Once you have completed treatment, it is important to have a long-term plan for continued treatment to continue in recovery and avoid self-defeating behavior. One way to safely identify and overcome self-defeating behavior during recovery is to have solid support systems.
Recovery Is a Life-Long Commitment
Recovery from substance abuse disorder is not a sprint; it is a marathon that allows you to have a chance for a healthy, productive life and support to identify patterns and attitudes which may have contributed to your addiction.
What Is Self-Defeating Behavior?
Self-defeating behavior is any recurring behavior that undermines or distracts you from your goals. This, in turn, can create a negative perception of yourself. It is important to understand that self-defeating behavior can happen to anyone. It takes true commitment to growth to identify each of your triggers. Sometimes these behaviors are a type of counterproductive self-defense.
Signs of Self-Defeating Behavior
Self-defeating behavior can show up in different ways. Common signs include:
- Self-pity
- Blame
- Sabotaging relationships
- Not asking for help
- Not taking care of yourself physically or mentally
How to Change Self-Defeating Behaviors
To change self-defeating behaviors, you must be aware of them and explore which ones you engage in. Here are some things that you can do to get started:
- Have a long-term recovery plan that includes professional help and opportunity for peer support
- Identify patterns in your life that you have repeated over and over despite negative consequences
- Change your environment and remove known triggers, places, and people
- Replace the above environment with new and positive people and activities
- Set goals and devise solid plans to meet those goals
- Celebrate your successes, however small
- Find new meaning in your life by intentionally learning new things and finding new activities and hobbies.
- Ask for help whenever you need it; make it a habit
- Do not isolate
When facing negative consequences, be mindful of how you got there and what you need to do to move forward. Mistakes happen to everyone. What is important is how you learn from the experience.
Self-defeating behaviors can cause relapse and sabotage your recovery, they can be largely subconscious tendencies based on negative self-thought. It is important to be mindful of repeated behaviors. At The Guest House, we believe that peer and professional support during recovery is key to learning what your personal self-defeating behaviors are and how to positively change them. If you are struggling to maintain recovery, reach out for help today. For more information on our treatment programs, call us at (855) 483-7800.