Slogans are a big part of recovery. Some people love them, while others… not so much. Nevertheless, slogans can be vital to retrain the way you think and live in recovery. As we welcome in a new year, many of us will be contemplating life changes. Slogans can be an essential part of making those changes happen and sustaining change long-term. In the spirit of New Year's countdowns, I bring you my top 10 recovery slogans and how I think about them.

#10: “Easy does it”: Easy does it reminds me to take things slow or slow things down. My mind during active addiction likes to rush and react impulsively. When I start feeling that impulse to respond abruptly or act impulsively, I think to myself, “easy does it,” to slow things down, think through situations, and react rationally.

#9: “Meeting makers make it”: A friend in my 12-step group loves to remind us of this slogan. I have seen many people come and go over the past two-plus years of my attendance at my local 12-step meeting. The guys who are thriving are the ones who show up consistently. This slogan always serves as a reminder that I need to go to meetings, even when I don’t want to.

#8: “A week between meetings makes us weak”: Related to #9 above, it’s not enough for me to occasionally show up to meetings. I need to be at meetings more than once a week. Some people go to meetings every day. It’s important to know where you are in your recovery and be honest with the amount of support you need.

#7: “You haven’t done that…yet”: This slogan is a humble reminder that just because I didn’t do certain “worse things” during my years of active addiction, it doesn’t mean I’m not capable of doing them if I don’t maintain my sobriety. It only means I haven’t done those things yet. Moreover, it reminds me not to judge the things others may have done because of their addiction.

#6: “Let go and let God”: Control is an enormous part of addiction. I could control anything in my life if I put enough effort into managing it, or so I thought. If I failed to control the outcome, I blamed myself and consoled myself with my addiction. My addiction excluded God from the equation. My recovery wholly embraces the importance of God’s hand in everything. This slogan reminds me to let go of what I can’t control and leave it in God’s hands.

#5: “Accept the things I cannot change”: This slogan is related to #6. To give up control, I need to accept that I don’t control many things in life. I need to feel comfortable letting go of the desire to control everything. Acceptance leads to letting go. Letting go leads to living a peaceful life.

#4: “You're always the same distance from the ditch on the side of the road”: I’m just like many others when it comes to thinking about how long I have been in recovery. I’m still relatively new to recovery. I met many people with decades of recovery under their belt. However, the distance traveled in recovery doesn’t change the distance from relapses and returning to a life of addiction. This slogan reminds me to avoid complacency and remain vigilant when it comes to recognizing and managing addiction triggers.

#3: “Do the next right thing”: I can’t go wrong if I’m always doing the next right thing. The trick is to identify the next right thing. Sometimes, the right thing is hard to identify at first and even harder to complete. I keep coming back to this slogan to remind myself to focus on what is right and not what is convenient or easy.

#2: “The first look is on them, the second look is on you”: This is a sex addiction-specific slogan, but it can really apply to any addiction trigger. The first look is on them, which pertains to the people, places, and things around me. I can’t control an ad using sex to sell a product just as someone struggling with alcoholism can’t control the existence of neighborhood bars. While I may notice the ad and the alcoholic may notice the bar, neither of us has to indulge in their existence and engage in addictive behavior. Therefore, the second look, what I do with what I see in my environment, is in my control and is my responsibility.

#1: “You can’t think your way to recovery, recovery requires action”: I hear many fellow 12-step members say how they tried to read about and think their way to ending their addiction. Recovery requires active participation in changing one’s lifestyle. I remind myself each day to do (not think) one new thing for my recovery.

So, there you have it—ten recovery slogans to live by in 2026. Recovery can happen if you start making the necessary changes. These and many other slogans can help you make those changes. Happy New Year!

Kenneth Markowitz, MD, IMAC