How a good addictions specialist works with a drug and alcohol client by motivating a progression through various stages.  Its not always a quick process but it certainly works.

The stages of change are a great way to understand the process of getting clean - here is a brief rundown on the stages and what they mean. 

§                            Precontemplation  (Not yet acknowledging that there is a problem behavior that  

§                                                                                             needs to be changed)

§                            Contemplation       (Acknowledging that there is a problem but not yet ready or sure

§                                                                                            of  wanting to make a change)

§                            Preparation/Determination  (Getting ready to change)

§                            Action                     (Changing behavior)

§                            Maintenance         (Maintaining the behavior change) and Relapse (Returning to older 

                                               behaviours and abandoning the new changes)

Stage One: Precontemplation

In the precontemplation stage, people are not thinking seriously about changing and are not interested in any kind of help. People in this stage tend to defend their current using and do not feel it is a problem. They may be defensive in the face of other people's efforts to pressure them to quit.

They do not focus their attention on quitting and tend not to discuss their bad habit with others. This is often called "denial," but I prefer not to use that term. Rather, I like to think that in this stage people just do not yet see themselves as having a problem..

You may be reading this because you or a loved one may be  in the pre-contemplation stage. If this is the case, keep reading for suggestions about how you can progress through the stages of change.

Stage Two: Contemplation

In the contemplation stage people are more aware of the personal consequences of their bad habit and they spend time thinking about their problem. Although they are able to consider the possibility of changing, they tend to be ambivalent about it.

In this stage, people are weighing the pros and cons of quitting or modifying their behavior. Although they think about the negative aspects of their bad habit and the positives associated with giving it up (or reducing), they may doubt that the long-term benefits associated with quitting will outweigh the short-term costs.

It might take as little as a couple weeks or as long as a lifetime to get through the contemplation stage.  People are more open to receiving information about their bad habit, and more likely to actually use educational interventions and reflect on their own feelings and thoughts concerning their use.

Stage Three: Preparation/Determination

In the preparation/determination stage, people have made a commitment to make a change. Their motivation for changing is reflected by statements such as: "I've got to do something about this - this is serious. Something has to change. What can I do?"

This is sort of a research phase: people are now taking small steps toward cessation. They are trying to gather information (sometimes by reading things like this) about what they will need to do to change their behaviour.

Or they will call a lot of clinics, trying to find out what strategies and resources are available to help them in their attempt. Too often, people skip this stageand attempt to move directly from contemplation into action and fall flat on their faces because they haven't adequately researched or accepted what it is going to take to make this major lifestyle change.

Stage Four: Action

This is the stage where people believe they have the ability to change their behaviour and are actively involved in taking steps to change by using a variety of different techniques.

This is the shortest of all the stages. The amount of time people spend in action varies. It generally lasts about 6 months, but it can literally be as short as one hour!  They are making overt efforts to quit or change the behaviour and, without support are at greatest risk for relapse.

Mentally, they review their commitment to themselves and develop plans to deal with both personal and external pressures that may lead to slips. They may use short-term reward strategies to sustain their motivation, and analyze their behaviour change efforts in a way that enhances their self-confidence. People in this stage also tend to be open to receiving help and are also likely to seek support from others (a very important element).

Stage Five: Maintenance

Maintenance involves being able to successfully avoid any temptations to return to using. The goal of the maintenance stage is to maintain the new status quo. People in this stage tend to remind themselves of how much progress they have made.

People in maintenance constantly reformulate the rules of their lives and are acquiring new skills to deal with life and avoid relapse. They are able to anticipate the situations in which a relapse could occur and prepare coping strategies in advance.

They remain aware that what they are striving for is personally worthwhile and meaningful. They are patient with themselves and recognize that it often takes a while to let go of old behaviour patterns and practice new ones until they are second nature to them

I cannot stress enough how important it is to have both user and their partners/affected family to participate in this journey.  Although you must do your own work and your own journey it is so important that everyone heals and changes – old behaviours and ways of communicating within the family system can keep both the user and those closest, sick.

As you progress through your own stages of change, it can be helpful to re-evaluate your progress in moving up and down through these stages.

(Even in the course of one day, you may go through several different stages of change).

And remember: it is normal and natural to regress, to attain one stage only to fall back to a previous stage. This is just a normal part of making changes in your behaviour.

Relapse

Along the way to permanent cessation or stable reduction of a bad habit, most people experience relapse. In fact, it is much more common to relapse than not. Relapse is often accompanied by feelings of discouragement and seeing oneself as a failure but is actually a great time to learn.

While relapse can be discouraging, the majority of people who successfully quit do not follow a straight path to a life time free of self-destructive using. Rather, they cycle through the five stages several times before achieving a stable life style change. Consequently, the Stages of Change Model identifies relapse as normal.

There is a real risk that people who relapse will experience an immediate sense of failure that can seriously undermine their self-confidence. The important thing is that if they do  slip they should analyze how it happened and use it as an opportunity to learn how to cope differently. In fact, relapses can be important opportunities for learning and becoming stronger.

If you do relapse, it is important that you do not fall back to the precontemplation or contemplation stages. Rather, restart the process again at preparation, action or even the maintenance stages.

People who have relapsed may need to learn to anticipate high-risk situations (such as being with their family) more effectively, control environmental cues that tempt them to engage in their bad habits and learn how to handle unexpected episodes of stress without returning to using. This a stronger sense of self control and the ability to get back on track

Cheers, Mack

www.northernbeachescounsellingsupport.com.au.