Recent psychological research is confirming what a lot of people have thought through their own experience and common sense: impulsive behavior can be a predictor of addiction. According to Psychology Today, impulsive adolescents are likelier to experiment with drugs and have the potential for later addiction. If you’ve been thinking about sober living in Florida and you’ve always made choices very quickly, it’s possible to overcome the trait and learn more about your strengths.
What Are Traits of Impulsivity?
Researchers needed to identify impulsive behavior in order to learn more about how the human mind works. Psychology Today says that impulsive individuals lack patience and in tests, typically choose a smaller, faster reward over waiting for a bigger reward. If you’ve seen videos where children are put in a room with a marshmallow on a plate and told they will get another one if they don’t eat the marshmallow, the impulsive kids are the ones who eat the marshmallow immediately.
Formally, psychologists describe impulsivity as “rapid, unplanned behavior with little forethought of the consequences.” There are three types of impulsivity: trait, action, and choice. Thinking and acting quickly can be an advantage in many situations. However, it can also have negative consequences. No matter where you are in the recovery process, through sober living in Florida, you can gain more control over all three types of impulsivity.
Learning to Control Impulses Supports Healthy Living
Dr. Shahram Heshmat is a psychologist who writes about the science of choice. He believes that learning how to wait to get what you want can help build skills in healthier living. Dr. Heshmat gives the example of someone who’s decided to eat healthily, but who can’t resist eating a few Girl Scout cookies when a family member buys a box and brings it home. Sober living in Florida is one place where people in recovery can learn to control their impulsive traits and choose healthier foods and avoid alcohol or drugs.
Teen Thinking Differs From Adults
In terms of weighing the consequences of their actions, teens view their older selves in the same way as they think of strangers, according to Dr. Heshmat. Addiction studies back these attitudes up. Adolescent lack of concern for their future selves grows less with time. By around age 20, people are better able to think of their future selves as themselves instead of strangers whose well-being doesn’t matter.
All people are emotional but the teen years are the most emotional. Teenage desire for risk-taking over safety can feel overwhelming. Growing and learning is a natural human process and when combined with sober living in Florida, learning to control impulsivity can be a strong tool for recovery.
Source
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3996683/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/science-choice/201804/one-trait-predicts-addiction
