Thank heavens February is the shortest month, right? Between the cold weather, snow, short days, and sappiness of Valentine’s Day, twenty-eight or twenty-nine days is about all I can stand.

Actually, though, the more I think about it, February could be worse. We’re already deep into winter and spring starts next month. (Spring starts on the calendar, anyway. Sometimes the weather around here takes some time to catch up to what it says on the calendar.)

I guess this is a long-winded way of saying I’m trying to shift my perspective on things. I’ve found that changing my perspective can be very helpful in determining how I feel.

This is especially useful when I think about things I can’t change. And there’s so much I can’t change. My past, for one. And although I can do things to try to influence my future, there’s no 100% guarantee that I’ll be able to change the future.

Shifting perspectives would seem to help people dealing with substance use disorder. They might regret the past or worry about the future, although they can’t change either of those things. They can only address the present.

These views kind of sound like a 12 step program like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). This program asks participants to admit that they’re powerless to change certain things. This surrender ideally leads people to admit that they have problems, need help, and are willing to take steps to solve such problems.

This is not to say that 12 step programs or non 12 step programs are perfect or the only option to treat substance use disorder. But they have helped several people become sober and stay that way. These meetings help people examine their perspectives and can help shift their perspectives to help them find healthier ways of thinking and living.

Sometimes, just thinking about things a little differently can yield big differences.