Author: Maneesh Sethi

Sometimes all it takes to break a habit is awareness

Habits have a way of insinuating themselves into our lives by becoming an unconscious action. We pair them with other behaviors which they seem to “feed off” of, until they become ingrained into our systems.

For instance, if you’re a smoker, you might reach for a cigarette every time you have a coffee, or get into the car, or have a break at work. Similarly, if you habitually bite your nails, you likely do it unconsciously.

Many times, awareness is the first step towards breaking a habit. t’s rarely enough to help you quit and stay away from the behavior, but it’s a good starting point.

In this article, you’ll see how a very simple device helped a 36-year-old woman break free of her chronic hair-pulling behavior, and how you can apply this same principle to rid yourself of any habits that may be controlling your life.

Researchers at North Dakota University treat 36-year-old woman for chronic hair pulling

In a clinical study undertaken at North Dakota University, a 36-year-old woman with moderate intellectual disability was treated for chronic hair pulling. Due to this habit, she had already lost approximately 50% of her hair.

The researchers had  tried to treat this chronic behavior using an approach called SHR (Simplified Habit Reversal). This included awareness training by making the woman aware of her hair-pulling, as well as training her to cross her arms whenever she felt the urge to pull her hair.

However, this approach produced minimal results, which prompted the researchers to introduce an awareness enhancement device.

Awareness enhancement device produces stunning results within just 1 session

The device used in the experiment was a modified hearing aid with the earpiece worn on the woman’s wrist and the receiver attached to the collar of her shirt. The device would make a sound every time the woman raised her hand to her head to pull out her hair.

The researchers instructed the woman to cross her hands every time she heard the sound. During the first session, she tried to pull out her hair three times. However, every time she heard the sound from the device, she crossed her hands as instructed.

Following those three attempts, she simply stopped trying to pull out her hair, even when wearing the device while it was switched off!

Why this method works and how you can apply it too

The researchers believe this approach might have been effective because “the onset of the tone positively punished placing the left hand near the head, and the termination of the tone negatively reinforced moving the hand away from the head and using the competing response”.

Simply put, the sound was “punishing” the woman for reaching for her hair. When she moved her hand away and crossed her arms, she was being “rewarded” by the sound going away.

This punishment/reward method, coupled with awareness of the presence of the device, conditioned her to stop pulling her hair.

So:

AWARENESS + PUNISHMENT = HABIT BROKEN

This is not the first time these observations have been made. Over the past century, multiple studies have researched a similar approach towards habit-breaking.

It’s called Electrical Aversion Conditioning and uses small electric jolts to the arm to condition participants to stop a specific undesired behavior. It is extremely effective in overcoming compulsive behavior, as well as persistent habits such as nail biting, smoking, alcoholism, overeating, and gambling.

In one clinical study (Lubetkin, Fishman, 1974) it was effectively used to help a chronic heroin user break free of his drug habit. In a follow-up assessment 8 months later, he was found to be still drug free.

So, if you have a habit you want to break, this method could help you do so.

References

Lubetkin, B. S., & Fishman, S. T. (1974, 12). Electrical aversion therapy with a chronic heroin user. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 5(2), 193-195. doi:10.1016/0005-7916(74)90113-X

Rapp, J. T., Miltenberger, R. G., & Long, E. S. (1998, 12). Augmenting simplified habit reversal with an awareness enhancement device: Preliminary findings. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 31(4), 665-668. doi:10.1901/jaba.1998.31-665

 

Institute of Behavior Therapy, New York — Electric jolts used to treat 23-year old graduate student’s 3-year heroin addiction

This study (Lubetkin, Fishman, 1974) focuses on a 23-year old married graduate who, prior to seeking treatment, had been regularly injecting himself with heroin 2-3 times a day, with occasional breaks of up to 7 days. These breaks had so far given him some control over the habit, however his tolerance for the drug was rapidly growing, leading to an increase in dosage and frequency. This in turn started to have a negative effect on his academic pursuits, marriage and life in general.

After the young man volunteered for treatment, he was given the opportunity to participate in a study at the Institute for Behavior Therapy in New York City, where researchers woulds attempt to break his habit via the administration of small electric jolts.

The treatment consisted of having the young man imagine and verbally describe the various stages of his heroin addiction and consumption cycle, from getting the craving for the drug, to buying it, and finally preparing and injecting it.

At random points during this process, the therapist would deliver an uncomfortable electric jolt to the young man’s arm and simultaneously say, “stop”. The patient was asked to continue with his description until he could no longer tolerate the jolts. At that point, he was asked to change his fantasy into one where he is drug-free and enjoying time with his wife and family.

Patient breaks free of 3-year heroin addiction in just 15 sessions — Relationship with wife improves and he goes on to pursue advanced graduate work

Throughout treatment, the young man abstained completely from the drug. After the 15th session, he sniffed a small dose but his experience was not a pleasant one.

Following treatment, his relationship with his wife improved markedly, and he was also given the opportunity to pursue advanced graduate work at another institution, which he accepted.

Additionally, an 8 month follow-up found him completely drug free, despite his 3-year history as a chronic user, and the infamous persistence of the heroin addiction.

Multiple studies over the past century have proven electric jolts effective against a wide array of other habits

Heroin addiction has a very aggressive hold on its victims, subjecting them to deeply distressing psychological after-effects, and intensely painful physical withdrawal symptoms.

Yet, the electric jolts described in the study above, when supplemented with group therapy and marital counselling, helped tear this young man away from a lethal addiction that threatened to ruin his life and eventually destroy it completely.

But this kind of treatment has proven effective in many other scenarios. In fact, multiple studies over the past century have proven that electric jolts can effectively help overcome compulsive behavior, as well as persistent habits such as nail biting, smoking, alcoholism, overeating, and gambling.

