It’s common to think that drugs and alcohol are the primary problem when it comes to addiction, but they aren’t. The reality is that without taking that first drink or using the first drug, the person wouldn’t have an issue. Unfortunately, many people have addictive behaviors that lead to self-medication. When you come to Ashley Addiction Treatment in Havre de Grace, Maryland, we’re going to focus on treating those behaviors to help you avoid relapse.
How Addictive Behaviors Play a Role in Developing an Addiction
We have different habits that we cement in our memories in order to survive. For instance, every time we get hungry, we eat, and this brings us satisfaction. It’s this satisfaction that helps us remember to do it again. The problem is that this same habit loop can happen with other behaviors in life.
We can look at this as a habit loop, which consists of the following three parts:
- Trigger
- Behavior
- Reward
Using the above example, hunger is the trigger, eating is the behavior, and no longer being hungry is the reward. When it comes to your addiction, you probably have a wide range of triggers. Your brain is on autopilot, so immediately after the trigger, you follow through with drinking or using. The goal of addiction treatment is to find a pause button between the trigger and behavior.
Mindfulness for Addictive Behaviors
You may have heard of Mindfulness, but you may not fully understand what it is or how it helps with your addiction recovery. Mindfulness promotes moment-to-moment awareness, which you’ll learn at Ashley. The more aware you are in each moment, the easier it will be to identify your triggers before they affect your behavior. When you create a wedge between the trigger and the behavior, you can begin experiencing true change.
At Ashley Addiction Treatment, many of our therapies are based on behavioral modification that helps to retrain and heal the brain in recovery. The reason people feel such intense cravings in early recovery is that the brain is pulling them toward the addictive behavior. As you begin to go through behavioral modification, the cravings lessen because your brain is healing. Over time, your brain will realize that there are much better ways to deal with your triggers than alcohol or drugs.
Replacing Addictive Behaviors
While you’re at Ashley, you’ll work closely with our therapists and other members of the team regularly. Through individual as well as group therapy, you’ll learn about new, healthy behaviors to replace your old ones. In group therapy, you’ll collaborate with others in early recovery and form a tight support system. One of the healthiest behaviors you can acquire is learning to reach out to your recovery support group for help.
Ashley also puts a big emphasis on health and wellness, which is great for replacing old behaviors. You’ll have access to our wellness center, which has state-of-the-art fitness equipment. While you’re at our facility, you’ll also learn how yoga and nutrition will improve your physical, mental, and spiritual health. You’ll begin to see that these healthy behaviors give you a sense of pleasure, confidence, and well-being that you need.
Following Up
Even after you finish our treatment program, your recovery journey is far from over. Before you leave, our professionals will set you up with a recovery support plan for continuing care as you transition back home. This is extremely important because life can be overwhelming when you leave rehab, and you’ll need support. We offer a wide range of aftercare programs and workshops, as well as access to our alumni program.
If you’re tired of living the way you’re living and want a change, call Ashley Addiction Treatment today at 866-313-6307.