More than a third of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, statistics show, many of which focus on kicking bad habits.
Whether it’s smoking, overeating, drinking too much alcohol or “dome scrolling” on social media instead of sleeping, according to data from the United Health Foundation, 72 percent of American adults have at least one reported healthy behavior.
California-based psychologist Dr. Addy Jaffe knows firsthand the dangers of unhealthy habits, as he once struggled. Drug addiction himself
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“Stuck in my world Drugs and alcoholfrom mid-high school to a few years after college,” he shared with Fox News Digital during an on-camera interview.
Dr. Adi Jaffe, a California-based psychiatrist, struggled with drug addiction in his youth and now helps others overcome their unhealthy habits. (Adi Jafar, Ph.D.)
“Addiction doesn’t discriminate by gender or age or race or income – people from all walks of life are affected.”
Jaffee eventually spent time in prison, before getting clean and returning to school, earning two master’s degrees and a PhD in psychology.
“I wanted to understand what happened to me — and then what I’ve done over the last 15 years, hopefully, bring those lessons to others who are struggling.”
“Addiction doesn’t discriminate by gender or age or race or income – people from all walks of life are affected.”
Today, Jaffe focuses on helping people beat addiction and get better. Mental health. In his upcoming book — “Unhooked: Free Yourself from Addiction Forever” — he shares a step-by-step program to help people free themselves from harmful habits.
Jaffe shared some of his tips and insights with Fox News Digital.
Recognize behavior
Although many people think of addiction as involving drugs or alcohol, Jaffe notes that it can take many forms.
Psychologists said that many people think that behavior is the problem — but these unhealthy or harmful choices almost always have an underlying cause. (iStock)
“If you engage in any kind of behavior for a long period of time that robs you of your ability to be fully present in your life – and it bothers you, but you don’t stop yourself. You can, even if you try again and again – to me, it qualifies,” he said.
In drug addiction, addictive behaviors can include “dome scrolling” on your phone for hours a day, Too much foodGambling or indulging in other unhealthy activities.
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Jaffe notes that people can become addicted to work and success.
He said he wants to go to work when things get tough and tough. “They believe that success or performance will make them feel better, but it can be just as damaging as other addictions.”
Psychologists note that “dome scrolling” on social media is a potentially addictive behavior. (iStock)
Social media The expert said that there is another form of addiction.
“When your phone rings or pings, you don’t know what’s there, so it’s a novelty that’s exciting, and it releases dopamine,” he said. “You almost literally can’t help yourself.”
Identification of ‘hooks’
Many people assume behavior is the problem, Jaffe said — but these unhealthy or harmful choices almost always have an underlying cause.
“This attitude was actually a kind of antidote to a troubled undercurrent.”
“The reason you do this is because at some point earlier in your life, you had pain or struggle or emotional pain,” he said.
“And you discovered that when you engaged in that behavior, that pain went away. So that behavior was actually a kind of medicine.
More than a third of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, statistics show, many of which focus on kicking bad habits. (iStock)
For Jaffe, when he was 14 or 15, he was “hooked.” Social anxiety.
“And when someone gave me a bottle of vodka at sleepaway camp, I drank it because I didn’t want to look weird,” he told Fox News Digital.
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“Once I started drinking, I didn’t have any problems and felt like I belonged.
“Once I started drinking, I didn’t have any problems and felt like I belonged. (iStock)
Everyone has different hooks, Jaffe said, but there are similarities and patterns.
“We start living our lives trying to avoid the suffering of hooks.”
Changing the habit
According to Jaffe, once people have identified an unhealthy behavior, one of the biggest mistakes they make is to try to stop it without a plan.
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“We try to stop ourselves from doing things we don’t like,” he said. “Especially around New Year’s, people might say, ‘I’m going to stop eating bad food or I’m going to stop being lazy,'” he said.
However, research has shown that the most important aspect of kicking a bad habit is replacing the negative behavior with a. A positivethe psychologist noted.
The most important aspect of kicking a bad habit is replacing the negative behavior with a positive one. (iStock)
“We have to stop trying to just kick bad habits — it doesn’t work,” Jaffe said. “We have to replace them with something else.”
For example, if someone wants Quit smokingHe said he could carry glue or sunflower seeds in his pocket.
“You just have to keep going.”
Or, if someone is too focused on work, it may mean dropping certain tasks and delegating them to other people.
Jaffe also emphasized that the process of kicking a bad habit isn’t always perfect or smooth, and that occasional slip-ups don’t equate to failure.
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“It’s okay to fall flat on your face a few times while you’re working on changing it,” she said.
“You just have to keep going.”
Jaffe’s book, “Unhooked: Free Yourself from Addiction Forever,” will be available Jan. 7.