About half of American adults (48%, according to a recent survey) claim to have intentions of taking at least one new year’s resolution. Most popular vows: lose weight (19%), stop smoking (12%) or exercise more (10%). Sounds familiar?

The survey also found that while 65% of the people who made a resolution in 2008 kept his/her promise at least 35% did not even try. In fact, when they woke up bleary-eyed on the first day of 2009 taken resolutions seemed both possible and an excellent idea but as days passed they became a hazy and impossible dream to accomplish. Thus begins another turn in the carousel of new year’s resolutions until next year.

But there is hope for these resolution-makers. Addiction experts have found that addicts, even those with heavy addictions, can succeed in breaking their bad habits by reducing them gradually, instead of quitting them abruptly. This mean adhering to a regime of moderation rather than acute total abstinence.

As well as, whatever your goal for this new year (or retried), experts suggest that its success depends on discipline their addictive behavior and not seek total discipline. Your suggestions are:

1. Do not deceive yourself understands that there is an excess and that you must adhere to certain limits that allow you to avoid reaching that end, avoid that level where something is “too much”. Avoid out of the limits that you set since to violate them losing control, being the limits in the paper without any effect on your ‘addiction’. You must previously stipulate how much is too much and putting limits, comply with them, being honest with yourself. The goals must be realistic so that they can comply, small steps eventually travel great distances

If you limit the cigarette or cookies a day and you smoke or eat one (a) extra, “only one more, that matters” are violating the limits you put, are you doing you trap, you these cheating and the limits not served for nothing, in a short time you will have abandoned any attempt to control for the reason that is. And come the feeling of guilt and the feeling of failure and impotence!

Exerts a little discipline at the same time and you’ll see the results in the future, you will feel better with you same and soon will begin to achieve that feeling that successful people have: you have control over your life!

Moderation is the ideal control form unless the problem is very injurious to health in which case the withdrawal is the ideal way to control (eg. the addiction to heroin or carbohydrates in uncontrolled Diabetes)

2. Abstinence vs moderation, according to some studies about misconduct has been put into evidence that a period of initial withdrawal would make it easier to that restarted once the undesirable activity can be achieved better control or moderation thanks to the disruption of routine or automatic behavior of undesirable activity. The advantage is that after following the period of abstinence can realize that if you have some control over your condition and you could take to eliminate it completely. The disadvantage is that work on the basis of “Vice” leave a time for to exercise it with better control in the near future can be misleading and often we see that to return to the undesirable activity control is precarious and in short time limits are exceeded earlier, worsening the problem. This is seen in the alcoholism and obesity, where organic controls are inadequate and there is even some genetic susceptibility. The effect yo-yo. The feeling of guilt, its great conditioner.

Achieve the established period of abstinence is a good sign but you must not stay adrift, you should apply for specialized support to achieve moderation or total abstinence in the future. You have to find resources that support your decision to make it durable.

In short: a short withdrawal followed by a moderate and progressive control of the addictive condition can lead to a long and efficient control without relapse.

Moderation: The progressive control, progressive moderation scheme is an excellent method to eliminate most of the addictions since it follows certain known patterns of pharmacological weaning , physiological adaptation to lower blood levels of the addictive element, to control without feeling painful physiological or psychological withdrawal symptoms

Smoking 20 cigarettes to the day, I started to smoke less (less than 15 a day) by not smoking before the 12 noon (are only worst cigarettes in regards to Infarcts and heartburn), I kept deferring for a few minutes the lighting of a cigarettes ment, thus reduced those cigarettes lit automatically without thinking or habit or because someone was smoking in my vicinity, then I avoided to use cigarettes associated to behaviors such as drinking alcohol, coffee or go to the bathroom (never practiced the latter)… At this time he smoked only 5 a day, it had been about 6 months. Past this point only smoking 1-2 a day and the Association of the cigarette with coffee and alcohol use had been lost. Soon only smoked 1 day and then only 1-2 per week. Currently only fumo Electively 3-4 cigarettes a year.

