Part of recovery involves figuring out which of our habits have been feeding our addictions and other self-destructive patterns. Then, we determine which habits support our healing and help us maintain our sobriety. Many of our habits are deeply ingrained, habitual, and unconscious. We don’t realize the impact they have on our lives until years have gone by, and we’re left reeling from their negative effects. We tend to think that our habits are small and inconsequential. In reality, however, habits can define who we are and the trajectory our lives are taking. They form the basis of our everyday routines and the lifestyles we create for ourselves. Our habits constitute much of our daily lives. They can even govern how we function in relationships and how we operate in the world. They are the foundation for who we are as people. When we’re struggling with addiction, our habits are a major part of our addictive patterns. After all, addiction includes all the behaviors we engage in that worsen our dependence issues. As we’re working to recover, our habits can mean the difference between successful sobriety and continual relapse.
Mental Habits
What are some of the habits that can help us to achieve lasting sobriety? Our mental habits are some of our most important habits because they direct how we feel and how we function. If we program our minds to support sobriety, our feelings and actions will follow suit. More often than not, our subconscious minds have been programmed with limiting beliefs. We believe that we are powerless over our addictions, that we need our drug of choice to be happy, and that we aren’t strong enough to get sober. We want to shed these harmful beliefs and replace them with new ones and create healthier mental habits of strength and self-empowerment. “I am strong. I am powerful. I create my own happiness. I make healthy choices for myself. I am in control of myself. I believe in myself. I choose peace.” Mental habits that support sobriety should uplift and encourage us. These ideas are in opposition to the self-deprecating inner dialogue that fuels our addictions and overall unwellness. Healthy mental habits are the ones that help us believe in ourselves and our ability to get sober. A new way of thinking can help us to progress rapidly in our recovery.
Emotional Habits
We also have emotional habits that can support or hinder our recovery. Many of us develop emotional attachments to our drug of choice. We believe we need it to make us happy, to complete us, or to make us feel worthy. In sobriety, we should strive for emotional independence and fortitude. It’s time to shed the emotional associations we’ve created between our drug of choice and happiness. After all, how happy were we, really? We can practice developing these emotions for ourselves in healthier ways without our drug of choice. Consider the things that cultivate joy, self-worth, and inner peace. Perhaps you find peace while spending time with loved ones, expressing yourself creatively, or being in nature. For others, joy might be found pursuing interests and developing talents. Let’s explore the things we can do that bring us genuine happiness and peace, without compromising our sobriety. Once we know where to find peace, we can create habits that support our recovery.
Behavioral Habits
Our behavioral habits are the more obvious habits we engage in daily. These habits include the things we do outwardly, as opposed to invisible thoughts and feelings occurring internally. Some of our most visible habits are the ones that directly feed our addictions. Examples include using our drug of choice when we feel stressed or staying in toxic relationships. What are some behavioral habits we can implement to reinforce our sobriety instead? We can practice turning to healthy coping skills whenever we feel emotionally triggered. We can prioritize relationships that support our recovery and distance ourselves from the ones that bring us down. By relying on healthy outlets for difficult thoughts and emotions, we can avoid relying on our drugs of choice.
Increasing Our Mindfulness
The process of choosing healthy habits includes becoming more mindful of our current habits. Without awareness of our unhealthy habits, we can hardly replace them with better alternatives. Take time to observe yourself, your daily routines, and the lifestyle you’ve adopted. Which habits are you engaging in that are self-harming? How many of them have you been doing without thinking? When we pay more attention to ourselves and our habits, we empower ourselves to make effective changes in our lives. Continuing to be mindful of our habits helps us to make permanent changes. These changes become the cornerstone for lives that revolve around sobriety rather than self-destructiveness. By focusing on new habits, we can mindfully create a new reality for ourselves.
Habits are some of the hardest things to break. When these habits are ingrained within our addictions, it can become a truly challenging process. At The Guest House Ocala, we are uniquely equipped to help our guests heal from trauma-induced substance abuse and process addictions in a safe, comfortable, and confidential setting. Call 855-483-7800 today for more information on our treatment programs.