The Secret to Breaking the Cycle of Addictive Behaviors

You can break the cycle of addictive behaviors. All it takes is a commitment and knowing where to start.

Key Takeaways:

• Anything pleasurable can become an addiction, including social media, food, sex, drugs, and gambling.
• Overcoming an addiction starts with the realization that a problem exists.
• Changing your environment and removing reminders help to rein in addictive behaviors.
• Professional addiction counseling can make the process of healing much more manageable.

Most people have some addictive behaviors somewhere in their personalities. It may be as simple as watching television or as detrimental as drug use. Addictive behaviors can manifest in many ways, though, and significantly impact your physical and mental health, relationships, and overall quality of life.

Fortunately, the secret to breaking the cycle lies within each of us.

But, identifying addictive behaviors can be tricky. They often start small and gradually escalate to more significant issues. It’s hard to believe while looking at me today, but there was a time when I was overweight. I drank too much. I smoked. I got minimal exercise because I was always at work or worrying about getting work done — and it all started slowly. I never even saw it becoming a problem.

This article will explore addictive behaviors, including some common signs and steps to overcome them. Working to overcome addictions can vastly improve your health and strengthen your relationships.

Addiction defined

Addictions are recurring dysfunctions of the brain systems involving memory, motivation, and reward. It is how the human body can hunger for a substance or yearn to engage in certain behaviors without considering the consequences. Here’s a quick look at how it works:

• Doing something we enjoy triggers the release of dopamine, the “feel-good” neurochemical.
• Dopamine gives us a quick hit of joy followed by a comedown that, in humanity’s earliest days, served to keep us motivated.
• Modern life is an endless stream of dopamine-triggering events, so the comedown causes a “dopamine deficit state” that leads to a desperate search for more to keep feeling normal.

People in the throes of addiction typically experience sequences of relapse and remission. They cycle through periods of mild, moderate, and intense use and worsen with time. This can lead to permanent health complications or severe consequences like jail time and bankruptcy.

Signs of addiction vs. addictive behaviors

It’s important to note that simply using a substance or performing an activity doesn’t automatically denote an addiction or addictive behaviors. An addiction is uncontrollable and interferes with everyday activities. Some typical signs include:

• Inability to stop regardless of issues it causes
• Constant worry about where the next dose will come from or getting a reliable and plentiful supply
• Dedicating substantial time to acquiring, consuming, and recovering from usage
• Neglecting responsibilities such as work, school, or home commitments
• Withdrawing from family, friends, and activities to indulge
• Facing risky situations to take part in the addictive act
• Using a substance despite being aware of the resulting physical or psychological harms
• Adaptation, or developing a tolerance that requires more of the substance to get the same or diminished effects
• Physiological withdrawal symptoms such as shakiness, sweating, nausea, vomiting, headache
• Secrecy and lying about personal activities and relationships
• Energy and motivation loss
• Neglecting hygiene and appearance
• Stealing and illegal activity

Addiction is at work when several of these signs are present for a lengthy period. The next step is to get it under control. It isn’t easy, but it’s doable.

How to overcome addiction

The first thing I did when I began my personal transformation was admit that things needed to change. I took a good hard look at myself and decided that I was better than the life that I was living. The funny thing is that I already knew it. I just didn’t know how to change things. It became more evident as I studied the world’s most successful and happy people. The steps are simple, but they’re not always easy.

Pre-contemplation

The transtheoretical behavioral change model says that any change in your life starts with pre-contemplation, which morphs into contemplation. This is where denial turns into realization, and the issues that addictive behaviors have caused in your life become more evident.

Deciding on a change

Deciding that a change is in order is the next step. You’ll long for what you had before once you see the progression of the addiction and the havoc it wreaked. Your mind will begin pondering how you can return to who you were and reach levels of happiness you previously thought weren’t attainable. The solution isn’t always clear at first, but the fact that change is required is.

Change your environment

It’s exceedingly difficult to break an addiction when you are around the same people, places, and things that helped you become addicted in the first place. Remove anything from your home, car, and workplace that reminds you of your addictive behaviors. This could be anything from alcohol or drug paraphernalia to people.

Get help

Asking for help can be one of the hardest things you’ll ever do, but it’s sometimes necessary to tackle big problems. There are many ways to take on addictive behaviors. How and when is dependent on your issues and what works for you. There are addiction services all over the world as well as online that provide the types of help you need.

Taking these steps can and will change your life, but that doesn’t make them easier. The key is putting yourself in the right state of mind and environment to get the job done.

Overcoming addictive behaviors takes a lot of hard work, but you learn so much about yourself that it becomes easier as time passes. Each day is a new challenge, but the pride and confidence you’ve earned will help you face it with excitement and determination instead of dread and sadness. You can do this. I believe in you.

Overcoming addictive behaviors is possible with the right tools

Once you get addictions out of your life, the world opens up for you. You see new opportunities and get excited about your future once again. I base my teachings on what I’ve found true about personal transformation and how it affects every part of life.

Take a look at my Medium and LinkedIn pages to see what personal transformation looks like firsthand and what it can do for you!