The psychological effect more important generates the moderation progressive is the lack of guilt: when controlling an addiction progressively small relapses or violations of the established limits can be compensated der immediately the same day or next day by eliminating or delaying ‘the dose’ that was then.

NEVER stops a Vice using crutches or life as candies instead of cigarettes and various problems can be controlled at the same time, the most frequent are: obesity, cigarette and alcohol use

3. Be aware of your life, exerts the situational awareness. In a nutshell: you must know who you are and where these stop at all times (time, space and person).

This requires some form of meditation which is stopping all activity to assess our environment and doing something of introspection to evaluate our inner self. This scheme use in patients with fears and panic attacks, that it is true, is sometimes ineffective, at least provides a tool that can be very useful at the time, and even to be infallible

Desire to the fact a stretch there is a gap, and this gap is where we can exercise control. Expanding this gap can control the principle of pleasure that drives us to satisfy our desires immediately and without considering the consequences: between the stimulus and response, there is a space of time in which we can develop several options and Choose the best of them. In the quality and efficiency of that reasoned behavior lies our growth, our happiness and our freedom, sovereignty over our body and her innate impulsiveness.

Be aware of self must come to need some degree of meditation on our own thoughts, without passions, but identifying those who have made us what we don’t want to be, identify that what we want to get away. We should not be on automatic pilot and automatically how much thing happens to us not knowing really what to do or why what we are doing. Do you’ve given that sometimes gives fear living with itself? what one by laziness do not want to think? do you want to be surrounded by noise hearing our own silence?

Do you have noticed that the stimulus, the need for something, the passion, the desire comes by waves? and so as the waves, that irrepressible desire rises and falls as such? As it is, it is a universally human response and if we learn to control those waves we learn to control our vices or anguish. I call it differ, waiting for the tide to go. I tried to leave the cigarette and even used it successfully in sentimental relationships failed. Defer a call, defer the ignition of the cigarette, the purchase of that drink, the ice cream intake… and no matter how much difieras, if they are minutes, hours, days, months, to defer these to expand the gap and therefore you are exercising your control your strength of will and exercising your freedom! Your freedom to set many options, your freedom of choice.

Each small step in discipline will bring enormous fruits when you look back and see the mountains of achievements that you have built

4. Don’t start punishing yourself

In the long term the pleasure of victory is better incentive than the agony of defeat. The punishment is a poor Motivator: If everything you do is punish yourself for each failure, you will not be motivated to change for a long time.

On the other hand, reward yourself by stick to your boundaries and focus on the benefits of small successes. For example, if your goal is to drink less or lose weight, treat yourself to something you want to – a new book or a movie, of course nothing of what you are trying to control, that would be a violation of the goals – once you can successfully resist a tempting dessert or achieve a goal, such as a day, a week, a month of abstinence alcohol. Small successful efforts tend to engender one greater success. Change your thought structure, don’t say, ‘I can do it’: of course, people make mistakes but eventually will make it better and there will be up to obtained the teaching of their mistakes. What you save on cigarettes or alcohol you could buy shirts, shoes and even a truck…

5. You are looking for best friends

People tend to mimic those to your around, things like happiness (at least smile), smoking cessation and obesity can spread like a disease through social networks. Then surround yourself with friends who may also be suitable models. “Make sure to hang out with people who look and act as you’d like. Social imitation is the easiest way, not just the adulation, but self-improvement (Stanton Peele, 7 tools to beat addiction).

Social support is fundamental to change all kinds of behavior. Good friends can not only help you to overcome your mistakes, they can also help you to your resolution from seizing and impersonate your bad habits. Instead of obsessing over you to think of what you should not be doing, think about the things that you should or could do. This thinking positive and plans generate distraction that will help you curb bad habits. “Focus on your goals higher and positive activities, the things that you hold and fill your life,” says Tonya Peele.

If you regularly engage in activities that give you pleasure – whether visiting friends, picking up a hobby, take a class, or doing volunteer work (one of the most overlooked sources of personal happiness and meaning is helping others) – will just have less time to crave or engage in the behavior that you want to reduce.

Happiness develops, requires effort, is optional, and depends on you!