We all have habits; there is nothing abnormal about having a habit. Some habits make us more productive and happier in life. For example, when you have a habit of grabbing an apple out of the fridge rather than the cookies in the cabinet, you practice habits that are good for you. There are habits all around us; however, some are not as beneficial to our lifestyle. Therefore, we need to learn how to break those bad habits to engage in a happier and more productive life.
Why Breaking Habits Helps in Recovery
There’s much discussion in recovery about unhealthy habits, and it is all about how you look at habit development. For example, look at turning on and off lights. You have a habit of turning the light off when you either walk out of the room or when there’s enough light in the room. You were most likely taught to turn the lights off to save energy costs in your home at a young age. This habit was instilled when you were young. However, as you get older, the habit becomes second nature, and most people don’t think about turning on or off lights; they just do it.
Now let’s look at habits that we think about during recovery. When you have a habit established from unhealthy behavior, it didn’t just start as a habit but instead developed into one over time. It’s important to remember that habits are difficult to break and that doing so takes time and effort. Creating a habit can happen quickly, sometimes in a few minutes; breaking habits, on the other hand, takes more time and effort.
In recovery, you learn that your brain adapts to changes. The unhealthy habit of substance abuse was established as harmful behavior. It’s essential to break unhealthy habits in recovery because the rewards are much more significant, and the relief is intense. Substance abuse is just one habit to break; you will learn to break many others in recovery, including triggers, routines, and behaviors that could lead to a relapse.
Healthier Ways to Break Habits
Breaking a bad habit requires retraining your neurological processes. You have to teach your brain how to rethink, as well as to react and respond accordingly. Unhealthy habits can be challenging to break, but if you work to instill new healthy behaviors, over time, the new behaviors will start to stick and overpower previous lifestyle choices.
For example, a healthy way to break a bad habit is through mindfulness techniques. You can reinforce your mindset to think more positively and accept your surroundings. Mindfulness is not learned overnight but rather practiced. The healthier the ways to break habits you commit to, the further you move towards recovery success. A few more healthy ways to break habits can include implementing reminders and daily routines and rewarding yourself for achievements.
At The Guest House, we teach you how to break unhealthy habits. We know how difficult it can be to break the habit of substance abuse. However, by identifying the triggers leading to the harmful habit, you can move past the habit toward successful recovery. In addition, we help you develop routines and healthy habits that help you overcome substance abuse and lead a balanced life. For more information on breaking unhealthy habits, call (855) 483-7800. We are here to help.