Health behaviour I wish to change
Discuss About The SNPG939: Health Behaviour Change Diary Template.
The purpose of this assignment is to develop strategies for management a good healthy behaviour that the individual wishes to change and lead a better life. The individual has identified reduction of alcohol consumption as the main problem to be addressed. This assignment covers different aspects that relate to behaviour change, highlights the strengths and limitations of changing the behaviour and then offers a reflection of the whole process where the individual reflects on the activities and processes covered in the recovery process.
Reduction of alcohol consumption is the behaviour that I want to change. Alcohol is one of the drugs whose intake has been commonly accepted by the society and is not termed as lethal as other drugs like cocaine and heroin (Gilpin & Koob 2008, p. 186). Further, Choate (2015, p. 463) suggests that the fact that bars and other alcohol selling places have been legalised to operate openly creates challenges for mitigating and controlling the use of alcohol. As an individual, my drinking habit has been progressing slowly and I fear the situation is becoming worse and can lead me to addiction. The choice to change the behaviour is based on the realization that I can change the behaviour before it escalates to the dependency stage. Matosic, et al. (2016) states that alcohol use is classified into three stages of early stage problematic use, severs alcohol abuse and end-stage alcohol abuse stage. From my analysis I am in the early stage which was initially characterised by occasional use but I feel like I am moving into the problematic stage characterised with frequency of consumption and intention of drinking. The motivation behind the need to change therefore is to control my drinking problem it escalates to dependence stage thus making it difficult for me to control the problem.
From the goal setting perspective, under certain conditions, individuals can only achieve the intended outcomes if they set difficult goals that lead to high performance. Researchers have studied goal setting and reported that it can be effectively used to manipulate change in healthcare behaviours if the individual can accept and understand the goals (Bailey 2017, p. 4). These goals can be attached to the periphery of the mind thus controlling every decision that they make. The change behaviour will be achieved through long-term and short-term goals that will guide in behaviour choices.
- Life style change
- Change of people that I associate with
- Involvement in community rehabilitation groups
- Use of a mentor
- Involvement in religious and other community activities to keep the mind engaged
How I will achieve this change
Learning to prioritise time is one of the long term goals that people can use to change their drug use and patterns of abuse. Alcohol use progresses from one stage to another where each stage has its own characteristics. The early stage and problematic stage can be easily controlled through working on the social life of the individual by assisting in prioritising time (Chung, et al. 2016, p. 338). Since I am not an addict, my body is not dependent on the drug which makes it easy to change the drinking behaviour. Therefore, changing and prioritise my time can create barriers for alcohol use. This will keep me occupied most of the time thus reducing the urge for a drink.
Expanding social support system is another goal that can be used to curb alcohol use. The sober support system includes rehabilitation clubs and other social groups that focus on addiction in the society (Wilson 2015, p. 23). Such groups offer social support that restrains the individual from regressing or increasing intake of alcohol. This goal can be achieved through use of group support. Through socializing with support groups, I will be able to control my drinking problem and learn successful mechanisms that have been tried to be successful within the field.
Spiritual support can be used to facilitate readiness for change and motivation of recovery. Religion plays a major role in creation of sober minds since it creates the relevance for spiritual fulfilment which requires one to achieve a certain state of life (Choate 2015, p. 466). By taking the religious course, one is able to avoid relapse barriers and lead a better life that enables them to improve their rehabilitation process.
On the other hand Chung, et al. (2016, p. 338) suggests that engagement in other activities like vocational training can enable one to develop skills for addressing life challenges. Vocational skills and training can enable me stay engaged since I will be concentrating my energy on other things that matter. This will also give me an opportunity to earn more income and create better conditions in life that are beyond what I do.
The decision to change ones behaviour and adopt new approached in life must be accompanied by direct benefits that one realises. The decision to quit alcohol use means that the benefits of changing the behaviour outweigh the reasons for maintaining it. Miller, et al. (2005) suggests that decision making is about weighing the existing options and making a decision to choose the outcome that yields the best results. Through an analysis of all the factors that exist one can pick the best choice that leads to the desired outcome.
