Is Drinking Too Much Alcohol a Bad Habit For You?
Do you have a bad habit around drinking too much alcohol?
Have you ever wondered why this habit of drinking too much alcohol just keeps on happening?
Do you wish you could control your bad habit and quit drinking too much?
We all know what a habit is. And most of us are aware of bad habits and the connotations when we try and fail to prevent an unwanted pattern or behavior from occurring.
Why Do Bad Habits Keep on Happening?
The main reason for habitual behavior is because we are literally creatures of habit. When we learn a new skill, or develop a new method of doing something, our brain takes action. Our brain sets about, using repetitive learning skills to change a new skill into a habit. This make it easier to repeat the exercise. In other words, our brain is continuously trying to convert actions that need concentration by the conscious brain (and these ones take a lot of our concentration and energy) into actions that can be programmed into our subconscious brain. This is so that these actions no longer take up so much energy. It’s so they can be completed with as little concentration as possible.
Example
For example, do you remember what it was like when you first learned to drive a motor vehicle? Every action required intense concentration. At the end of a short lesson, a learner driver can be a total nervous wreck. They’re exhausted from the intense mental and physical activity required to keep the car on the road. I clearly remember getting out of the car after one of these experiences, wondering why on earth anyone would ever choose to drive a motor vehicle in the first place. It wasn’t fun for a beginner!
But how things can change! As soon as the functions involved in driving a car became committed to memory, and the subconscious brain was able to take over most of the tasks, driving a car does become much easier. Have you noticed that you can actually navigate your way with barely any conscious effort at all? This is an example of the conscious brain converting a series of actions into a habit so that the subconscious brain can do the work. This meansless impact on the conscious mind.
In other words, our brain is wired to form habits wherever possible. Sometimes we won’t even be aware of how a bad habit develops.
Habits Can Be Helpful
Habits form almost our entire existence, and not all of them are bad habits! Most of our daily actions, such getting ready for school or work, checking for texts, emails, or Facebook notifications, eating breakfast, getting dressed, driving to work, catching the bus, or whatever else you do on a daily routine. We do all of these things by habit, and they are good habits that keep us efficient, and reduce how much mental effort we need to expend just to start the day rolling.
Once you get into the routine of carrying out the same actions every day, it very easily transitions into a habit. Hopefully your routines and habits serve you well, because once you have created a habit, it becomes difficult to change!
A Habit is Like a River
A river cuts a channel for water to flow, and it will continue to flow in the same channel, cutting deeper and more entrenched. Trying to dam the river will only hold the water back for so long. When the dam is no longer able to hold back the water, the river will once again continue to flow in the old channel, and no amount of redirection will cause the river to find a new channel.
A habit is like a river that follows old patterns and entrenched routines. Changing a bad habit using only will power is like trying to dam a river, in that will power can only hold on for so long until the resolve and determination is overwhelmed. Similarly to the dam wall when it can no longer hold back the river, the old habit will simply return, and continue to manifest old behaviors in exactly the same way despite your best efforts to stop the flow.
Often a habit can be formed due to routines you have been subject to. It may be a family routine or a workplace routine. The question of whether drinking too much alcohol is hereditary comes up. Whilst genetics may or may not cause us to drink, our environment certainly contributes to our culture. Our habits.
Is Drinking Too Much Alcohol a Bad Habit That Runs Deep?
The use of will power alone to quit a bad habit is simply not strong enough to prevent the return of entrenched behaviors and old routines. So if you are trying to quit drinking alcohol, or have tried in the past to stop drinking too much alcohol, then you may find it difficult to change old habits using will power alone.
To effectively change a habit, there needs to be a more premeditated course of action in order to prevent the weakening of resolve, and return to previous behaviors.
So Here Are The Basic Steps to Change a Habit:
- Identify the cues, rewards, and triggers for the habit
- Interrupt the old routine, and disrupt the old habits
- Search for competing response, and use it to help disrupt the old patterns
- Insert a new routine and conduct habit reversal.
But at this stage, we will only have succeeded in changing the habit. We haven’t necessarily made enough change to handle stressful moments. It’s unlikely that we’ll yet have confidence in our ability top keep the habit from returning.
We need to ensure that we stay changed! So:
5. We need “belief.”
Belief
Belief can be achieved through various ways. It may be spiritual belief in a higher being. It may be through social acceptance, or cultural belief that is gained from a group or team support.
The power of belonging to a group or team should never be overlooked. A group provides the individual members with belief and support to make a change and to stay changed. In other words, “if that person can find a way to quit drinking alcohol, then I can do it also”. There is also the benefit of knowing what to expect when you quit drinking.
Or if the old habit is threatening to return, then support from the group or even an individual, can often be enough to help you. It’s better to prevent a relapse to old behavior where we start drinking too much alcohol again. Been there – don’t want to go back! Support is very helpful.
In this way, an individual can break a pattern of behavior, change a habit and achieve a whole new outcome for their life. This also applies to their job, their relationships and their finances.
Better still, if they are able to change a habit, that person can learn how to maintain a whole new level of self discipline, self control and self belief. The power to take back control of bad habits can empower an individual to achieve greater and greater outcomes in their life. You will be amazed at how your health changes after quitting drinking.
Is Drinking Too Much Alcohol a Bad habit? Then Change It!
Once we learn how to change a habit and stay changed, we learn an entirely new mindset about life. This changes not only our habits, but our attitude for what we want to achieve in life. We develop the ability to set long term goals for higher achievements and the belief that we can meet those goals and exceed them.
Once you find the belief that you can take back control of your life, you will find the deepest satisfaction that it is you who is in control of your life. As at that point you will be empowered to find true freedom.
If you want to find a way to quit drinking alcohol and change your bad habit of drinking too much alcohol, keep in touch with us. We have a Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/lovebeingalcoholfree/ . Consider investing in our online quit drinking program How To Stop Drinking Alcohol and Love Being Free where we show you how to quit drinking on your own. We show you the path we followed, helping you to feel better each day of your life! You’ll love the benefits of not drinking too much alcohol.