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Overcoming Addiction: Rewards & Resources
There is an interesting
relationship between addictive behavior and reward systems. Many people focus on addictions as a way to escape reality, rewarding themselves
with false happiness like highs or drunken binges and gambling sprees that pull them way down over time.
However when these
unhealthy rewards are replaced with healthier ones during recovery and healing, things can turn around. For example, saving a little money for
a special trip can be rewarding. No need to gamble or get high; just enjoy swimming, shopping, skiing, and other fun activities
instead.
But problems arise, like
learning how much to save and where to go, how to get there, etc. And thus planning can be overwhelming and stressful.
To help addicts and those
with tendencies toward addictive behaviors learn how to make and put a positive reward system into place, the first step is grabbing hold of
reality and figuring out what WOULD be rewarding.
Reward yourself - with
healthy rewards - along the way to success. That’s the goal!
1. Begin by keeping a
notebook or journal listing rewards you would like to have. Start with something you think is totally unobtainable if you like. But start
somewhere. And write down your thoughts so that you’ll be accountable and take responsibility for yourself and your actions and
behaviors.
No one has to see this
rewards notebook or journal but you. So feel free to use misspellings, bad grammar, doodles, magic markers, highlighters, clipped magazine
pictures of what you want, etc. Be creative; make it colorful. It’s for YOU.
For example, your
notebook could contain a list with some items like these that you think might be great: traveling, having lots of friends, being a part of a
group, wearing designer clothes, having a new car, running your own business. Maybe you’d like to work part time, yet earn full time pay.
Maybe you’d like to adopt children, join the Peace Corps, build your own boat or house. Dare to dream and live, jotting down
ideas.
2. Then as time allows,
research your ideas and find out what it would take to put them into action and make them reality. Do you need more money? More education? A
scheduled time for a trip? A sewing machine to design clothes? Whatever it is that you’ll need, write it down.
Don’t know what you’ll
need? Can’t figure out quite how to plan it all or get where you want? Use resources.
3. Seek help – ask
trusted friends, write your congressman, check with your neighbor, move on to your net item and skip an unknown for now. Ask others at our
12-step meeting, research current trends in magazines and newspapers, ask the librarian for help and check via your favorite search engines.
The goal is to reach out with your resources. No need to go it alone!
4. Then make it so, as
they say on the television show Star Trek. Reach for the stars, your stars. Make time and plan your rewards one at a time. Have fun and enjoy
life while you’re living it in a healthier, real way, with real friends and real vacations. Show off your one new suit of clothes that you
worked for and saved for while paying all your other regular bills in the meantime.
5. Give back and help
others plan their own rewards, too. That’s a reward in itself! Encourage your support team, your family, your friends, your co-workers, your
neighbors and your healthcare team. Helping each other in life can be very rewarding. Don’t miss out on non-monetary
rewards!
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