more examples

It must be a brain thing. I have said it before: brains almost always choose short-term pleasure, or lack of pain and anxiety, over benefits that will only be evident over the long-term. To make a huge and unsupported pseudo-scientific jump, I think there must be something in our evolutionary make-up that leads to these decisions. I think that the primitive parts of our brain figure that we may not be around in six months or longer so a bird, or a bottle in the hand, is better than two in the bank later.

#1
Joe sat before me today, covered with tattoos, and looking green. His liver isn't working too well after thirty years of drinking. Now, because he is in pain and convinced that another drink could kill him, he has stopped.

The real shame is that he can explain his decisions so clearly and articulately, from how he began to drink at 13, because his parents really weren't around and he thought no one cared. How it lead to all kinds trouble he got into, the drugs he also used, the fights, the divorces, the debt, and now the illnesses.

But, he said he always felt he was making the choice to drink because he hated how he felt sober. When sober he was anxious, guilty and unsure of himself. When he drank he felt calm, relaxed, clever and happy, even if was just for two hours. Now, it really hurts when he drinks, so he stopped. If he is lucky, he will be pain free by December.

#2
Joel has been married for seventeen years. Ten years ago his wife started taking money from their account without telling him. Then she took the tax returns. Then she stopped sleeping with him. Then she began telling their son that he, Joel was stupid and the son shouldn't listen to him. Then she refused to go anywhere with him, and now she won't cook for him. She walks around the house muttering that he's an asshole.

Joel is beginning to believe that the marriage is over. But getting divorced scares him. He is convinced that the process with be difficult, torturous, deceitful and expensive -- and he's right. So he has avoided making things worse.

Now he is aware that she may go to a lawyer first and accuse him of things that are not true and take all the money. So now, that scares him more and he thinks he will get to a lawyer first.

We shall see.