One of the great concepts that has come out of the sobriety movement and organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous is the acronym HALT—H. A. L. T. The word, of course, literally means “to stop.” But in sobriety circles, the acronym HALT serves as a reminder to be careful how you react when you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. Researchers have found that, for someone with addiction issues, these four states leave you particularly vulnerable to temptation. They suggest that, before you take a drink or pop a pill, stop and ask yourself if you are hungry, angry, lonely or tired, and then find a remedy or substitute action to replace the addictive substance.

Whether or not you have a substance misuse problem, we are all more vulnerable to self-sabotaging or unproductive behavior when we are h…