Are you ready to change?
If you have addiction and you’d like to change your behavior, consider all the costs and benefits of the choices you could make. Don’t think only about the negative aspects of your object of addiction; think, too, about the benefits it offers. One important step to recovery involves understanding what you get from your substance or activity of choice, and how you might achieve the same benefit through other, less harmful means. Experts recommend doing an impromptu cost-benefit analysis by filling out a table such as Table 1.
The example here addresses the issue of compulsive gambling, but it could be repurposed for any addiction. You can make a chart using your own addiction and your own costs and benefits on a blank piece of paper. When you fill it out, write as many items as you can think of to go under each heading. Weigh the importance of each answer. Do the benefits of continued use or participation outweigh the costs? If not, you may decide you want to change your behavior.
Is it worth the cost? |
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Benefits of not gambling |
Benefits of gambling |
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Costs of not gambling |
Costs of gambling |
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What, why, when, and how?
If you decide to make a change, you’ll have to sort out exactly what, when, and how you want to change. That will depend a lot on your view of the problem. Those who are most invested and motivated to change will have the best chance of success.
Assuming you want to make a change, the next step is to choose your goals. Ask yourself:
- When do I want to make a change?
- Do I want to stop altogether or do I want to simply cut down?
If you decide you want to cut down, determine the level to which you want to limit your use or participation and be specific. As with any behavior change, you might find the following “SMART” goals helpful. Your goal should be
- Specific, meaning you should set a specific goal, such as, “I will stop drinking any alcohol between the hours of 1 a.m. and 10 a.m.”
- Measurable, meaning that your success should be easy to quantify. In the case of the goal mentioned above, you might keep a log of your consumption to be sure that you adhere to your goal.
- Achievable, meaning your goal should be something you are physically capable of doing today, and something that would be safe for you to do. If you drink chronically, round-the-clock, the sample goal might not be safe without the help of a doctor, because the interruption in drinking could bring on life-threatening withdrawal consequences.
- Realistic, meaning that it is something you believe you can do.
- Time-based, meaning that you should set a date and time when you start the goal, and you should examine your progress at regular intervals.
Change is a gradual process and takes time. The first three to six months of change are usually the most difficult. The period after that will be hard, too, but not quite like it was in the beginning. If you get discouraged, remember that others before you have overcome addiction.