Bad Habits And Urges, What Effort Is Needed?
Habits and urges go hand in hand. In fact, many people in the throes of an addictive behavior problem, whether it is overeating, drug use or alcohol abuse, claim that they derive no pleasure from their habit - that it is nothing but the relentless craving that fuels ongoing addictive behavior. What is usually most difficult for people when changing a bad habit is coping with the sometimes relentless urges.
The initial days of a habit kicking plan can be exhausting as urges dominate thinking and interfere with daily routine. Many people give up change efforts because they feel that there is not way they can function without their habit as the urges interfere too much with quality of life.
It is important to remember that urges, in and of themselves, are normal. We experience craving in varying degrees every day. And because your habit has been important to you for a long time, it may be unreasonable to expect urges to vanish completely. What is hoped is that you will come to experience urges with less frequency and that when they are experienced you will be able to react in a way that avoids relapse.
Especially early on in your change efforts, craving can seem excruciating. Your daily routine has been altered by the elimination of an important part of life and now you can’t get your mind off it. Everything you see reminds you of your habit.
If you smoke, every room you enter may bring to mind the image of a cigarette and associated pleasure. The inability to satisfy the urge can lead to frustration and inner statements like, ‘I can’t stand this!’ or ‘There is no way I will be able to live without giving in. I’ll just go crazy!’ Statements like this can be overwhelming. So much so that people often give up efforts.
Try to take some of the power away from a black and white adjective like ‘horrible’ or ‘unbearable.’
Belief in horrible extremes only makes you feel worse. Just how unbearable is your urge right now? To accurately answer this you may need to conjure images of what other types of suffering reported as unbearable are like. Is this as unbearable as getting stabbed in the stomach? Or better still, what have you endured which was worse than your current urge? Was that unbearable? If so, does it follow that your urge is less than unbearable and perhaps only ‘very uncomfortable.’
About the Author:
Before you change your ways, you have to be aware of your nasty habits. Learn More About Why Bad Habit is So Hard to Break at http://BadHabit.smartreviewguide.com
By,
Jerry H.Hall