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Logo: Rethinking Drinking - Alcohol and your health

Reminder strategies

Change can be hard, so it helps to have concrete reminders of why and how you've decided to do it. Some standard options include carrying a change plan in your wallet or posting sticky notes at home. Also consider these high-tech ideas:

  • Fill out a change plan, email it to your personal (non-work) account, store it in a private online folder, and review it weekly.
     
  • Store your goals, reasons, or strategies in your mobile phone as short text messages or notepad entries that you can retrieve when an urge hits.
     
  • Set up automated mobile phone or email calendar alerts that deliver reminders when you choose, such as a few hours before you usually go out. (Email providers such as Gmail and Yahoo mail have online calendars with alert options.)
     
  • Create passwords that are motivating phrases in code, which you'll reinforce each time you log in, such as 1Day@aTime, 1stThings1st!, or 0Pain=0Gain.