Overcoming Addictions & Bad Habits

We are creatures of habit.  

We begin rooting our needs and habits from a very early age. Typically a habit is some kind of action response associated with fulfilling a need we have.  Because these needs are formed & reside in our subsonscious we become "hard" wired for the action/habit when the need arises again.    

Think of this equation....   

Need + Action to obtain = Habit 

This is true for our good habits, our bad ones and the habits that we don't even realize we are doing, the non aware habits.  For example a non-aware habit of mine is that I cross my big toe over my second toe when I'm ready to fall asleep or relax.  Weird, right?  I don't know why I do it, doesn't hurt or help me in anyway.  It's my quirky little thing...  

So, is my toe crossing a "hard" wired response that is fulfilling a need? Absolutely.  In order to fall asleep I think my toes have to be crossed.

Ridiculous, isn't it?

Let's put it in the equation - 

The Need: To relax, fall asleep  

The Behavior/Action: Physically crossing my toes

The Desired Outcome: Relaxation & sleep.

And it repeats. Over and over again.... The habit is born.

There have been times that my feet are cold and for whatever reason my toes won't cross and I immediately become aware that they are not cooperating. To what lengths would I go to achieve the end result?  I will get out of bed and put socks on. 

Sounds silly, I know.  But it is a habit that formed from a need.

Bad habits are usually formed as a front to serve a legitimate need we had at a specific point in our lives

Remember, our subconscious wants to move you as far away from feeling any pain and lead you in the direction of what feels good.  That is the default action. 

We often formed our bad habits in response to satisfy managing stress, overcoming anxiety, & promoting relaxation.  We also formed habits as a coping mechanism toward extreme stress in response to a sudden loss or tragedy. fears, or being overwhelmed with responsibility. 

The top 4 "self medicators" we abuse are medication/drugs, alcohol, nicotine and food.

Does taking the pill, having a drink or smoking a cigarette or over indulging at the buffet help at the time.  Yes, it does.  That is what your subconscious remembers.  It is what helped you feel better.  The negative effects of these things does not come into play.  Or that you only felt good for a very small amount of time.  No matter how negative the consequences of our bad habits are, there is always a positive payoff in there.  Maybe it provides a numbness or withdrawal of pain or increased pleasure or satisfaction.  For a short, short time you felt great.  That is thanks to chemicals your brain releases when satisfaction is present. It is very short lived though.  The crash is imminent.

To break free of these bad habits we must first find the trigger that is causing the need leading to the bad habit.  Once it is revealed we begin anchoring positive suggestions & reinforcement to help reverse and replace the negative rooted behaviors.