Last Updated:
March 28th, 2025
One of the greatest challenges in staying sober is managing addictive behaviours. The world around us is full of triggers that fuel cravings and urges. While we can’t control every force that drives addictive behaviours, we can learn to reduce their impact with the right mindset and combat strategies.
This article explores the psychological and environmental factors that reinforce addictive behaviours and provides practical steps to break free of them, helping you move toward lasting recovery.
What is addiction reinforcement?
An addiction is defined as not having control over doing, taking, or using something to the point that it harms you. Regardless of the consequences, a person with a substance addiction continues to use the drug, gaining relief in the short term but suffering after recurring, long-term use.
So, what is the defining factor of addiction? Researchers striving for this answer highlight the importance of two forms of reinforcement, positive and negative.
In an addiction, positive reinforcement is the mind thinking, “I’ll use this drug to feel its euphoric effects.” The desire involves moving toward a positive target or state. Negative reinforcement is the opposite, as your brain states, “Taking this substance will alleviate the pain I’m in.” Negative reinforcement means the use of the drug is to move away from your current negative state.
Both positive and negative forms of reinforcement are seen as integral factors in addiction theory. Addictions are thought to start with the habits you form through positive reinforcement. An innocuous decision to “take this substance to feel good” with a friend can spiral into opposite desires as addiction deepens. The decision becomes, “Now I need to use this drug to climb out of the hole I’m in.”
Which factors reinforce addictive behaviour?
Countless factors can contribute to and reinforce addictive behaviour. Physical, psychological and environmental factors can all reinforce addictions. Physical and psychological factors can be seen more as the forces inside your body that sway your decisions, while environmental factors relate more to forces from outside.
Psychological factors that reinforce addictive behaviour
- Mental health disorders: Mental health disorders commonly co-occur with substance use disorders and addictions. These include anxiety, depression, PTSD and psychosis. Poor mental health and addiction can be mutually reinforcing.
- Impulsivity and risk-taking behaviour: People who are more risk-taking and impulsive are more vulnerable to addictive behaviour. Addictive behaviours can be both impulsive and compulsive, but the earlier phases of addiction are generally driven by impulsivity.
- Stress: Going through a period of high stress, such as overworking or a relationship breakdown, increases the likelihood of addictive behaviours. The euphoria from drugs can become a short-lived release from the stress you’re going through.
- Low self-esteem: Worsening self-esteem or a “disjointed sense of self” is one of the hallmarks of addiction. Judging yourself too harshly can erode feelings of motivation and worthiness. These feelings lead to depressive episodes and unhealthy coping mechanisms like substance use.
Environmental factors that reinforce addictive behaviour
In addition to psychological factors that reinforce addictive behaviour, there are many factors from outside that influence you. These can include:
- Friend groups: Having most of your social interactions with friends who have potential alcohol or drug problems is a massive contributor to addiction. Research shows that having friends with permissive attitudes to drug use significantly correlates with the likelihood of abusing drugs.
- Family dynamics and interactions: Having family members who abuse alcohol or drugs can increase the risk of addictive behaviours. Growing up exposed to substances can especially influence substance use as drugs become normalised.
- Culture and media: One of the broadest and most pervasive influences on our attitudes toward drugs is the culture we are surrounded by and the media we digest. Especially during childhood when habits form, unrealistic depictions of drug use in films, music and celebrity behaviour can all sway mass perspectives.
How can I break the cycle of reinforcement?
When a person decides they’re ready to enter recovery, they’re making an active signal that they’re ready to end the addiction cycle. Breaking the cycle takes commitment, dedication and time.
If you’re in recovery and striving to successfully end the cycle of addiction, there are some steps you can take:
Make changes to “People, places and things”
During the recovery process, there will be triggers in the outside world that reinforce your addiction and make you more likely to return to the drug. Psychologists appreciate the value of changing “People, places and things” to reduce and remove these triggers.
Reinforcing behaviour leads to “conditioning” when your brain associates specific stimuli with the experience of reward (the euphoric feeling of the substance). These can be the people, sights, smells and objects that your brain pairs together with the feelings from the substance. Choose new and healthy places to meet a friend that doesn’t serve alcohol, for example. Don’t be afraid to stand by your decisions to change. Your loved ones should support your efforts and respect what’s important to your recovery.
Actively engage in the treatment process
Being as engaged as you possibly can in the treatment process will give you a deep sense of ownership throughout recovery. Treatment often incorporates peer group sessions, as well as personal and family therapies that help alleviate worries throughout recovery.
Try to be proactive and open-minded when researching the courses and treatments available to you. Engaging more deeply in treatment activities may increase the likelihood of positive health outcomes and alleviate negative reinforcements and addictive behaviours.
Try new lifestyle habits
Breaking free from the behaviours that reinforce your addiction means developing healthier habits in your life. New activities can help stimulate the brain’s reward system in a natural way. Taking a leap of faith into a new physical class like Kickfit and martial arts might help you develop a new hobby with a deep and fulfilling purpose.
Replacing reinforced behaviours that lead to addiction means finding new activities to occupy the time you used to spend with the drug. Activities like exercise classes, focusing on nutrition, and developing healthy social connections can help release serotonin into your mesolimbic pathway. Try starting out by setting achievable personal goals that help reinforce your sobriety, like journaling each morning.
Stay on track with aftercare
One of the most important steps in breaking free from the cycle of addictive behaviours is dedicated aftercare services. After the treatment programme has finished, the most meaningful steps in the recovery journey can be taken. Returning to life after treatment means you’ll again be surrounded by potential triggers and urges, but with the right aftercare program, you’ll stay steadfast in your sober lifestyle.
Many treatment programmes offer aftercare, like 12-step meeting programmes and outpatient therapy. Joining support groups and cultivating new sober friendships can help keep addictions long behind you.
Where can I find help with addiction in my life?
If you’ve recognised elements of addiction reinforcement in your own life or that of a loved one, we want to let you know that help is available.
Here at UKAT, we strive to support you to break free from addiction. Our alcohol detox programmes deliver personalised care at every stage of recovery, with aftercare and continued support available for you and your loved ones.
Breaking free from addiction may feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. Get in touch with us today and take the first step toward lasting recovery, leaving addiction in the rearview mirror as you move forward substance-free.