Healthy Routines as a Recovery Tool
Recovering from a substance use disorder often requires saying goodbye to unhealthy habits, routines and people. In order to be successful, these old ways of living are easier to let go of when they are replaced with new behaviors that generate a similar, if not equal, sense of reward.
That’s why, part of a successful recovery involves creating healthy routines and habits that provide enough of a reward to make a sober lifestyle worth the effort. One of the purposes of sober living homes is to provide a safe environment where those in recovery can develop these healthy lifestyle habits without the added challenge of being around triggers that make this important work more difficult.
The Three R’s – Reminder, Routine, Reward
According to a recent article in the Harvard Business Journal, habits – both good and bad – follow a three step pattern of reminder, routine, and reward. Engaging in a habit begins with a trigger, or reminder, that sets the habit in motion. The reminder – a cup of coffee triggering the desire to smoke a cigarette, seeing a party buddy triggering the desire to drink or use drugs – then rolls into the routine behavior, which then results in the sought after reward. But sometimes, as is explained in The Habitual Brain: An “Adapted Habit” Theory of Substance Use Disorders, even when the behavior does not result in the sought after reward, the brain, having been habituated to the routine continues to seek out the pattern and this is how addictions are formed.
The Harvard Business Journal article states that in order to break a habit, rather than just trying to use willpower to stop, it helps to create a new habit in its place that generates a similar cycle, so that when the reminder occurs a new (and hopefully healthy) routine and reward can be used in place of the old unhealthy one.
Feel Good Routines
A big benefit to entering a sober living home is that it provides a place where there is a reduction in triggers, but not all triggers can be avoided – especially when the triggers are associated with past trauma or everyday routines (like the coffee and cigarette example). Because it’s impossible to avoid all triggers all the time even in sober living, understanding the power of habit and the establishment of new routines is critical.
Sobriety is much harder to maintain if it’s merely something to be endured, or when a person is only focused on the removal or sacrifice of a habitual behavior. The point of sobriety is not to deprive oneself or punish oneself by living a life of denial. Sobriety, when viewed through the lens of habit, is actually an opportunity for discovery and fulfillment as old habits are restructured with rewarding, enjoyable replacements.
Building Healthy Habits – An Opportunity to Discover Who You Are Through What You Find Rewarding
People who live with substance use disorders, eating disorders, chronic anxiety and depression are often defined, and define themselves by these conditions. Recovery provides an opportunity to get to know oneself outside of these labels and behaviors. In order to successfully rebuild a habit, you need to know your triggers, yes, but you also need to know your rewards. Through the process of discovering what you like, what brings you joy, what satisfies, you are getting to know yourself and learning how to treat yourself with respect and love. By knowing what you like and dislike, you can arm yourself with tools and techniques that can help you reset in the face of a trigger that would in the past be undeniable.
“To Know Thyself is the Beginning of Wisdom”
Socrates issued this maxim more than two thousand years ago, and it still holds true today. When we operate on habit alone, we miss out on getting to know the most important person in our lives – ourselves. Self-knowledge goes hand in hand with self-control, self-efficacy and self-confidence. As women, especially when past traumas are involved, we are often motivated by shame, the need to please, and a lack of self-worth. These motivations can sometimes cause us to move into states of self-loathing which cloud our perception of who we really are. The practice of finding out what you find rewarding in life is the practice of recognizing that you matter.
Mare’s House Sober Living – A Safe Place to Rebuild
At Mare’s House, we want our residents to know first and foremost that they matter – their safety matters, their health and well-being matters, their recovery matters. If you’re a woman in recovery looking for a sober living home, we invite you to find out more about our residence.
We know there’s trauma, we know there’s anger and we know that recovery is often hard – really, really hard. We’re here to provide a safe space where temptation and triggers are minimized to allow you the time to get your bearings and set a course for long-term success. Recovery is the most important work you’ll ever do, and building healthy habits and routines is a critical step.
If you, or someone you love is in need of a support in order to overcome addiction, improve mental health, and build self-efficacy with the goal of full independent living, contact us today.
