From maintaining a healthy diet to making the trip to the gym regularly, self-discipline is something that everyone could have more of. For those who are struggling with an alcohol or drug addiction, it’s a skill that is especially important. Whether you are considering private opiate detox treatment, are participating now, or have completed it, there are steps you can take to boost your willpower.
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Take Action to Improve Your Self-Control
Here are some things you can do to gain better control of your thoughts and actions:
- Practice on less difficult challenges. The more you exercise your willpower, the stronger it becomes. And that includes all areas of your life. Make it a goal to exert some self-control every day. Resist the urge to have dessert. Get off the couch and go for a walk when you really don’t feel like it. Every little bit of practice helps.
- Develop self-monitoring skills. The more aware you are of how your urges are driving your behavior, the better you will be at controlling them. This includes noting your reaction to forces outside your control.
- Create reasonable objectives. Neither attaining easy goals (“I will use drugs one less time per month.”) nor missing unreasonable ones (“I will never use drugs again starting right now.”) is helpful. You need to think carefully about the objectives you set for yourself and make them challenging but achievable.
- Find ways to motivate yourself. The primary reward for having more self-control is that you don’t do things that harm you or others. However, having a secondary motivator is always a good idea. For example, you might set a goal of not going to hang out with friends today who you know will be using drugs with the payoff being that if you achieve it, you’ll treat yourself to dinner at your favorite restaurant instead.
- Work on developing a positive attitude. If you don’t believe you can succeed at showing more self-control or beating your addiction, chances are you won’t. Having a “can do” attitude can make a big difference. And, contrary to what some people will say, being positive doesn’t mean you are ignoring the truth or lying to yourself. You always have the choice of putting a positive or negative spin on any situation. You are simply choosing to be upbeat.
Increasing Your Inner Strength to Improve Your Odds
While private opiate detox treatment can be very helpful as you work on beating your addiction, your self-disciple will also be a major factor in your success. With practice, you can greatly increase it. Contact us today at (800) 205-6107 to learn more about our programs.
Content reviewed by Vicky Magobet, PMHNP-BC, on July 24th, 2017.
Vicky is a board certified Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. She began her nursing career in healthcare by working in the intensive care unit, and then an inpatient psychiatric hospital. After realizing the mental health needs of both the patients and the families she served, she became a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. Throughout her experience working with clients, she has developed a passion for those with dual diagnoses and specializes in helping individuals recognize the issues driving their substance use. This recognition has been crucial to the individual’s success in treatment. Vicky opened Diamond House Detox so that she can address these issues early on in a therapeutic environment to allow clients to transition to the next level in their recovery.
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