[ExI] pun of the day

[Keith Henson]

On Fri, Sep 15, 2023 at 1:17 PM spike jones via extropy-chat
<extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:

snip

> Bill don’t worry, you aren’t the first or only one who has done that.  I have a friend who goes to those AA meetings, in spite of his never having been a drinker or devourer of recreational pharmaceuticals (Mormon to the core.)  He wants to help those who are hoping to break out of the cycle.

I wrote this a long time ago.  It still might provide some insight

"Knowledge of the deep-seated and highly evolved brain mechanisms
involved in drug and cult addiction also permits analysis of how
existing treatments work. For example, the rewards model derived above
indicates that twelve-step programs work not because of the specific
steps involved, but because they provide attention rewards from the
group--substituting an endogenous "natural" chemical reward for a
exogenous chemical reward. Success in getting out of the programs
without returning to the exogenous chemical reward would be expected
to depend on resuming relationships that provide attention rewards or
forming new relations. Some people recovering from drugs or alcohol
stay with the programs indefinitely making the recovery program their
“family” or “tribe” and a long-term source of attention rewards."

/Sex_Drugs_and_Cults_An_evolutionary_psychology_perspective_on_why_and_how_cult_memes_get_a_d
rug_like_hold_on_people_and_what_might_be_
done_to_mitigate_the_effects

> He once commented that he would estimate about a quarter to perhaps a third of attendees showed up drunk or stoned.  Or both.

Wow.  Never been to one of those, but the descriptions I have heard
did not mention people showing up drunk or stoned.

> I am constantly reminded that I don’t live in the real world.
>
No kidding.

Keith
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