A recommendation is made to people that want to change difficult behaviors that they must think and act like both the scientist and the subject. In the role of the scientist, you must think about the sources of influence that will bring about the desired changes in the long term.
Addictive behaviors can be eliminated through personal inspiration and effort. The urges of addiction can take over full control of your life. The powers of addiction and the cravings for things such as drugs can be managed through the power of motivation. Skill formation and the capability of an individual will even help to fight addiction associated with hereditary predisposition.
As a subject, you must fully understand the negative consequences of addiction and the positives of leading an addiction-free life. Having a good grasp of these pros and cons will act as motivation toward sobriety.
All types of addiction have long term effects on the physiology of the brain and on psychology. To win the battle against addiction, you must have the right skills to overcome urges and to fight off pro-addictive behavior.
You will also require healthy social support to spur on the required changes toward being addiction-free. Social support can be through praise, acceptance, and approval that help fight off addiction. Ask close family members and friends to analyze your behaviors and give you feedback to enable behavior change. Close members and Ottawa addiction professionals are in a position to identify cues or behaviors that have gotten you into addiction and that are preventing you from leading a clean life.
Influence can also come about from designing a reward system for all the small wins that you make. The self-reward system plays a critical role in maintaining healthy behaviors and an addiction-free life. You will be conditioning the fear and hesitancy of taking the hard steps toward behavior change by linking to some desirable happenings or outcome. In effect, you will be increasing your motivation and the efficiency of your change plan.
The final step is creating a structured and controlled environment that supports behavior change and keeps you from the bad behaviors that led to addiction. Have an environment that is specifically suited for you and that you will feel comfortable in it. No other person can look at you better than yourself in order to make much-needed changes to behaviors that cause and exacerbate addiction.
Take note of the fact that the availability and readiness of change agents in your immediate environment is more important than the particular sequence of their application in fighting addiction. Going back to the sources of influence will stoke addictive behaviors and it stops becoming about you but the sources of influences making you go down the road to addiction or being sober.
The important question to answer through the battle against addiction is; is there still a possibility of falling back to addiction? Sticking to the behavior change plan will prevent it and help you remain sober. Imagining yourself free from cravings is being halfway through the change plan. Maberly Addiction Centre recommends processing all the mentioned change agents so that they become lifelong behaviors that will help win the battle against addiction.
Become the captain of your own ship through other skills such as improving attention and concentration spans, being pro-active to addiction fighting behavior, and being willing to change.