To balance over or under-stimulation, we engage in self-destructive behaviors. To counter self-destructive excess (addiction), we lean into abstinence, a zero-space, white-knuckle state of hard-edge discipline.
This traditional reliance on sheer willpower has been proven to fail repeatedly*. When it is successful in restraint, it produces inflexible fragility when confronting the world or stress.
However, research reveals that animals isolated in cages develop addictions, while those in enriched, communal environments do not.
This suggests that addictions stem not from personal failings but from environments (or groups) that fail to meet our needs for connection. Abstinence from the behavior does not necessarily mean isolation; instead, try fluctuating between solitude and solidarity.
* Breakdown of Will, George Ainslie
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