References

Lubetkin, B. S., & Fishman, S. T. (1974, 12). Electrical aversion therapy with a chronic heroin user. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 5(2), 193-195. doi:10.1016/0005-7916(74)90113-X

Science determined to beat alcoholism once and for all — Results encouraging

Science has long been on a quest to find better methods for curing alcoholism.

One such method uses small electric jolts to create an aversion towards the sight, taste and smell of alcohol.

Over the past 80+ years, laboratory tests, research papers and clinical studies have proven this method an effective tool against alcoholism.

1929: Russian Physician successfully treats alcoholics with Small Electric Jolts – 20 months later 70% still fully abstinent

Back in 1929, a Russian physician by the name of Nikolai Kantorovich treated 20 patients suffering from alcoholism.

The participants were subjected to the sight, smell and taste of alcohol, and then given electric jolts.

The treatment proved dramatically successful as 70% of the participants were found completely abstinent up to 20 months after the treatment.

In the 1960s, the approach started receiving considerable attention. It was simple to use, easier to control, and offered less unpleasant consequences than other aversive methods such as chemical aversion (Begleiter, Galanter, 1983).

Research continues to confirm electric jolts effective against alcoholism

Since Kantorovich’s success in 1929 using jolts to help end alcoholism, studies have continued to emerge proving the effectiveness of this method.

Lovibond and Caddy (1970) achieved impressive results with 89% of the participants successfully responding to the treatment, and maintaining their results for up to 6 months.

The method they used was similar to that used by Kantorovich.

Incidentally, rather than develop aversion towards alcohol, the participants seemed to lose their desire to drink (Lovibond, Caddy, 1970).

Why do we need science to break free of alcoholism?

We live in a culture where drinking is an acceptable social activity. And as long as it’s under control, there’s really nothing wrong with it.

But when control slips and drinking becomes excessive, a whole chain of events is set in motion. Excessive drinking will often lead to problems at home and at work. It takes its toll on body, mind, finances and relationships.

As the social emotional problems grow so does the drinking, in a desperate attempt to get away, creating a vicious cycle that reinforces itself over and over.

Luckily, awareness of this cycle is the first step towards recovery. In fact, attention to these problems can facilitate the prospect of therapeutic success (Begleiter, Galanter, 1983).

But awareness is rarely enough to eliminate the problem.

That’s why science has been hard at work to find a definitive solution. And from the studies mentioned in this article, science seems to be getting closer to this holy grail.

References

Begleiter, H., & Galanter, M. (1983). Recent developments in alcoholism: An official publication of the American Medical Society on Alcoholism, the Research Society on Alcoholism, and the National Council on Alcoholism. New York: Plenum.

Blake, B. (1965, 12). The application of behaviour therapy to the treatment of alcoholism. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 3(2), 75-85. doi:10.1016/0005-7967(65)90010-0

Kissin, B., & Begleiter, H. (1977). Treatment and rehabilitation of the chronic alcoholic. New York: Plenum Press.

Lovibond, S., & Caddy, G. (1970, 12). Discriminated aversive control in the moderation of alcoholics’ drinking behavior. Behavior Therapy, 1(4), 437-444. doi:10.1016/S0005-7894(70)80069-7

Why are habits — even the smallest ones — so incredibly tough to break? Why is it a constant uphill struggle?

People tell you to “shrug off the craving… say no… wait it out”. And sometimes you do manage. Through hard work, determination and lots of self-sacrifice, you finally break free of a habit that has been plaguing you for as long as you care to remember.

You’re sure you will never look back.

You’re positive you’ll never relapse.

But then, something happens.

It could be something major like a loss or breakup; or something really small like a bad day at work aggravated by a busted tire.

And suddenly, your cravings are back, stronger than ever.

You think, “I have this under control. One little slip won’t bring it back”.

But before you know it, your habit has caught up with you again, more aggressively than ever before.

It happens more often than we’d like to think.

It happens because we’re human, and because habits prey on our greatest weaknesses.

Habits are like a virus — they use our own body and mind against us.

And there’s no escape unless you bring out the heavy artillery.

Lab test: Electric jolts overcome cravings in rats in just 7 sessions

In a study (Lovibond, 1963) from the University of Adelaide, Australia, researchers wanted to test the effect of aversion conditioning on craving in rats.

First, they tested how long it took rats to run the length of a box towards an item they had been made to crave. During this phase, each of the rats would take less than 3 seconds to complete the task.

For the conditioning phase, the researchers split up the rats into four groups, assigning each group a different variation of aversion treatment.

Each rat was once again placed into the box, but this time given a harmless electric jolt upon touching the target object.

The goal was to condition the rats to overcome their impulses and stay away from the objects they craved.

Within just 7 sessions, some rats were completely avoiding the target object, even though they had previously craved it.

What’s more, it only took an average of 13 sessions to condition 50% of the rats to stay completely clear of the target object.

Conditioning through electric jolts works for people too!

The study mentioned above deals with how harmless electric jolts can condition rats to stay away from an object they previously craved.

Before conditioning, these rats would race towards the desired object in less than 3 seconds. After the conditioning process, they would stay in the box for up to 2 minutes without approaching the target object.

Aversion conditioning works. The great news is that it has been proven to work for people too.

It can effectively help people break habits, overcome cravings and regain control over compulsive behavior.

In fact, there are many studies proving the effectiveness of these little jolts in overcoming compulsive behavior, as well as persistent habits such as nail biting, smoking, alcoholism, overeating, and gambling.

References

Lovibond, S. (1963, 12). Intermittent reinforcement in behaviour therapy. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 1(2-4), 127-132. doi:10.1016/0005-7967(63)90015-9