Building healthier habits is essential to recovering from substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health issues. Replacing maladaptive behaviors with healthier alternatives reduces the risk of relapse and improves your overall well-being. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), forming healthy habits is beneficial, and “When behaviors become automatic, it gives us an advantage, because the brain does not have to use conscious thought to perform the activity.”
Buena Vista Recovery is one of the premier alcohol treatment centers in Arizona. Clinicians help reduce the risk of relapse by guiding clients through building healthier habits.
The Importance of Building Healthier Habits
Habits become ingrained in your daily life after you practice them repeatedly. Healthy habits improve your overall wellness and lower stress. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), prioritizing personal wellness “emphasizes having positive goals, learning self-management skills (e.g., self-care when hearing disruptive voices), and developing healthy habits.” You can regain control of your life by using the resources available in treatment to create better routines and habits.
Building habits to support a life of sobriety does the following:
- Establishes consistency and accountability
- Reduces boredom and limits exposure to triggers
- It improves overall health and helps the body heal more effectively
- Ensures positive activities become part of your everyday life
The more you focus on spending your days doing activities that leave you feeling happy and healthy, the easier it will be to transition into long-term recovery. Treatment programs ensure you have the skills to successfully establish these beneficial habits. No matter where you are in your recovery journey, Buena Vista Recovery is there to help you find the best path forward. You can rely on the dedicated care team to guide you through identifying and creating positive habits to enhance the effectiveness of treatment.
How Behavior Affects Mental Health
Addictive behaviors significantly impact your mental and physical health. Replacing maladaptive behaviors with positive ones reduces your risk of relapse by ensuring you focus on forming healthy routines and habits. Every habit you start affects your behaviors and thoughts in some way. Reduce the adverse side effects of substance use and mental health disorders by creating positive habits. Individuals in recovery often have bad habits they must unlearn and replace. For example, if anyone questioned your life choices, you may have previously responded with anger. You can make it a habit to stop, take a step back, and process your emotions before reacting angrily.
Behavior affects your mental health by impacting the following:
- Self-esteem and self-worth
- Self-confidence and self-efficacy
- Physical health
- Coping skills
- Triggered reactions
- Symptoms of co-occurring disorders
According to Substance Abuse: Research and Treatment, “The transition between active addiction and being in ‘recovery,’ or being in a treatment program, inherently affects one’s habits and routines and occupational performance.” In addition, the research shows that once a person feels ready to make positive lifestyle changes, they can move “from substance-related patterns of behavior into establishing recovery-based habits and routines.”
Building Healthier Habits During Treatment
Inpatient and outpatient treatment programs provide an ideal space for creating more useful routines and habits. You have time away from everyday stressors and triggers to decide how best to improve your daily life through new patterns of behavior. The care team at Buena Vista Recovery can help you determine what areas you want to focus on and which habits might need to be changed to support a sober life.
Building better habits often involves doing the following:
- Identifying unhelpful or unhealthy behaviors and finding alternatives
- Setting achievable goals for your recovery, relationships, and general wellness
- Finding positive ways to incorporate the new habit into your treatment plan or daily routine
Participating in treatment at a drug or alcohol treatment center in Arizona makes it easier to build healthier habits. You have the support of peers who share similar life experiences and a dedicated care team. Habits are not formed overnight. Healing in a community setting increases accountability for positive changes and provides encouragement during moments when you might want to revert to old behaviors.
Identifying Areas That Require Change
You can learn to identify areas requiring change during treatment at a rehabilitation center in Arizona. Therapists and other members of the care team will help you challenge maladaptive beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors.
Some common areas people choose to address during treatment include:
- Communicating more openly with loved ones
- Prioritizing physical health by eating nutritional meals, exercising, and getting quality sleep each night
- Spending more time with friends and family
- Socializing with sober peers
- Spending less time engaged in risk-taking behaviors
- Practicing mindfulness and other coping techniques in everyday situations
The habits you form during treatment will either help or hinder your goal of long-term sobriety. Buena Vista Recovery offers intensive outpatient programs (IOP) in Arizona. The programs use structure and a controlled environment to help clients set routines and build better habits.
People in recovery from substance misuse benefit from spending time in a structured treatment community where they have the support of peers and clinicians. The personalized care and additional accountability increase the effectiveness of therapy and other treatments. Buena Vista Recovery encourages clients and their families to actively engage in the recovery community and find healthy ways to heal from the effects of substance misuse. Treatment programs reduce the risk of relapse by providing essential support services to clients and alumni. The welcoming environment helps clients create healthy habits and routines to support ongoing sobriety. To learn more about our programs and services, call our office today at (480) 741-9414.
