Many people engage in occasional, social consumption of alcohol or cannabis without forming a habit. For most people, the consumption stays that way but a certain number of people are susceptible to developing an unhealthy relationship with drugs and alcohol in an attempt to cope with life’s challenges or painful past experiences. Some people are genetically predisposed to addiction. For the latter two groups, the slip into a pattern of substance abuse starts with repetition, which then leads to forming a habit that becomes destructive as it develops into addiction. Intensive outpatient treatment can be a way to stop addiction and sometimes an intervention such as with couples counseling is a more suitable way to get help. Let’s take a look at habit forming structures and their components.

Forming a habit consists of three parts: 1. a cue (trigger), 2. the routine, 3. the reward. A trigger can be an event, a time of the day, something in the environment, a person, scents and sights, physical sensation and so on. It is important to examine the events that led to the routine of the substance use and bring them into your consciousness. For instance, leaving your workplace could be the que to getting a drink; walking out of a college lecture could trigger rolling a joint; having an argument with your partner may lead to smoking a cigarette while ruminating over the argument that just happened. A routine relies on repetition, which potentially creates the start of forming a habit, and the reward, the pleasure derived from the routine, ensures the routine is being repeated.

The trigger-routine-reward cycle creates a loop that nests in the subconscious and from then on, the brain begins to operate on an autopilot. For instance, experienced drivers do not think step-by-step how to drive a car or how to get home. They simply engage in a series of well-rehearsed actions and the next thing they know they have arrived at their destination. The same processes happens with substance use. For instance, the end of the work day is a cue: it is time for a drink. Going across the street for a happy hour the routine. The social experience, feeling buzzed and relaxed are the rewards. The process at work that creates the habit that once started without incident, is the same process that can develop into a compulsive habit called substance use disorder that is difficult to stop.

As you can see, there is more to the development of forming a habit and in some cases, addiction, than the all too often assumed character weakness, lack of will, or moral failure. Whether a person is influenced to start treatment or is self-initiating, we offer a full range of treatment options, from intervention, assessment and group therapy, family counseling to individual counseling sessions that address a substance use disorder. Feel free to call or email for more information: 425-462-8558; [email protected].

Post contributor Nina Vukmanic, CDPT at Eastside Center for Family