How to | Steps to Overcoming Addiction | Lifestyle Change app

Quitting has many mental and physical health benefits including improved quality of life. The research on the dangers of smoking is solid, so why risk your health? Cessation is beneficial at any age [66] and the benefits begin after a few hours of stopping. Smoking is associated with certain forms of adult leukemia, cardiovascular diseases, a variety of cancers and multiple other chronic diseases, and lower sperm density [66]. Smoking is also associated with a significantly increased risk of colorectal cancer [65] and all-causes of mortality [66]. Social support has been shown to aid in smoking cessation and leads to continued cessation after long periods of time [66]. Why not get a friend a quit together?

say not to cigarettes

How to break a habit?

If you have conditioned yourself to repeat and act the way you do daily for years it's hard to stop doing it. Some addictions are only mental, but sometimes there is the physical component bind to the psychological addiction. Usually, it's both together and that makes is it a complex issue and hard to stop repeating.

The scientific research gives us a good understanding about how habits are formed. If you have ever consciously tried to change anything in your life you know it's a challenge to make it last.

The goal of the Habinator app is to be the best health mobile app for quitting bad habits. When it comes to addictions that is even a harder task than forming new healthy habits. The best way to get rid of your bad habits is to get the app and search for the goal: Quit Smoking. Take advantage of your current motivation and create a plan to beat your addiction!

Bad habits are a complex. Depending on the level and nature of the addiction there are several different theories and approaches to beat the addiction. The literature differentiates between compulsion, physical, behavioral and psychological addictions, and bad habits.

What is common in all different negative habits is that building a healthier lifestyle is the key to lasting recovery.

Below we list some reasons to motivate you and to demonstrate the importance. Some reasons include research references to make sure the facts are proven by science. You can find the research papers from the research section.

How to know if someone is addicted?

You might be asking: Am I addicted? How do I know if I am? What is the difference between a bad habit and an addiction? How do I test if I am addicted?

First, we need to define what exactly is an addiction. Usually, the definition is something like a strong inclination to do, use, or indulge in something repeatedly. This definition means that any habit is an addiction, but therefore addiction is only used when it comes to negative habits. The term "addiction" is normally used when it comes to harming yourself and others around you (relationships, professional, and other responsibilities). After being aware of the serious consequences the person keeps continuing the behavior because they can't quit.

Bad habits are used more loosely and not considered so harmful. Usually, they are only slightly unhealthy to them personally or annoying to others. Even if the person wants to stop the urge to repeat the habit is too strong.

A good way to think of addiction is to let the subject personally decide. Does repeating the behavior have detrimental effects on their life? Can they stop doing it?

A simple way to test if you are addicted is to have a one-week break of the behavior, substance, or what it is you are addicted to. If you feel a strong urge towards your bad habit, you are considered to be addicted.

The most simple way is to define addiction is to say: I want to stop doing something but I can't.

That is why eating disorders and food addictions are complicated because we all do need to eat so when it becomes a problem? What about cell phone addiction? Where is the limit?
Quitting bad habits app in Apple Store for iOS Quitting bad habits app in Google Play for Android

Benefits of quitting

The cumulative effects of small lifestyle changes are huge. Getting rid of an annoying habit can change everything for the better because it usually controls a big part of one's life. Below is a list of some of the benefits of Quit Smoking. It's Important that you find the reasons that resonate with you personally and motivate you in the long term.

These were the initial steps to Quit Smoking. You can customize the plan for your needs. The app will coach and guide you through the process.

  • I save money daily

  • My skin quality improves and I look more attractive

  • Reduce depression, anxiety, and stress [67]

  • Increase positive mood and my quality of life [67]

  • I save money from medication and medical bills

  • My breath smells better

  • Look more healthy attractive to the other gender

  • Better dental hygiene

  • I can breath easier

  • I get a cleaner and healthier body

Plan, steps, and timeline for quitting

What makes Habinator probably the best health app to quit bad habits is that it gives you a ready made plan to follow. When you install the app and choose the goal "Quit Smoking" you will have a possibility to choose to use Tasks. They are steps to gradually get closer to your final goal: Quit Smoking.

