Humans have a tendency to fall into habitual behavior patterns. This is a two-edged sword. When healthy habits are formed, a person becomes healthy and happy. When unhealthy habits develop, someone can become very unhealthy and unhappy. Addiction is an unhealthy habit that millions suffer from today. Learning how to break bad habits and replace them with healthy ones is something neurologist and addiction recovery expert Dr. Russell Surasky has been intently focused on in recent years.
Dr. Surasky is board-certified in neurology, addiction medicine, and preventive medicine. This gives him the unique advantage of possessing deeper insights into how someone can replace bad habits with good ones. Dr. Surasky is currently the medical director of Bridge Back to Life, which is an addiction treatment program with multiple centers. He is also the founder of the Surasky Neurological Center for Addiction, located in Great Neck, NY. The bulk of his work focuses on early-stage detox medications, Vivitrol treatment, and stress reduction techniques.
These credentials make Dr. Surasky an expert on addictions and how to readjust to a healthy lifestyle after weaning off of an addiction. What he recommends is to develop a structured routine. This will ensure there is reliable stability that leads to the formation of new, healthier habits. The longer a new habit is followed, the harder it becomes to fall back into an unhealthy habit like drug addiction.
To help establish a daily routine, Dr. Surasky recommends doing the following:
- Stick to a regular sleep schedule. This means you should go to bed and wake up around the same time every day.
- Maintain a regular work schedule that is close to being the same on a daily basis.
- Eat all of your meals around the same time every day. Do your best to avoid snacking outside of meal times, especially if they are filled with empty calories, sugar, and salt.
- Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day of moderate-intensity training on a daily basis. If possible do so around the same time each day.
- Place time in your weekly schedule for cleaning and general home upkeep. Avoid letting chores like dirty laundry and dishes pile up too much.
- Spend time with your support system, which may include your friends and family.
By following a set schedule, Dr. Surasky believes that health and happiness will increase, while boredom and loneliness will dwindle. It will also become easier to do things without procrastinating.
As helpful as healthy habit-forming routines are, it is a good idea to avoid becoming too dependent on them. Instead, staying flexible and adaptable will make it much easier to address unexpected situations that may arise.
Dr. Surasky knows very well how destructive addictions are, which is why he has been traveling around the country to educate physicians and the New York criminal justice system about the novel treatment options available today.
This is a Contributor Post. Opinions expressed here are opinions of the Contributor. Influencive does not endorse or review brands mentioned; does not and cannot investigate relationships with brands, products, and people mentioned and is up to the Contributor to disclose. Contributors, amongst other accounts and articles may be professional fee-based.