- Low risks to diseases relating to alcohol use.
- Saving of resources that are spent on purchase of alcohol and other costs that revolve around the behaviour.
- Improved health.
- Good relationship with family.
- Forming of new chain of friends.
- Financial gains through vocational skills.
- Development of spiritual skills.
- Change of behaviour requires a lot of sacrifice.
- Withdrawal symptoms can be challenging to manage or even lead to relapse.
- The urge for relapse
- Low social circle due to change of behaviour.
- Less enjoyment.
Short term goals
Alcohol use can lead to addiction or dependence which makes the life of an individual difficult. Such people rely on alcohol to keep their body system on place. The effects of excessive prolonged use include liver disease and other health challenges associated with the problem (Miller & Wilbourne 2002, p. 269). Making a decision to quit alcohol is a major decision in my life since I am lucky to have decided to quit before the problem becomes chronic. This decision calls for less effort as compared to chronic use. Through cutting down the intake of alcohol, I will be able to lead a better life and have a positive impact in my life (Jhanjee 2014, p. 114). Research indicates that there are a lot of gains for changing alcohol use at an early stage as compared to later stages in life. Here the side effects are minimal since the individual is not deeply embedded in the behaviour.
Changing this behaviour on my lifestyle leads to development of a better life and reduces the risk of getting affected with any alcohol related challenges. The burden of alcoholism creates problems on both the individual and the family. This change will lead to a better lifestyle characterised by a feeling of control that allows me to easily control this behaviour and even assist others in future. Miller & Wilbourne (2002, p. 265) suggests that change of alcohol leads to a better lifestyle that benefits the individual and the society.
Week Goals Achievement Obstacles Evaluation
1 Change of lifestyle
Working with social groups
Joining clubs
Religious and community activities Assists in reducing or avoiding intake of alcohol.
Controls relapse to drinking
Total lifestyle change
Lack of commitment
Inability to control the urge The goal was gradually met
Priorities in life
Working on vocational skills to keep myself engaged.
Engagement with family and church.
Working with new social groups to change daily activities.
Developing of practical skills.
Maintaining a healthy and sober state. Lack of proper support for the change process.
Lack of passion in the new priorities. The goal was met by developing new life patterns for change.
Change of lifestyle behaviour to replace alcohol drinking with other behaviours Develop a new way of enjoying life without drinking Finding people who can support on this new course and doing away with alcohol drinking friends. This goal was partially met since some friends require time to shed them off
Long term goals
Substitution of alcohol with other drinks within domestic and social settings To ensure total control of alcohol.
To try other enjoyment options without alcohol. Controlling the urge for alcohol.
Managing pressure from friends. This gaol was partially met since I relapsed and took one or two drinks in some situations
Every process in life requires one to look back and determine the achievements made and the areas that needed to be improved. Reflective frameworks work well when one seeks to analyse and understand the challenges faced, the progress they have made and the challenges experienced. These challenges and strategies used can be applied in future life to assist one in applying these strategies in future when seeking to assist others with similar problem (Patel & Thornicroft 2009, p. 3). Through a diary of behaviour change, I can easily track the stages that I went through, addressing the problem and overcome the challenge.
The health belief model is the one that was used to address the problem that I had. All the stages that I went through were documented for reference purposes. This mode uses the cognitive approach based on the belief that an individual’s behaviour is determined by several factors and threats to well-being that exist within the environment that they operate in (United Nations 2003, p. 23). In this model, behaviour is changed through the process of developing self-efficacy and supplementing the additional stimuli that is referred to as cues of action which trigger adoption of behaviour. This model was thus linked to my readiness for action through two beliefs of perceived susceptibility to the threat and the seriousness that I will derive from the outcomes. By weighing the threats and the benefits that I get from changing behaviour, the model was helpful in enabling me choose the behaviour change approach. The model has six stages that I went through before making the decision to change my behaviour.