Tasks can be exercises, milestones, or important information, that all help you quit the addiction. These intermediate steps we call Tasks give you a process to follow to begin a life without the old habit. For example, it teaches how to recognize the biggest risks to relapse and how to avoid relapse.

Remember that Habinator is a coaching app -- it is not a magical tool that takes responsibility and does the hard work for you. It gives you the facts and suggestions on what to do and how to do it, but you need to do the hard work!

We all have our life situations and the way we behave. You can easily remove a Task if it does not fit your situation or you think the step is not beneficial for you. You know what is best for you and only you are responsible for your actions! 😊

The science and practice have shown that quitting habits is challenging and everyone needs to find out what works best for them when developing long-lasting changes.

When you install the Habinator Lifestyle Coaching app, you will get an initial plan for Quit Smoking that includes these steps. Following the plan, you are able to get closer to your final goal every time you accomplish each step. But remember, the Habinator habit tracker is just a mobile app -- a helper tool -- to guide you to reach your goals. Even if it's the best health app, it's just an app and you need to do all the work!

Tasks: Steps to victory

  1. Change my brand
  2. Reduce to half
  3. List negative effects
  4. Choose my strategy
  5. Make the decision
  6. Set end date
  7. Create action plan
  8. Get nicotine replacements
  9. Know the withdrawal symptoms
  10. Review my Tasks
  11. Postpone the first
  12. Delay nicotine absorption
  13. Plan my next 2 weeks
  14. 3-hour break
  15. Break the pattern
  16. Keep a diary
  17. Resist the urge
  18. Observe the craving
  19. 4-hour break
  20. Find my coping mechanism
  21. Reduce to half again
  22. Make a mantra
  23. Quit buying the product
  24. Expose the trigger
  25. I am in charge!
  26. Make smoking hard
  27. Max amount: 2
  28. Delay the craving
  29. Avoid risky situations
  30. I'm a non-smoker!
  31. Get rid of the the rest
  32. Know the positive effects
  33. Find an oral substitute
  34. 1st day without
  35. 2nd day without
  36. Talk about cravings
  37. 3rd day without
  38. Remember my reasons
  39. 4th day without
  40. Get rid of paraphernalia
  41. 5th day without
  42. Remember why I quit
  43. Build health
  44. 1 week without
  45. Take it day by day
  46. 2 weeks without
  47. See the long-term impacts
  48. 3 weeks without
  49. Find a bigger meaning
  50. 3 months without
  51. Forgive myself
  52. 1 month without
  53. 2 months without
  54. 4 months without
Best app to quit bad habits in Apple Store for iOS Best app to quit bad habits in Google Play for Android

Why quitting an addiction is so hard?

If you have developed a physical addiction you need to deal with the withdrawal symptoms at the beginning of the quitting process. The detox phase is the most challenging part and needs to be planned especially well. Gradually lowering the usage helps the body to get used to the new normal. The app helps you to get prepared but everyone should consider consulting a healthcare professional or at least have a support person.

The repeated behavior is never just a physical addiction. The routine and even rituals around the habit are conditioned by the physical body to wait for the reward that follows. Breaking the habit even without any physical symptoms is hard, but the psychological part makes it complicated.

Another part of kicking the habit is the mental battles. Depression and anxiety are common while the body and mind are struggling to get used to getting along without the old behavior.

Positive psychology is a growing movement in psychology and is applied more and more in the clinical work and understanding addiction recovery. Concepts like building a meaningful life, forgiveness, kindness, and gratitude can support the overall process and help the recovery. Positive psychology sees addiction as a disease but still emphasizing personal responsibility.

Building a healthy lifestyle, meaningful life after recovering from addiction takes time and effort. There will be setbacks, but positive psychology teaches us to gracefully forgive, learn about the situation and move forward with your plan.

Recognizing the obstacles beforehand is an important part of quitting process. What challenges you might face with Quit Smoking?

Prepare to quit: Make a lifestyle change plan

The path to success is creating a realistic lifestyle change plan you can follow through. Taking the long-term view and developing new healthy habits is the key.

There are programs for intensive lifestyle change available that include dealing with bad habits that emphasize the importance of connection, intimacy, and love.

