drunk on alcohol, it becomes more difficult to stop drinking for several reasons. One reason is that the person is less aware of what he or she is doing, and the cognitive function, which is needed to help assess the situation, is impaired. Drug use can impair the function of brain regions such as the orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate gyrus that are involved in judgment, decision making, and inhibition of unwanted activities like drug taking. These impairments contribute to a lack of control, compulsive drug taking, and a general impairment of judgment that favors relapse to drug use. This was shown byDr. Edythe London and colleagues and others in a gambling task; drug abusers were much more likely to make bad decisions that resulted in long-term losses. 4 Taking drugs can make things worse and result in a nasty, downward spiral.
What About Me?
What if you are right now saying, “Oh my gosh, I have a lot of those factors for vulnerability?” Or, what if you know somebody important to you who seems to be loaded with vulnerability? Or maybe some friends are trying to stop drinking but have no idea about these factors and what they mean for them. Well, now is the time to pay attention and listen up.
These are “risk” factors, and risk is not certainty. Risk is about an increased likelihood. Nevertheless, thinking about risk factors can be helpful. If certain factors apply to someone, then he or she has to work extra hard in controlling these and other factors. For example, someone who has a strong family history of drug dependence might have a hereditary vulnerability that, of course, can’t be avoided. However, this just means that the person would have to work at other factors like avoiding places where drugs are available, avoiding friends who use, and seeking positive support from counselors, clergy, friends, and family members. The more risk factors that one has, the more vulnerable he or she is. So, working at controlling the risk factors that one can influence is important. Life is short, and strengthening positive and healthy habits will mean a lot. When in risky situations, being aware of the danger of drugs and being prepared to say no to drugs are crucial to combating risk factors.
The Rider and His Elephant
Here is an interesting story. Jonathan Haidt tells us in his book 5 of the metaphorical concept of the “elephant and the rider” to describe our control of emotional drives and actions. Both the elephant and riderare found in each of us and represent different aspects of our psyche. The rider is intelligent with a grip on the reigns that guides the elephant in its tasks (or through life). The rider can see the overall task, is responsible for it, and has the judgment and skills to deal with it. The rider is associated with our conscience, our conscious and controlled thinking, and planning for the future. Perhaps the rider is like Freud’s super ego and ego.
The elephant on the other hand, is the rest of our psyche; it includes fears, emotions, intuitions, and visceral reactions. It contains the reward and reinforcement centers in our brains, and embodies the powerful drives that lurk in the old parts of our brain that have helped our species survive. Like the rider, the elephant has knowledge, but of a different kind. It is more like Freud’s id or primitive drives. In our psyche, the elephant represents drives and appetites that are perhaps more subconscious than conscious.
When a skilled rider teams with a strong elephant, both can do well and accomplish much. However—and here is the point—the elephant within us, being so big and powerful in comparison to the rider within us, will do whatever it wants or feels it must under certain circumstances. If the elephant is suddenly attacked by a hungry tiger, it will react powerfully and pay no attention to the rider no matter how knowledgeable the rider is about fighting tigers. When a stimulus strikes the elephant as overwhelmingly
What About Me?
What if you are right now saying, “Oh my gosh, I have a lot of those factors for vulnerability?” Or, what if you know somebody important to you who seems to be loaded with vulnerability? Or maybe some friends are trying to stop drinking but have no idea about these factors and what they mean for them. Well, now is the time to pay attention and listen up.
These are “risk” factors, and risk is not certainty. Risk is about an increased likelihood. Nevertheless, thinking about risk factors can be helpful. If certain factors apply to someone, then he or she has to work extra hard in controlling these and other factors. For example, someone who has a strong family history of drug dependence might have a hereditary vulnerability that, of course, can’t be avoided. However, this just means that the person would have to work at other factors like avoiding places where drugs are available, avoiding friends who use, and seeking positive support from counselors, clergy, friends, and family members. The more risk factors that one has, the more vulnerable he or she is. So, working at controlling the risk factors that one can influence is important. Life is short, and strengthening positive and healthy habits will mean a lot. When in risky situations, being aware of the danger of drugs and being prepared to say no to drugs are crucial to combating risk factors.
The Rider and His Elephant
Here is an interesting story. Jonathan Haidt tells us in his book 5 of the metaphorical concept of the “elephant and the rider” to describe our control of emotional drives and actions. Both the elephant and riderare found in each of us and represent different aspects of our psyche. The rider is intelligent with a grip on the reigns that guides the elephant in its tasks (or through life). The rider can see the overall task, is responsible for it, and has the judgment and skills to deal with it. The rider is associated with our conscience, our conscious and controlled thinking, and planning for the future. Perhaps the rider is like Freud’s super ego and ego.
The elephant on the other hand, is the rest of our psyche; it includes fears, emotions, intuitions, and visceral reactions. It contains the reward and reinforcement centers in our brains, and embodies the powerful drives that lurk in the old parts of our brain that have helped our species survive. Like the rider, the elephant has knowledge, but of a different kind. It is more like Freud’s id or primitive drives. In our psyche, the elephant represents drives and appetites that are perhaps more subconscious than conscious.
When a skilled rider teams with a strong elephant, both can do well and accomplish much. However—and here is the point—the elephant within us, being so big and powerful in comparison to the rider within us, will do whatever it wants or feels it must under certain circumstances. If the elephant is suddenly attacked by a hungry tiger, it will react powerfully and pay no attention to the rider no matter how knowledgeable the rider is about fighting tigers. When a stimulus strikes the elephant as overwhelmingly
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