
We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-defeating habits - pmcpinto
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/09/the-addicted-brain/
======
towaway
The article mentions naltrexone. Dr Eskapa's research of using naltrexone led
to The Sinclair Method. His book is called The Cure For Alcoholism. He has
made it available for free download here,
[https://www.dropbox.com/s/60fs7gmvbyzs1kk/Cure%20for%20Alcoh...](https://www.dropbox.com/s/60fs7gmvbyzs1kk/Cure%20for%20Alcoholism.pdf?dl=0)
(please do support him and buy the book if it is of use to you and you have
the means)

The Sinclair Method shows that for many people alcoholism is simple chemistry
and the addiction can be "unlearned" by taking naltrexone (a cheap patent free
drug) an hour before drinking.

If you're interested in finding out more we have a subreddit at
[https://www.reddit.com/r/alcoholism_medication/](https://www.reddit.com/r/alcoholism_medication/).

~~~
lubujackson
Honestly, doing something "an hour before" doing something compulsive might be
a placebo that trains people to delay doing something destructive. Once that
happens, it is much easier to stop doing it completely. I imagine if there was
a diet that said "drink a cup of water before eating that cupcake" it might be
equally as effective for compulsive eaters.

~~~
lastofus
Many alcoholics are already quite adept at delayed gratification, whether it
be waiting until they get home for the night before pounding 5-10 drinks, or
even waiting for loved ones to go to sleep so they can "hide" their habit.

~~~
pizza
Addiction isn't a soft lack of will but an iron surplus of it despite
perennial invectives; it's antifragile. Any cessation/treatment regimen/regime
imposed on someone else merely reinforces their drive.

~~~
Terr_
> Addiction isn't a soft lack of will but an iron surplus of it

Relevant:
[http://existentialcomics.com/comic/13](http://existentialcomics.com/comic/13)

~~~
pizza
My my my there is a lot going on there! fun read.

------
wallace_f
tl;dr the thesis is that addiction is a learning process of reinforcing
behavior->reward understanding. Targeted magnetic pulses look to be capable of
altering the chemistry of the neural pathways where this understanding lives.

The article also notes how increasingly more behaviors are treated as
addictions. Korea provides government subsidized gaming addiction treatment,
which I think is interesting to consider if we are physically altering
destructive behavioral patterns to reprogram people Where will the limits be?
Might a workaholic be treated? What about junk food, smart phones? An
adolescent with a history of getting kicks out of tormenting others? Fanatical
racists or nationalists?

On another note, there are other theories about addiction to supplement this
one:
[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ao8L-0nSYzg](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ao8L-0nSYzg)

~~~
scardine
This line of ethical questioning is behind the plot of Anthony Burgess's 1962
novel "A Clockwork Orange". The main character Alex is subject of an
experimental aversion therapy for rehabilitating criminals but the method is
flawed and leads to unfair consequences for him.

~~~
civilian
I'm generally in favor of rehabilitation, but in the case of Alex, I thought
that the punishment was fitting.

~~~
rwnspace
Well that's the major question, as far as I'm concerned. Does the punishment
fit the crime? Are there punishments for which there are no fitting crimes?

------
gbacon
Reminds me of the concept of the habit loop in _The Power of Habit_ [0] by
Charles Duhigg.

[0]: [http://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-
habit/](http://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit/)

~~~
gourou
From the book, on the habit loop and why we're using toothpaste every day

[http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2012/02/an_exc...](http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2012/02/an_excerpt_from_charles_duhigg_s_the_power_of_habit_.html)

------
a_humean
The FT (not pay-walled unlike most FT content) recently had an interesting
podcast on this topic with a focus on sugar addiction:

[https://www.ft.com/content/7af80630-c1a6-4833-9f39-dae093b34...](https://www.ft.com/content/7af80630-c1a6-4833-9f39-dae093b348d3)

~~~
dredmorbius
Google search + incognito usually allows a few peeks.

------
ChuckMcM
I think this is great research, and untangling the loops is something that has
a disproportionate positive impact on so much of society.

From an anthropology perspective I'm always curious if there is a selective
bias toward a given configuration. And in this case I wonder about what sort
of selective bias would select for addictive reinforcement of a behavior over
a lack of that reinforcement.

------
anythingnonidin
Likely interesting to readers of this thread:
[https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/bmvdnm/how-
psyche...](https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/bmvdnm/how-psychedelic-
drugs-psilocybin-lsd-could-help-treat-addiction)

------
jstewartmobile
Reminds me of Baumeister's research on willpower and energy depletion:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfnUicHDNM8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfnUicHDNM8)

~~~
jacek
Validity of Baumeister's research has been disputed recently:
[http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/cover_story...](http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/cover_story/2016/03/ego_depletion_an_influential_theory_in_psychology_may_have_just_been_debunked.html?wpsrc=sh_all_dt_tw_top)

------
nhylated
Related Radiolab episode: The Fix
[http://www.radiolab.org/story/addiction/](http://www.radiolab.org/story/addiction/)

------
mac01021
The habits defeat themselves?