The founder and researcher Dr. Dean Ornish believe that these bad behaviors like smoking, drinking, and overeating often originate from people’s attempts to self-medicate emotional pain. That is why the programs also address psychological factors like loneliness, isolation, depression, and anger.

Taking it slow, believing yourself, and making progress daily will ultimately lead to victory. If you set a Quit Smoking goal in Habinator app you will get a plan for quitting. Additionally, you need to replace the old behavior with more positive habits to fill the gap in your life. The app coaches how to prepare and deal with challenging situations. One method is have a replacing habit to replace the urge.

Motivation to quit

To Quit Smoking you need to find the reason(s) why you want to reduce or get rid of the habit. Keeping the ultimate reason clear in mind will motivate you and keep you going when a tough situation arises.

What would be the ultimate reason for you to quit now and forever?

If you can't find a reason to do it for yourself, try to find a bigger purpose and meaning. Do it for your family, for your country, for a better world.

Here are a few example reasons that you can use but you need to find the one that helps you achieve your goal: Quit Smoking, once and for all.

  • Improve my quality of sleep

  • It is associated with certain forms of adult leukemia, cardiovascular diseases, a variety of cancers and multiple other chronic diseases [66]

  • It is associated with a lower sperm density [64]

  • It is associated with a significantly increased risk of colorectal cancer [65] and all-causes of mortality [66]

  • I don't want the marketing industry to tell me I am cool when I smoke

  • Other people might be disgusted about the smell - especially the one I am insterested into

  • Cessation is beneficial at any age [66]

  • Day by day I recover my palate, rediscovering my taste and smell

  • I am an example to my children and others

  • If I smoke less every day, after a while I will be able to quit

  • Smoking exposes to radiation. 1.5 packs a day is is the same as 300 chest X-rays a year [s95]

  • If I smoke less every day, after a while I will be able to quit

  • My skin quality improves and I look more attractive

Replacing old habits

We already discussed withdrawal symptoms, physical addiction, and the few-week detox period at the beginning of the process. After that comes the period where the risk of relapse is still high because the habit that was a big part of the old life is yet to be filled.

Another contributing factor to falling back to old behavior patterns is the mental difficulties that follow: Boredom, depression, anxiety, emptiness, and the lack of meaning in life can all last months or even years. The hormonal disbalances and negative feelings will fade away eventually. Being aware of melancholia and mood swings help to cope with the situations when the urge to break the quitting process arises. Therefore mindfulness meditation has been suggested as a potential therapy for addictions and positive psychology as a concept to support the process.

You need to fill the gap that addiction left behind by introducing new routines and activities to your life. Build new habits, build a new life. The app has hundreds of habits to choose from but first, you need realistically assess your life situation and decide what you able to achieve. Unrealistic expectations are a big issue when it comes to recovery and building a healthy lifestyle.

There are proven strategies how to form a habit and make it stick. But understand, it will take time and a lot of effort.

What positive habits would suit your current situation?
quit bad habits app in Apple Store quit bad habits app in Google Play

Embrace the new healthy lifestyle

Quit Smoking is only one thing you can do for your brain and body to improve your daily well-being. Healthy diet, relationships, proper sleep, and exercise all contribute to better mental states and a faster recovery.

With the Habinator health and life-coach app you can create a complete lifestyle medicine plan and begin developing habits that fit your needs. Having a coach or a health professional to support your process is advised. Finding a support group or a person that has the experience cannot be addressed enough. Hiring a coach can be expensive but so are bad habits.

Setting a healthier lifestyle as a priority is the key. Small daily actions and choices create a positive circle that all contribute to the final goal: Quit Smoking. Know that the app is used by professionals so everything in the app is customizable to fit your personal needs. Find the goal: "Quit Smoking" and edit it to fit your plan.

Better health comes from a long-term behavior change, which is your daily habits.

Build new routines

Forming new daily routines take time and focus. Having a clear goal where you want to be in the near future adds to your success rate and have a positive impact on overall satisfaction in life.

Little by little and day by day, you can raise energy levels and improve your mood while building the life you want. Designing your habits and following through the plan is not easy, but Habinator coaching app will guide and support you on your journey.

Learning how to quit habits and introducing new ones is a skill that can be learned. That is one of the goals of the Habinator health and life coach app.
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