PART 1: Alcoholic or Just A Bad Habit?

In his book, Atomic Habits, author James Clear states that addiction is not just someone’s “bad habit.” So it makes sense to apply Clear’s habit forming (or breaking) concepts to addiction. 

Clear has taken the topic of habit creation, broken it down to bite-sized pieces, and provided suggestions to create good habits or eliminate bad ones.

3 Tiers to Habit Formation

He introduces the 3 levels of awareness in habit formation. The first level is to simply aspire to reaching a goal such as I will run a half marathon. The goal is clearly stated. Future actions can easily be applied to achieving it.

The second, deeper level is to change systems. This involves carefully looking at your current habitual behavior, then re-organizing, re-arranging, re-structuring your environment to achieve the goal. So, for running a half marathon, the systems changes may include: 

• having two pairs of excellent training shoes
• committing to a running partner
• keeping the shoes, socks, and other running necessities prepped and ready at all times
• having great music or podcasts saved just for the runs 

But it is the third and deepest layer of habit formation that caused me to think about my patients, acquaintances, friends, and family who are in recovery. This deepest level of habit formation comes when your identity itself is changed. Instead of the goal being to run a half marathon with all the systems intact—at this deeper level, the person thinks of themself as a runner. 

Habit Can Become Addiction

When does a person in recovery cross this rather magical line?  From my perspective, it is different for everyone. All people who have a substance use disorder, whether to opioids, alcohol, cocaine, pot, benzos—or a behavioral addiction, have unique stories and paths. These behaviors and substances allowed people to escape the suffering of anxiety, depression, boredom, and various levels of traumatic experiences, at least until the substances and behaviors became the cage rather than the key to freedom.

So even though James Clear, or any author who is an expert on the science of behavioral change has plenty to offer all of us, people with substance or behavioral use disorders will likely need additional counseling.