Human beings are, to put it gently, in a unique position in the animal world. We're the only species smart enough to plan systematically for the future -- yet we remain dumb enough to ditch even our most carefully made plans in favor of short-term gratification. Even simple changes in thinking and behavior can markedly increase the chances of success in managing habits.

Like a runner warming up, part of your task in making lifestyle changes involves getting emotionally limbered up. That means learning to feel comfortable with personal evolution, developing keener insights into self-control, self-responsibility, environmental awareness and the dynamic nature of change and growth.

Habits are normal and an essential for survival and growth. Habits cover a spectrum of severity-- from very healthy to somewhat destructive to life-threatening. At Addiction Alternatives, we refer to destructive habits as "unwanted repetitive behaviors" -- that is, undesirable activities, repeated over and over and that interfere with the quality of life.

As a recovering behavioral addict, you build up your resilience by first of all having the mindset that this is not about doing it, it's not an event, it's not a single "I'm going to do it once" and it's going to be over.

It might be smart to look at a recovery home, or living with someone else, or living in an environment that does not support or endorse those sorts of behaviors that encourage addiction.

As with almost all troublesome behaviors that need changing -- be it losing weight, stopping smoking or starting to exercise -- the trick in overcoming alcohol abuse is not so much in the start-up as in the continuation. It sometimes takes years and many failed attempts before a problem drinker can finally achieve lasting sobriety.

Part of the addiction, we must understand, is the avoidance of the discomforts; the fears, so taking action, by definition, is facing fears and you're already beginning to take action when you're willing to do something that's uncomfortable, where normally you would avoid it.

Alcoholism in the home has long-lasting effects. Children of alcoholics often learn to cope with an unhappy childhood in ways that cause problems for them later in life. Learning about how alcoholism affected your past can help you build a better future.

Addiction is a great source of shame to many people-- we don't like it when people we like turn out to be addicts because we associate addicts with bad, scummy, evil, lying manipulators who are "not like us" and who "deserve what they get." But the truth is, many wonderful, talented, humane, kind, sensitive and caring people are also addicts.

What is actually happening between the point at which a person presents themself as helplessly unable to behave in ways that they say they want to and the point at which they feel they are free from the behaviours and thoughts that they were unable to control?