HOW TO BREAK HABIT LOOPS

A key part of the secret to alcohol-free living is understanding habit loops, how to break them and stop them from playing on repeat.

The concept of the habit loop was created by Charles Duhigg in his book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. There are three parts to the loop, which offer the key to deciphering how and why habits develop.

TRIGGER: The first part is the trigger - the cue that kicks off the habitual behaviour. They can take a lot of different forms and fall into several categories. Time, Location, Emotional State, Last Thing You Did, People Around You.

ROUTINE: The second part is the routine, the repeated behaviour or the habit. E.g. Drinking alcohol, eating sweet things, taking a shower, brushing your teeth, etc.?

REWARD: The third and final part is the reward. The reward is what makes doing the routine worthwhile. Rewards reinforce routines and help keep habits alive.

You can disrupt a habit by replacing the routine in the habit loop, while keeping the same trigger and reward. That is how you ‘break’ habits. You keep the trigger and the reward essentially the same; all you have to do is replace the routine.

Understanding that your beliefs about alcohol could be wrong, and need to be questioned, is a critical part of the secret to becoming alcohol-free.

This was my alcohol habit loop… Trigger - 6pm just finished work > Habit - pour glass of wine > Rewards - belief that it will relax me. This belief is FALSE and was, with a few other false beliefs, the reason why I drank.

You’ll find habit loops at play in most aspects of your life. Here is an example of my habit of ‘taking a shower’…Trigger - wake up > Habit - take a shower > Rewards - feel refreshed, clean, feel awake.

The point is simply start looking at your habits as being in a loop. Once you understand your triggers, your routines and your perceived rewards, you will be in a great position to change them - if you want to that is.

My book Walking Back To Happiness The Secret To Alcohol-free Living & Well-being shows you how I broke my alcohol habit loop and how you can do it. Here are some steps you can take.

STEP 1 – GET TRIGGER HAPPY

Write down all the triggers and cues that made you crave that first drink. E.g. Location; Time of Day; Your Emotional State; Certain People; The Last Thing You Did.

STEP 2 – LIST YOUR REWARDS

Make a list of what you think are the rewards, e.g. I feel relaxed, happy. You might find out that the rewards you think you get from drinking are not rewards at all!

STEP 3 – CREATE A LIST OF NEW HABITS

Create your own list of ‘new habits’ to replace the act of drinking and to break the alcohol habit loop, for example, have a hot bath, go for a walk, read a book, play a musical instrument.

THINKING OF BREAKING A HABIT?

If you are thinking of taking a break from alcohol in December and January – or changing another habit then why not book a coaching Discovery Call with me.

Book a Coaching Discovery Call https://calendly.com/9kmby9am/30minchemistrysession

LINKS

If you are questioning your alcohol consumption or already taking a break from it and seeing the huge benefits that brings please feel free to get in touch. You can contact me through:

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