Motivational factors and ways they affect Addiction Counseling (Lynn Telford-Sahl)

If you are seeing a counselor for an addiction, your success will depend on several factors. One of them is motivation. Unless you have the right level of motivation, There are several factors considered necessary for success when it comes to counseling and overcoming an addiction. An important one is being highly motivated. If you're not truly motivated, you will probably struggle more to succeed. If you'd like to to know what your degree of motivation is as well as learn how to increase your motivation to defeat your addiction, this article can help.

After living with this addiction and the effects it has had on your life, deciding to change is a huge step. Perhaps you've said I'm going to "try" to quit in the past. But, just saying you want to will not be enough to succeed with addiction counseling.

To "try" is like deciding but not taking action. You rarely see results. Real change involves action.|Saying you are going to "try" is not going to get you anywhere. It won't bring the outcome you're hoping to see. To get real results, you've got to take action.

We all prefer to be comfortable. We like it when things are familiar. Change represents the unknown. Who will I be as an ex-smoker, non-drinker, former drug user, or conscious eater? I don't know. It's a frightening thought, isn't it? But it can also be exciting.

Deciding to start addiction counseling is a important step when you would like to quit an addictive behaviour. An important question to ask is just how much you really want to change. If you rated how motivated you are on a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the highest, what is your answer?

If you find you aren't highly motivated, scoring at least an 8, 9 or 10, your first step needs to be trying to determine what is keeping you from being truly motivated. After you figure that out, start building your motivation, a little bit at a time. Little improvements are a lot easier to achieve and not as frightening as going for a huge change.

Another tool you can use is the "Transtheoretical Model of Change". Dr. Oz explains this model in his article titled Goal Power in the Sept. 17th issue of Time Magazine. Briefly the stages of change are: 1) Precontemplation: At this stage, you don't realize there is a problem 2) Contemplation: This is when you start thinking about the pros and cons of making a change 3) Preparation: You're nearly ready and talking about it 4) Action: You've made the change 5) Maintenance: You've changed your behaviour for at least six months. Relapse is still a risk.

If you have an addictive behavior, determine where you're at using the motivation question and the change model above. Don't judge yourself. Just notice. Once you've done that, ask yourself: What would I need to think and do in a different way to boost my motivation? Change may be scary, but so are the same old problems every day.

The good thing is, help is out there. Whether you are already very motivated or you need help with motivation, an addiction counselor may very well be the difference between just wanting to change and actually changing your life for the better.

Lynn Telford-Sahl is a Certified Addiction Counselor in private practice in Modesto, CA. She has an M.A. in Psychology with a Holistic Specialization and has over 20 years experience helping clients with addictive issues and challenges with alcohol, drugs, food, gambling or overspending and debt issues. Her Addiction Counseling style is direct, caring, and empowering. She believes knows that humor doesn't change difficult situations, but it can lighten the journey. Lynn is the author of two books: Intentional JOY: How To Turn Stress, Fear & Addition into Freedom and The Greatest Change of All. For a free phone consultation, please go to Addiction Counselors Modesto.