HALT: preventing addictive behaviour

One of the ways of treating an addiction and preventing a relapse is by remembering the HALT acronym whenever the going gets rough. In a way it's quite simple, in others it can be difficult in that it requires a good deal of self-knowledge and introspection, a skill often lacking when one's body is constantly craving for chemical satisfaction.

The HALT principle was devised to describe physical and mental states in which an individual will be tempted to relapse into addictive behaviour. The acronym contains the first letters of the words Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tired. Here then, in short, a summary of the HALT principle

Hungry
A human body needs nutrients in able to survive. Not just the fact of eating, but also of the quality of the food ingested determines the level on which the body operates. The brain in particular depends upon a regular amount of sugars, minerals and vitamins to operate effectively.

Irregular eating habits, the consumption of low quality foods and little variation in the food consumed can lead to an imbalance in one's metabolism, causing the body to function less efficiently than possible. At a moment that one's blood sugar level is low, the mind is fogged due to vitamin deficiencies and one's physique is hampered by the necessary minerals, one looks for ways to feel physically at ease once the hunger has been satisfied.

Angry
Anger is a strange emotion. In a way it's a perfectly natural way of reacting to a situation which one cannot cope with directly. Hormones are produced and the body chemistry changes to react to the state of anger involved.

The problem gets worse when one doesn't resolve the problem at hand or is unable to do so and the chemical imbalance continues unabated. Emotions such as sadness, rejection, fury or disappointment change the way the body operates, once again affecting the brain and the way in which one's mind functions. The longer the imbalance continues, the worse the situation becomes and in the course of time one seeks ways to remedy the situation, preferably one that gives an immediate and effective feeling of happiness or at least a form of anaesthesia from the mental pain one is suffering.

Loneliness
Humans are social creatures yet we live in a society in which people live in such close proximity to each other whilst at the same time the emotional bonds between us become looser and looser. Wanting to be alone for a while is a healthy way of recovery, of coping with daily life by just taking a short time out on one's own but when the separation is over a longer period we see loneliness as a debilitating factor in one's life.

There are different types of loneliness though which, if not addressed properly can lead to social estrangement and addictive behaviour. Often people live in situation in which they are strangers in their own community, they live alongside those around them but have little or no meaningful contact. Personality disorders, physical disabilities, social and/or emotional dislocations can afflict an individual in ways that set them distinctly apart from the people in the direct community.

An individual can also feel desperately lonely by feelings of being not being understood or misunderstood because their ways of processing daily life differ significantly from the accepted norms and even in a relationship an individual can feel so abysmally lonely when the partner is unable to relate to the emotional field of reference the individual is experiencing. One craves acceptance, needs a form of mental satisfaction and once again the stage is set for negative, self-destructive behaviour if the loneliness is not neutralised in a meaningful way.

Tired
The human organism is one which is subject to wear and tear in the daily course of life. The body needs time to recover and repair itself, the mind needs time to refresh itself after all the impulses and processing imposed upon it in the course of the day. The soul needs time for reflection, introspection and inquiry about one's place in the world and the quality of one's life. We all need sleep, we all need moments to mentally relax and bring ourselves back into a state in which we can effectively funcion in our daily lives.

When any or all of these conditions are not met, tiredness takes over and once again disturbs the equilibrium within the body. Not getting enough sleep affects concentration and one's physical fitness, little or no sleep can lead to totally dysfunctional behaviour, up to and including psychotic episodes and/or a total shutdown of the organism in an attempt to protect itself from further damage.

We all get tired, we all need recovery and when the conditions in which this can be done can't be met we search for other ways in which we can do so. Caffeine, amphetamines, nicotine are ways of stimulating the body back into action at moments that it's not always wise to do so and once again prolonged use can lead to addictive behaviour.

Taking action
HALT also means: STOP!!! It means that if one feels one of the four HALT symptoms arising, that one should take action to correct the situation. It doesn't mean that if you once in a while feel hungry, lonely or tired that you're prone to addictive behaviour, it does mean that when the HALT states persist and aren't corrected effectively and in time the individual runs a large risk of taking on addictive behaviour.

If you're hungry, go and eat something, preferably food of good quality with plenty of variation at regular intervals.

If you're angry, try to find ways of dealing with your anger, talk about what's bothering you, tear up a newspaper, take up a physically demanding form of sport, try to relativate the situation, anything that will give you the feeling that the anger is passing and that you've dealt with it. Find ways of leaving your anger behind you, don't hold grudges, forgive and try to forget.

If you're lonely, try to find a meaningful way of connection even though this might be a seriously difficult challenge. Find a meaningful person in your life to talk to, just smile at someone you mightn't even know to show them that you are there and you acknowledge their presence, write a letter or send an email to somebody you know or trust, join a club or seek help from a social worker.

If you're tired... sleep! Sleep at regular times for as long as you need to recover. Relax. Calm down, take a time out. Do things that help you feel that the quality of life improves by your doing so.

This is the theory and the examples given are just that: examples. In practice it's a lot more difficult and you will need to learn to find your own solutions to your own problems. Here in the clinic the first stage is the detoxification built up in th course of the years, the second stage is identifying and describing the mental and physical states that cause addiction and possible relapses.

Recovery is difficult, it is theoretically possible although some say that recovery is actually impossible due to damage damage done to the nervous system in the brain and that the only way forward is developing an effective behavioural pattern that prevents relapses and cravings occuring. The most important issue is that the will is present and the effort is taken to recover and become able to function efficiently. Giving up is easy, confronting oneself and applying self-found solutions is much more difficult but also much more rewarding.

This has been a long, difficult and confronting post for me. I hope it's been of help for you, for me I've managed to finally describe the ways in which addiction have affected me and the ways in which I'm trying to build a new future. Many more issues remain, these will be discussed at a later point.

Keep well, become better...


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