At the birth of each new year, millions of people resolve to change in various ways for the coming 12 months. It's a tradition, even if the formidable list of goals do not survive past mid-January. A new trend of short and specific goals has emerged in place of generic promises made. Goals are specific and, more importantly, they are short-term. One growing in popularity is known as Dry January.

Regular alcohol consumption can contribute to weight gain, sleepless nights, lack of motivation and energy, problematic skin, in addition to other illnesses. It's difficult to internalize that one or two daily cocktails can have quite a dramatic impact on the body and on a person's overall well-being. It is equally as difficult to stop doing something that the brain and body have been conditioned to expect on a regular basis. The good news is that there is hope.

Set a short-term goal.
Short-term goals have a higher likelihood of surviving than long-term goals. New Year Resolutions tend to fizzle out mid-January simply because other daily happenings command our attention and become priority. We forget about the promises made to ourselves weeks or months prior. The good news is that we can turn failures into successes just by infusing a little thing called habit into our strategy. Stick with one small change as your daily goal, and you'll soon discover that it becomes automatic. .

Pick your game changer.
The goal of Dry January is to dump the booze for 31 days. Sometimes changing behavior can be a challenge. It’s simple in theory, but when the rubber hits the pavement, we can easily fall back on old bad habits. Putting an end to those habits is far easier to do if you refuse to allow yourself to think about drinking.

If you are feeling deprived, just get busy and do something else. This practice is called redirecting and is useful for any negative self-talk that may sneak up on you.

Create momentum.
For example, say your resolution is to dump the booze for 31 days. Don't think about 31 days as a whole. Don't even think about the month of January.

Only think about right now. And when right now passes, only allow yourself to continue thinking about right now. This practice along with redirecting will create enough momentum to catapult your goal all the way to January 31st.

Set reminders.
Don’t be one of the 24% of resolution-makers who celebrate January 17th as “Dump Your Resolutions Day.” A little reminder can go a long way — especially when you remind yourself why you want to accomplish this goal.

Set a reoccurring reminder or appointment on your calendar or phone to review your progress toward your goal. I have used this technique and can attest to its effectiveness. It is a solid method of sowing those seeds of intention until it becomes a natural part of you. Another simple way to remind yourself of your goal is to change your passwords. Keep it positive — instead of "dont_drink" use something like "drink_water". If password security is a huge concern, get creative: dr1nk_m0_w@t3r.

Celebrate.
Now that you've been dry for 31 days, how do you reward yourself? Intrinsic rewards have more more meaning and value than extrinsic accolades. Pay it forward. Give the money you saved in January to charity.