Stage one entails perceived susceptibility which is the perception of the risk at hand. By analysing the risks associated with alcohol, the life I used to live without this drug and the resources that accompany the use of this drug, I discovered that I was not vulnerable to the drugs but rather I had imposed the drug on myself (Haber, et al. 2009, p. 101). This implies that the choice to use the drugs was mine and thus the choice to quit is supposed to take the same approach. In my case, I started using alcohol due to peer pressure and the need to fit in. Peer pressure pushes people to extreme ends making them do certain things that they could not have done on their own or are contrary to their family background.
Positives versus the negatives of changing your behaviour
The second stage is the perceived severity that refers feelings of the effects of the behaviour on the system. From my understanding on existing literature, alcohol causes effects to the immune system and reduces reasoning since it is a depressant. This can lead to accidents and other mishaps in decision making which derail other activities. In most times, I have missed important deadlines or even made simple mistakes that could be avoided if not drunk. Further, prolonged use of alcohol can lead to addiction and other health challenges which can make my life difficult.
Stage three involves perceived benefits of changing the drinking behaviour. Changing the behaviour has a lot of benefits as compared to its use. The only thing that one get from use of drugs is the state of being high which is twisting of reality to fit certain situations. Here, reducing alcohol intake leads to personal benefits like saving, and channelling the resources and time spent on drugs to other meaningful things in life. Although this change affects the conditions that I am used to, the behaviour does not yield have any important benefit that I gain in life. Through strategies like developing vocational skills and joining clubs within the community, I can benefit and be more resourceful to the community as compared to leading a life of drugs.
The next stage is perceived barriers which I believe exist in the people who surround me. Peers can be a major barrier in achieving the intended outcome since they will always want to draw me back to the social drinking life. Further, controlling the urge is one of the challenges that I have to work on to ensure that I do not relapse and start the use of drugs again.
Lastly, the cue to action stage involves the triggers that I received from the people around me. My mother played a major role in this stage by talking to me about the current situation of my behaviour. This made me think again since I had distanced myself from the family and started engaging so much in alcohol use (Rathlev, et al., 2006, p. 159).
The last stage is self-efficacy which is the level of personal confidence that I developed to perform the change in behaviour. This formed my ability to perform the intended behaviour when changing the behaviour.
In my journey to address alcohol use, I had two important challenges of quitting drinking and control the craving urge for the drug which can lead to relapse to drinking. To manage this problem I used the strategies of stimulus control, cue exposure and coping imagery. In stimulus control, exposure to cues is reduced through use of stimulus that diverts attention from alcohol to other things (Dharmadhikari & Sinha 2015, P. 2). Through certain activities like scheduling club time during my free time ensures that I was able to control the urge for craving. Cue exposure strategy involves repetitive exposure to cues to allow the individual to learn how to control them. Marlatt & Witkiewitz (2005, P. 24) suggest that this is the application of aversive conditioning to alcohol situations to ensure that I was able to manage the craving for the alcohol even if the alcohol was around. This strategy worked since I used to substitute it with other drinks like coffee thus making it easy for me to manage the situation. Lastly, coping imagery control entailed use of urge surfing to control the pressure that was building inside me and the need to relapse back to drugs (Bayard, et al. 2004, p. 1448). On the other hand, managing of withdrawal symptoms is important in ensuring that the individual does not relapse back to alcohol. Diaper, et al. (2014) suggests that symptom control and supportive care is the best option for addressing withdrawal symptoms. In my case to control the symptoms, I was given benzodiazepines to control psychomotor agitation and prevent progression to more severe withdrawal symptoms (Addolorato, et al. 2006, p. 3). This medication assisted me in controlling the withdrawal symptoms and increased my ability to manage and control relapse and craving symptoms.
