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Beach House Recovery Center » Blog » How to Learn Healthy Behaviors That Stick
Substance abuse is heavily related to stress. That’s a common theme among research findings into the public health dimensions of drug and alcohol addiction in America. It’s also a trend I’ve encountered in clinical practice.
Clients entering treatment for a second or third time will report that they had succeeded at sobriety for a period of six months, a year, or longer, until one day, suddenly, they relapsed. When that downward spiral happens, the trigger is often either some big life stressor, like the loss of a job or a marriage, or the accumulation of smaller daily stressors, like a long commute or financial issues. In either scenario, the culprit is stress.
Developing healthy coping skills is thus a huge focus of what we do in drug and alcohol treatment. We want clients to leave here with better stress resilience. The hitch is that stress resilience requires learning new patterns of behavior that will replace an old habit of drugs and alcohol. On that note, below are some tips for how to learn healthy coping behaviors that stick.
Take exercise, for example, which is a well-established tool for coping with stress, one we encourage clients to do regularly. If you’re not used to exercising, start with a manageable daily goal of maybe 15 minutes of rigorous cardiovascular exercise or even a brisk morning walk. In other words, don’t immediately sign up for the Iron Man and expect to carve out two hours of running, swimming and/or bicycling every day of the week. The best way to ensure success is to position yourself for it by starting with a habit that you’re more likely to be successful at. The Iron Man can come later.
The 3 R’s, developed by researchers in behavioral psychology, stand for “Reminder, Routine, and Reward.” The approach is one that author and writer James Clear writes about at his blog, which is devoted to the science behind forming good habits. Clear has studied successful people across a wide range of disciplines — entrepreneurs, artists, athletes and more — to uncover the habits and routines that have contributed to their success.
To learn a healthy new behavior that will stick, try the following, compliments of the 3 R’s:
Alternatively, if you’re hooked to your Smartphone, schedule time for that new behavior. Then program an alert that audibly reminds you when it’s time to go exercise or say your positive self-affirmations.
On the one hand, it’s good to be aware that you’ll need a minimum of 30 days’ practice to get into the groove of a new habit, so that it sticks. On the other, it’s intimidating to think about 30 days from now and all of the self-discipline you’ll need to keep up a healthy behavior over the course of 30 consecutive days. So shelve those thoughts about tomorrow, the next day or 30 days from now! Instead, keep your focus on how you’ll achieve your positive new behavior today and today alone. That bite-sized goal — of inserting one manageable, healthy new behavior into this day — can seem a whole lot more achievable.
Whether you’re researching for yourself or a loved one, Beach House can help. We understand that this is a serious time in your life and that the treatment center you choose matters. We want you to feel comfortable and empowered to make the right decision for yourself, a friend, or a family member. This is why a counselor is waiting and available to answer your questions and help put your mind at ease regarding the next steps. Many of the staff at Beach House have walked in your shoes. If you feel you’re ready or want more information about how to help a loved one, we can help today. You can also learn why we are voted the #1 rehab for addiction treatment in Florida.
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