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Change of scenery is an important thing when trying to break out of a bad pattern. Novelty is actually processed by a different part of the brain than whatever

Change of scenery is an important thing when trying to break out of a bad pattern. Novelty is actually processed by a different part of the brain than whatever rut we may be in is. The book Iconoclast explains that even moving furniture around can put us into a more creative state, because our creativity is activated by novelty.

shasheene 12y ago
See also: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/01/05/371894919/what-heroin-addiction-tells-us-about-changing-bad-habits http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/01/05/371894919/what-he...
wavefunction 12y ago
And getting them out of their "social" situation of hanging out with other addicts. Addicts reinforce each other's habits.
- cubano 12y ago
  Addicts are very lonely people whom are simply trying to connect with people but have some sort of synaptic wiring issue that prevents them from successfully doing so without the use of powerful pharmaceuticals (or anything that releases dopamine, really) that both create false bonds of dependency and mood-altered states. That is why research shows over and over that creating new environments and new "friendships" (the cornerstone of AA and NA) is of crucial importance. It's so hard for "normal" people to see and understand this because (from my personal experiences)... 1. the addict often seems like the life of the party (at least in the beginning of the story) and no one thinks that person is lonely. 2. normal people, for the most part, discover and nurture these connections so automatically that they can't understand how it could feel for it not to work, thus addiction is totally baffling to them. To me, the crown jewel of Neuroscience would be to come up with a successful treatment to addiction that worked directly on the brain and didn't require the complete overhaul of your life that inpatient and outpatient treatment demand.

shasheene 12y ago

See also: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/01/05/371894919/what-heroin-addiction-tells-us-about-changing-bad-habits http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/01/05/371894919/what-he...

wavefunction 12y ago

And getting them out of their "social" situation of hanging out with other addicts. Addicts reinforce each other's habits.

cubano 12y ago
Addicts are very lonely people whom are simply trying to connect with people but have some sort of synaptic wiring issue that prevents them from successfully doing so without the use of powerful pharmaceuticals (or anything that releases dopamine, really) that both create false bonds of dependency and mood-altered states. That is why research shows over and over that creating new environments and new "friendships" (the cornerstone of AA and NA) is of crucial importance. It's so hard for "normal" people to see and understand this because (from my personal experiences)... 1. the addict often seems like the life of the party (at least in the beginning of the story) and no one thinks that person is lonely. 2. normal people, for the most part, discover and nurture these connections so automatically that they can't understand how it could feel for it not to work, thus addiction is totally baffling to them. To me, the crown jewel of Neuroscience would be to come up with a successful treatment to addiction that worked directly on the brain and didn't require the complete overhaul of your life that inpatient and outpatient treatment demand.