Benefits
In conclusion the application of the health belief model was instrumental in the behaviour change. My willingness to change and the motivation from family was a major factor that enabled me to weigh the factors and the benefits of changing the behaviour. From this reflection, I conclude that social, psychological and emotional supports are important in any behaviour change approach (Schuckit 2005, p. 98). When changing behaviour, people have to adapt new behaviours that can be challenging to them since this calls for leaving their old ways and adopting new ones. However, support ensures that the individual is willing to undergo and manage all the challenges associated with the condition. Further, the cost and burden of behaviour change is a sacrifice that one must understand the consequences and outcomes before embarking on the process. The consequences of behaviour change can easily lead one to relapse or drop the process along the way. However, through support one can manage the challenges associated with the problem and lead to changed behaviour.
References
Addolorato, psychology. et al., 2006. Baclofen in the Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome: A Comparative Study vs Diazepam. The American Journal of Med, 119(3), pp. 1-6.
Bailey, R. R., 2017. Goal Setting and Action Planning for Health Behavior Change. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 11(4), pp. 1-15.
Bayard, M., McIntyre, J., Hill, K. & Woodside, J., 2004. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome. American Family Physician, 69(6), pp. 1443-1450.
Choate, P. W., 2015. Adolescent Alcoholism and Drug Addiction: The Experience of Parents. Behaviour Science, Volume 5, pp. 461-476.
Chung, T. et al., 2016. Brain Mechanisms of Change in Addiction Treatment: Models, Methods, and Emerging Findings. Current Addiction Repository, Volume 3, pp. 332-342.
Dharmadhikari, A. & Sinha, V., 2015. Psychological Management of Craving. Addiction Research & Therapy, 6(2), pp. 1-6.
Diaper, A. M., Law, F. D. & Melichar, J. K., 2014. Pharmacological strategies for detoxification. British Journal of Clinical Phamarcology, 77(2), pp. 302-314.
Gilpin, N. W. & George F. Koob, 2008. Neurobiology of Alcohol Dependence; Focus on Motivational Mechanisms. Alcohol Research & Health, 31(3), pp. 185-195.
Haber, P., Lintzeris, N., Proude, E. & Lopatk, O., 2009. Guidelines for the Treatment of Alcohol Problems, s.l.: Australian Government Department of Health and Agein.
Jhanjee, S., 2014. Evidence Based Psychosocial Interventions in Substance Use. Indian Journal Psychologial Medicine, 36(2), pp. 112-118.
Marlatt, G. & Witkiewitz, K., 2005. Relapse prevention for alcohol and drug problems.. In: Marlatt, G.A, Donovan, D.M Relapse Prevention: Maintenance Strategies in the Treatment of Addictive Behaviors. New York: Guilford Press, pp. 1-44.
Matosic, A., Srdan Marusic, B. V., Kovak-Mufic, A. & Cicin-Sain, L., 2016. Neurobiological Bases of Alcohol Addiction. Acta clinica Croatica, Volume 55, pp. 134-150.
Miller, W. & Wilbourne, P., 22002. Mesa Grande: A methodological analysis of clinical trials of treatments for alcohol use disorders. Auditing, Volume 97, pp. 265-277.
Miller, W., Zweben, J. & Johnson, W., 2005. Evidence-based treatment: Why, what, where, when, and how?. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 29(11), pp. 267-276.
Patel, V. & Thornicroft, G., 2009. ackages of Care for Mental, Neurological, and Substance Use Disorders in Low and Middle-income coutries. PLoS Med, Volume 6, pp. 1-8.
Rathlev, N., Ulrich, A., Delanty, N. & D’Onofrio, G., 2006. Alcohol-related seizures. Journal of Emergency Medicine, 31(2), pp. 157-163.
Schuckit, M., 2005. Drug and Alcohol Abuse. A Clinical Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment. New York: Plenum Medical Book.
UnitedNations, 2003. Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation: a Practical Planning and Implementation Guide. Viena: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Wilson, S., 2015. The Wiley handbook on the cognitive neuroscience of addiction. Oxford: Wiley & Sons
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