others and life as it comes, opening my heart and trusting more, and truly caring for myself (not just pretending). My intent is to give myself more grace, and in doing so give more grace to others.
We don’t have a platform specifically for Sponsors, but you can consider visiting other local or electronic Al-Anon meetings. You can find more information about how to find a Sponsor here: https://al-anon.org/?ss360Query=sponsor
I’m on the newer side to Al-Anon and although I’ve been attending weekly meetings for about five months, that’s as much as I’ve done. I haven’t started the steps. I’m not reading literature daily. But I show up. This year I’m ready and I’m going to start working the program. I’m excited to dive more into it.
Id like to ask, though, how can I find a sponsor? I attend a meeting consistently but no one in that meeting sponsors anymore. Is there an online platform I can use to find a sponsor?
My recovery resolution for 2026 (and beyond) is to abide by the L.A.W.—love, acceptance, and worthiness—for myself and for others.
I don’t have a New Years Resolution. I do have a list of things I will no longer do. Follow plans and holidays that haven’t been discussed and absolutely aren’t fun for me.
agree to money transactions that don’t serve us both
For 2026, my Al-Anon recovery goal is to sponsor others in service. I have learned that when I invest in sponsoring others, it increases my own progress in the program. I love Al-Anon and want it to last as a resource for those who need it, and so I want to help encourage others into service work.
The fresh start of 2026 brings me to refocusing on my thoughts and actions. When I start to focus on other people’s problems, I lose my self, my direction, my goals. So, Let It Begin With Me…again!!
For years, I took resolutions just to follow others and because it seemed the thing to do. I must say that most of them, if not all of them, I never followed through for more than a month. Let’s say I was not serious about it! Looking at the question this month I came to realize that by using the tools of the program, I probably can take a resolution and come through with it using some the tools of the program. I have been aware of two character defects for a while, but having a hard time to accept… Read more »
My recovery resolution for this year to have an “attitude of gratitude”. I am learning that in every situation there is something to be grateful for, and when I find it, my perspective changes. Whatever I am feeling, whether it be anger, resentment, self pity, or any other negative emotion or thought, remembering to be grateful for something at that moment helps to lighten my burden and usher in more positive emotions such as love, patience, and sometimes just space before reaction. It might even cause me to laugh at myself. An Attitude of Gratitude.
My Al-Anon New Year’s Resolution: “Progress Not Perfection” • I’ll start with a gentle 4th Step using the workbook Blueprint for Progress (P-91), choosing two or three topics from the Table of Contents that generate an uncomfortable feeling for me. • I’ll make a commitment to myself to attend one new meeting every month in addition to my home group. • I will reach out to my Sponsor or my Service Sponsor twice a month minimum for a brief 15 min chat. • I will ask myself “Why Am I Talking?” if I notice I am starting to give unsolicited… Read more »
I’m in the habit of choosing a word for the year each year. The process of reflection and visioning that goes into choosing a single word for the year ahead allows me to examine what’s been going on for me and what I’d like to move toward in the year that’s coming. Increasing my service involvement in Al-Anon has led to greater awareness of new ideas, but I feel like these treasures sometimes go unpacked. That’s why this year I’ve chosen the word “abundance” not as a proclamation or talisman, but as a subject of study and spiritual integration. “Abundance”… Read more »
My Recovery Resolution for 2026: Releasing Resentments Before Al-Anon, I wouldn’t have identified as someone who held resentments. I thought I was patient, optimistic, and generally forgiving. But when I began working the Fourth Step with my Sponsor, I discovered a deeper truth: that quiet, unspoken disappointments, and lingering expectations had been shaping my thoughts and relationships for years. Much of it centered around my late wife who passed away this December after a long illness related to the family disease. I had yearned for more connection—emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Her responses to these hopes were often muted. There… Read more »
My New Year’s resolution is to choose FEAR over FEAR. Everyone knows the traditional definition of the word fear, however, in Al-Anon “speak” FEAR is an acronym with two separate, but related concepts. The 1st is: Forget Everything And Run. This described my reaction to stress before I walked through the doors of Al-Anon. It is a type of avoidant behavior that can be triggered by the chaos that besets us when we live with active drinking. While I might have been tempted to run away & forget my problems, I know from experience that this is a temporary solution at best. Failing to… Read more »
I don’t make new year resolutions because they put too much pressure on me and I set myself up for failure. Instead, I plan to CONTINUE working on practicing the Steps in everything I do. This will include changing my behavior and setting a good example for others, forgiving others rather than holding a grudge, accepting others as they are, practicing gratitude daily, and asking God to help me accept His will for my life.
Welcome to 2026 … One Day at a Time
My past meeting attendance has included regularly attending one meeting (my home group) each week + irregular attendance at several other meetings. I am fortunate to live in a place where the Al-Anon meetings in my District + the two neighboring districts totals nearly 50 meetings per week.
In ’26 I am going to attend 26 different Groups at least once.