The idea of not relying on drugs is so interesting. This neuroscientist actually just gave a talk about ways to fix depression/addiction/mental illness without any drugs: http://bit.ly/1D1Y5BE In the video he suggests that one of the best ways to move forward and combat issues such as drug addiction and mental illnesses is by taking advantage of neural plasticity and changing parts of the brain that are responsible for these illnesses. Unlike drugs, this results in little to no side effects and is a lot less broad. Although this is very new technology test have shown nearly 33% remission rate for treatment-resistant depression - which is depression where patients have seen no relief from therapy, they've seen no relief from anti depressants, and they’re running out of options. He goes on to discuss ways this can be used to help the brain rewire itself which can be helpful for drug addicts or alcoholics. If given the example of cocaine addiction, they show subjects luring images of cocaine to induce their craving networks and then present them with real-time feedback of what their brain is doing. The idea is that they ask people to surf their mental landscape and do whatever it is they need to do to make the craving go down, which essentially is exploiting whatever conscious control and probably in most cases unconscious control that you have over your own brain to rewire it intelligently at just the right times. Just wondering what everyones thoughts are on this, and how feasible you think it is??
The human mind is grounded on personality firmware, which define human nature and characterize us as a species. There are many levels of this firmware. Addiction is difficult to treat because it triggers low level firmware. The induction of firmware, allows a tapping into higher human potential; animal energy. As such, addiction can create a reward from the brain for tapping into innate potential. However, since this is being done in a chemical way, the long term impact on the body can be harmful. The idea of fighting addiction without drugs is to essentially teach people how to trigger firmware; natural high, to get the same reward, but without the side effects of chemical inductions. The easiest and oldest way is connected to religion, which is why so many addicts become born again. Religion can be used to tap into the same or similar firmware. The religious fanatic is driven by the reward that stems from firmware induction; powerful feeling. This done by the mind and imagination, and does not need drugs; natural high. As an example, say you could take a pill that allows you to remember anything you have ever learned, if asked. This sense of higher innate human potential would be intoxicating. There would be this want and then need to return to this state of higher mind due to what it brings to you. Because the pill is the cause and effect key, one will take it day after day, with the chemicals eventually causing side effects. Now the slave becomes the master. The first buzz of the day comes fro the brain but the rest of the day are the side effects. We need to get the person to stop that pill, even though the diminishing feeling it creates, tells his/her mind this is tapping into higher human potential. Unless you can teach them to trigger other firmware, naturally, so they can get the same level natural high, they will default back to the chemical trigger. Treatment drugs often block the natural high, so the reward is less or it induces a different trigger with less side effects. Natural is about using the mind, to push its firmware buttons.
Food , Quality Food if possible. You are what you eat and able to ABSORB. The more Nutrients you can absorb the better your brain and body will be.
Very clever. Yes, addictive behaviors would be improved considerably by inducing a radical rewiring of the brain, by any means short of a lobotomy. But isn't this exactly the sort of stuff the neurologists in Anthony Burgess A Clockwork Orange did and later undid to young Alex?
I am skeptical of this being effective. Well I am skeptical of the whole idea. The example used (the young girl with seizures) is an extreme and very unlikely outcome of this kind of brain surgery. Which leads me to think that IF there is any positive outcome, it will be rare; like the child's recovery. It just seems to be the same thing as the 12 steps attempts to provide. For depression, maybe a better potential because you have the fact that most people would rather be happy than sad. You cant say that about alcohol or drug effects. Most people who enjoy these things, enjoy the effects. And they will reason (whether consciously or not), well Now I have the Cravings under control, I wont be addicted and go back to using because as I said above, the enjoyment of the effects.
Wrong. Differernt drug choices trigger different aspects. While not 100%, many [true] alcoholics do not like marijuana. Many [true] meth/speed addicts do not enjoy marijuana. And by [true] I mean people who's first choice on what to use is the above resort to other drugs often when their preferred choice is not available. And is why it does not work very well. A 'natural' high does not happen without work (unless you are bi-polar or manic). And trading in cocaine for jesus does not work/fails so often because it requires 'faith'. For those recovering from addiction, if you talk to them, the self-determination used during http://www.theonion.com/article/lord-under-investigation-for-failure-to-provide-1212"] gods failure to provide ALWAYS falls back onto the primary driver. I cannot use because I get into trouble (most often legally, which is a different set of issues). For some people, that may be 'intoxicating'. But that doesnt explain why people do meth does it, but didnt like LSD? Or heroin but not alcohol. And then there are those million or so that take drugs to ESCAPE a memory or 100. This is so convoluted. Stop taking something that makes you feel good (or less bad) but rest assured that the discomfort/pain that will increase is actually tapping into higher potential? I do not know whether this is true or not but will carry on as though it is true. So you are claiming that drugs DO stimulate the 'natural high' areas of a person, and have no problem with having a natural high as long as your physically designed to tap into the natural high areas BUT if you are not good at running, you should be deprived of that 'natural high' that runners get (sometimes) because?
I'm just wondering if I can continue to have my morning coffee in everyone's brave new utopia. Or an aspirin if I have a headache.
