Trigger Your Motivation

Hangovers Don't Work

Hangovers are like motivation, they never happen at the right time.

How many times have you heard yourself or a good friend say ‘I’m never drinking again, never ever, not after last night!’ But as the hangover goes so does the motivation to stop or drink less. A day later it’s ‘I’m cutting down. I’ll just have a couple every time I drink.’ And a couple of days later when you start drinking again, the hangover’s gone, the motivation’s to drink less has gone and you drink like you always do. Too much!

You know that you drink too much. You know that when you drink too much it can affect you the next day. You know that it does damage your body but yet, you still don’t moderate. Why?

My take on this, is because your brain is busy. Apparently, your conscious brain only holds one thought at a time and the likelihood of it thinking about ‘moderation’ at the right time is slim. There are too many other things to think about.

You could be thinking of your friends, the latest gossip, the bargirl, your wife, that itch that never goes away, stress at work, exercise more etc.

So if motivation doesn’t work well what does?

BJ Fogg has come up with a model of habit change which contains three elements. One of them is motivation and he’s says that motivation is the least important element. The other two are ability (to change) and triggers.

Take smoking for example

• Motivation – most smokers want to give up. They know that their habit is bad for them.
• Ability – most smokers give up when their ability to give up increases. This could be nicotine patches or a new mindset thanks to Alan Carr.
• Triggers – strokes, serious illness, the warning on a cigarette package.

For me, triggers have worked where motivation hasn’t in the past. You need your ‘trigger’ to fire at the right place and the right time. What’s worked has been placing two triggers by my wine bottles.

The first trigger

I know, looks like a five year have drawn it. But for me, highly effective















Reminds me that I’m only going to drink one.

It’s been surprisingly effective. Since putting it in place, I’ve only have had one drink a night at home.

It has also helped me build two useful ‘abilities’

1. Helps me to think before I drink. I think that I’m only going to have one. After that I’ll be on water again. I smell my drink more and make more of an effort to saviour it.

2. Stop at one. I only drink one per night because it’s easy to record and I also think it’s easier to stop at one than after two or three.

The second trigger

Trigger - reminds me to celebrate that I've stopped at one














Reminds me to congratulate myself for only drinking one drink. This is a new habit and if it’s going to replace the old habit I need to enjoy it and celebrate it.

I added this one later as I noticed that I wasn’t always congratulating myself for stopping at one.

I believe this is important as it’s going up against habits that have lasted twenty five years or more.

Conclusion

Triggers have really kept my mind on ‘moderation’. They helped me get off to a great start and have reminded me at the right place and time so that I can practice moderation. I had the motivation (the right intention) before but it was never consistent enough to really change my drinking habit.

Now, after only three week, I have said no to drinks and free ones at that. I’ve really got to a stage where I’ve thought about my habit quite deeply and I’m changing my views and associations on drinks which should have a lasting effect. This time, I'm confident that I'll succeed.