Destructive Behavior - Why do we do it?
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Below is an article from the Wellness.com newsfeed. These things boggle me. If someone could figure out how to crack the code of why people knowingly perform activities that they KNOW hurt their quality of life they will change the world. I think it's because people find it a form of escape from inner restlessness and fear issues they don't want to face; often subsconscious that they don't even know about. But what do I know? Does anyone know about any research being done on this subject?
Dire statistics fail to deter many smokers
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. As more and more reasons accumulate against smoking,
and more and more research continues into effective anti-smoking treatments,
there would seem to be fewer and fewer reasons to continue this addiction.
Yet, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released some mind-boggling statistics about those who can't or won't kick the habit.
Nearly four of every 10 adults with emphysema a serious, often fatal lung disease usually caused by smoking still smoked even after diagnosis, according to a survey by the AHRQ.
Can you believe this?
According to the Web site of the Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.com when emphysema is severe, "you must work so hard to expel air from your lungs that breathing can consume up to 20 percent of your resting energy."
Think about that. Smoking caused this disease, will likely kill the smokers, will hasten their demise if they don't stop. Yet four out of 10 smokers with emphysema apparently don't care.
But that wasn't the only mind-boggler.
Other research by AHRQ found that 23.4 percent of people with asthma another severe breathing disorder and nearly a quarter of those surveyed who had suffered strokes, couldn't give up their cigarettes.
As a nonsmoker, I find this hard to understand or even imagine. If you are sick and want to have some quality of life, why would you continue to do the very thing that made you sick?
Better minds than mine may be able to answer that. Or at least try.
Are the same factors at work here that cause overweight people or anyone with diabetes to continue to eat anything and everything even though diet has to be controlled to keep blood sugar level?
It's called denial. How anyone could be in denial about the fact that they can't breathe is beyond me. And if you don't care about yourself, there are other people to care about: those around you.
Or, in this case, in you.
Research published in a recent issue of the journal Child Development found
that 2-year-olds regularly exposed to cigarette smoke in utero that's in the
womb were nearly 12 times more likely to show clinical levels of behavior
problems compared with toddlers who were not exposed.
The study was done with mothers who smoked during pregnancy, and the
researchers stepped back from laying the blame on the moms totally, saying it
does not prove smoking during pregnancy causes behavior problems. Follow-up
studies financed by the National Institute of Drug Abuse may do that.
Why wait to find out?
There is enough evidence now that smoking can harm your lungs, put you at
risk for heart disease, and flat-out kill you. Smoking-related diseases kill an
estimated 430,700 Americans each year, according to the American Lung
Association.
So, if you're not suicidal, give it up.
To see more of InsideVC.co
Addictive habits are difficult to break! Most of the mechanism of addiction are operating on a subconscious level so in order for one to be able to overcome an addiction the underlying reason for the addiction must be brought into consciousness. It is evident that one's need for a cigarette or a drink or sex or whatever, is so deeply embedded in one's psyche that conscious thought is not even an option. A person with addictive habits need love and understanding; It is important for them to have a network of patient people (friends, professionals, etc.) in their lives who are willing to help bring old stuffed down issues into consciousness so that these underlying issues can be healed. Wouldn't you agree?
I think you're right Angelgirl. And I think people also need to be educated about the consequences of their actions. Habits are difficult to break, but what's the alternative? The alternative is to continue to perform actions that cause unhappiness. It takes will power, but it can be done. Subconscious habits are easier to overcome by one who really sees the benefit in overcoming them. The key is to see that benefit. Environment is huge too. It's almost impossible to quit drinking or smoking if all of your friends do it.
Angelgirl wrote:
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I agree, Amac. I, too being a non-smoker don't really get it personally. I see others who are addicted and unable to break the patterns they continue to play out over and over and it is clear to me how deeply these addictions are. It pains me to see others hurt themselves.
I've smoked for 23 years and got bronchitis for the upteempth time two
weeks ago and have stopped smoking, I realized that I associated
smoking with good memories from when I was young. In spite of it aging
me and messing my health up in a horrific way I still want a cigarette all
because I relate it to a time when I felt like I was a part of something,
ironically now smoker's are lepers. Once I realized that I was playing God
by trying to choose how I would die (lung cancer) so that there would be
no surprise I realized I have been living out of fear of the unknown and
smoking for a crazy reason. It is difficult not to do the same behaviour
you have always done but I believe the more the price of cigarettes go up
and the more smoker's are disgraced the better the chance are that they
will quit and take a look at their underlying motivations. I know I have
and I hope to God that more pressure is put on people to stop smoking
because most people, in my opinion, who smoke have some form of
mental instability anyway.
AMAC, whats even more shocking are the smokers who have developed emphysema, lung cancer, bronchitis or other life threatening ailments as a result of their long-term smoking habits- and then they have the audacity (or is it stupidity) to sue the tobaccoo companies for not informing them of the potential health implications involved. Completely and utterly ASININE! Oh, that just gave ne an idea- I think I'll hire a scuba diving company to take me out to the Great Barrier Reef so I can swim with sharks- and then when my leg gets bitten off, I'll sue them because they didn't warn me that my behavior was dangerous...Hmmm.
I think you are on to something Spirit!
Wow! You've hit on a nationwide problem. Addictions are hard to break and they cause an incredible amount of pain in the family.
Aside from the obvious genetic vulnerability to addiction one may have, I see the root of addictions being with people who have learned a disastrous coping strategy for getting their own needs met. Basically, they're not getting their needs met and turning their frustration in on themselves.
I'm a psychotherapist in the Boulder, Colorado area that focuses on supporting families of problem drinkers. To know more about the warning signs of problem drinking see: http://familyinabottle.com/free-articles/why-you-should-know -these-warning-signs-of-problem-drinking
Jeff Jones, MA, Certified Addiction Counselor
www.familyinabottle.com
I see lots of people who do not smoke, exercise, diet,blah, blah, blah, etc., etc. And guess what? Why are they dying so young? Lots of folks think life is short. Some think it is too long. No magic in life and no magic key. There are some who do it all wrong and live a long time and others who do it all supposedly right and die young. Maybe there is some luck or fate involved. Whatever that fantasy may be it isn't any harder to believe that you can die at any time whether you take care of yourself or not. Of course I try to be healthy but guess what? I am not. We were not designed to live forever or for even a long time. We are not always lucky to live long or die young. No recipe for life. Nothing guarantees happy or sad either. Deal with what you have and whether you die happy or sad we all know you don't die from good health but we all die. Guaranteed.
