10 Ways To Change And To Give Up Your Vices

Giving up addictions is difficult especially when you have a close relationship with chocolate, cigarettes, or alcohol. We try to find out how we can give up vices.

We know we should be weaker, healthier and non-smokers — and we would love to be that way. Then how about the bad habits, often so pleasant, that you have tried to get rid of so many times, do you still practice them?

Maybe it’s because you’re not organized enough. Psychologists say that giving up something permanently is often impossible because people are not prepared. Unfortunately, many behavior modification programs, including weight loss and drug withdrawal programs, are unlikely to achieve their purpose because they are more concerned with the timing of the decision.

Three preparatory steps must be considered. These involve good knowledge of new behavior, preparation for action, and long-term decision-making. Although there are cases in which people have made a major change overnight, such as quitting smoking, studies show that they have acted before but failed. It takes longer than we are told to give up a habit.

Set yourself an accessible goal

A permanent change is difficult, especially when it comes to losing habits that we have had for a long time. In the early months, you may experience failure, but this is a natural part of the change and not necessarily a bad thing.

Instead of losing hope, try to learn from failure. Failure will prove that a change is a process and not an event. Usually quitting occurs when you are stressed and vulnerable. Choose to change your habits during a quiet time at work and with your family.

Otherwise, you will be motivated to light a cigarette because mentally you cannot cope with stress and nicotine deficiency at the same time. It is sometimes necessary to change your perspective on the desired goal.

Efficient and fast solutions

People who have tried to lose weight through several methods and have failed, through perseverance have adopted a healthier lifestyle, without immediate results.

Over time, they felt the positive changes, became more energetic and less stressed, and wanted to stay in this new way of life. Gradually they managed to lose weight and started to move more. Such a method in which people find solutions based on reasonable values ​​and not on vanity or lack of self-respect can be applied to those who want to quit smoking or alcohol.

First change your lifestyle and your daily thoughts and cigarettes will become superfluous on their own. Some people do not believe that they can make positive changes in their lives because they do not trust their strengths and tend to believe that they are not as good as those who have managed to change.

Specialists advise us to identify the thoughts that limit us and to replace them with positive paradigms. When we identify our values ​​and write on paper what is important, we are more likely to achieve our goals in life.

For example, you could specify 10 goals at the beginning of each year and then analyze the steps required to accomplish each. Removing negative thoughts will put you in a better position where you can make the changes you want easier.

10 steps for change

1. Get ready. It is necessary to know well what change involves and to prepare for a difficult period. The more you become aware of the disadvantages of the former behavior, the better you will notice the benefits of the new behavior. It would be helpful to make your intentions public, but we warn you that not everyone will agree with them.

2. Create an environment where lasting changes can be sustained. Bad habits can seem appealing even if you get rid of them, so it’s a good idea to stay away from temptations. If you want to quit smoking, don’t go out with your smoking friends too soon.

3. Specify your goals. It is important not to set yourself impossible goals. It is better to eat a large vegetable salad a day than to say that you are giving up meat for good. The second option has a too discouraging message.

4. Set a start. One reason why changes are never made is that we are waiting for that “magic moment” to begin. How many times do we say, “From now on, stop smoking!” Choose a specific date and then celebrate a successful month, six, or year. Then keep it in mind and keep celebrating.

5. Get motivated! The best way to motivate ourselves is to be aware of all the benefits that change will bring to our lives. The phrase “it is necessary to run” makes you think only of how busy you are, while a sentence like “I have 50 scientifically proven benefits if I do sports” will make you run more than 30 minutes a day.

6. Learn from failure. Don’t blame yourself if you’re wrong. Start again as soon as possible and insist.

7. Don’t get stuck. Don’t set yourself the same goal every year. If you don’t succeed, try to find another, close goal. Seek help outside if you can’t handle it.

8. Help from loved ones. Only a close person can help you get through the first days of the change. It is helpful to have a critical eye on your progress to know how far you have come. In addition, a friend can more easily bear your nervousness from the first days. Loneliness is discouraging in such cases and increases the possibility of failure.

9. Don’t underestimate the importance of maintaining change. Many campaigns promise easy change but do not say that maintenance is a long and long process that requires a lot of involvement and more patience than the initial moment of giving up.

10. Never forget how hard it was to change. Once an unwanted habit has been eliminated we tend to forget how hard we struggled to get rid of it. This is how “smoking only on weekends” behaves. If you constantly remember how hard you worked to change, you will not deviate from the chosen path.