Alladin Resort: Good or bad

Old Jun 22nd, 2001, 12:20 AM
  #21  
Bill
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"See," adrenaline rush does NOT equal disease!!! "Doctor in the House" is 100% correct!!!
 
Old Jun 22nd, 2001, 04:59 AM
  #22  
Gum Chewing
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All my life, I have enjoyed chewing bubble gum. I would chew it all day if I could. I have trouble driving past a convenience market and not stopping to buy a few packs of gum. This contributes to tooth decay and weight gain and overall poor nutrition. I hide this from people and chew gum in secret because it is embarrassing. I wish I didn't have this craving.

I guess See would say I have a bona fide disease, right? After all, I desperately crave the sugar buzz I get, and it is surely self-destructive behavior. Oh sure, I can quit for a while, but I'll be back at that convenience mart soon enough. Perhaps I'll start a 12-step program called GGA (Gum Gobblers Anonymous).

Or maybe I'll just start treating myself better and exercise some self-control, self-discipline and old-fashioned willpower.
 
Old Jun 22nd, 2001, 05:22 AM
  #23  
arosebyany
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To gum-chewer et. al. So when you read about a serial murderer who gets a rush off of killing people you say, "boy that guy is really sick", but under your theory you should be saying "if he would just exercise a little will power he would be fine". An uncontrollable compulsion may not be a "disease" but it is still an illness in my book.
 
Old Jun 22nd, 2001, 06:52 AM
  #24  
See
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No, the point is that studies done on the neurotransmitters (chemicals that allow messages to be transferred from one neuron to another, and allow 'measurements' to be made of nerve activity/behavior) show that some behaviors appear to be essentially beyond the control of the individual. If you 'hear voices' as a manifestation of schizophrenia, that's not an imagined process. There is a signal problem in the brain and messages are being sent and received which are not normal. But they're not imagined.
For some types of addictive nehavior, the chemical processes which occur in the brain are not 'normal'...in particular the intensity of the neural activity is far too great for the stimulus. So when a true gambling addict is exposed to the stimulus of the gambling environment, the neurological responses are dramatically intensified compared to someone without this disorder. In fact, the chemical responses are much like those seen in cocaine and heroin addiction.
Can it be controlled? Sure. You teach those people to stay away from the stimulus of the gambling environment. But once in it, they're much like Pavlov's dog. It's essentially an involuntary response. Because this chemical process is not normal, some consider it a disease.
One of the reasons gay activists have vehemently fought against research into any possible difference in brain chemistry or structure (versus non-gays) is because such evidence might then lead to classification of gayness as a disorder.
So, no, it's not the same as having a strong desire to chew gum or listen to pleasant music because those stimuli don't create the same type of marked chemical responses in the brain which induce self destructive behavior.
 
Old Jun 22nd, 2001, 07:50 AM
  #25  
dave
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Gee, it'd be interesting to hear back from "ge", the original poster to see how his/her trip to the Aladdin went. But then again, I can see why he wouldn't. With all the non-essential postings full of dribble-drabble garbage to tread through, I'm sure glad there are other posting sites more conducive to obtaining useful information.

By the way, we just got back from Vegas and didn't even bother visiting the Aladdin. With all the negativism surrounding that place.
 
Old Jun 22nd, 2001, 09:38 AM
  #26  
Is There A
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Hold it, now. A Rose says an uncontrollable impulse is a disease or illness. Fair enough.

But then, See says that gamblers have to be taught to drive past the casino. So going to a casino and blowing a big wad is not, by definition, an uncontrollable impulse. All you have to do is not go in the casino, and See has demonstrated that gamblers have control over that.

Now, if these nasty chemical responses in the gambler's brain were triggered by the mere fact that they drove through a town with a casino, then maybe the urge to drop by the casino could be an illness. But that's not what happens.

As for the person with a mental illness who hears voices, I say this is fundamentally different from the gambler. The person hearing voices has the condition that triggers their behavior (hearing voices) through no fault of their own. They act on the trigger and kill someone. Maybe that is an uncontrollable impulse/disease, and the action/killing is the manifestation of the disease.

But the gambler is just fine until he or she makes the voluntary decision to go to a place where they can gamble. Their brain chemistry does not make them go there, although it does react in a strange way once they start gambling. So the killer does the unfortunate act because of their disease/uncontrollable impulse, whereas the gambler simply lacks the willpower to avoid his/her triggers.

I see a big difference there.
 
Old Jun 22nd, 2001, 03:06 PM
  #27  
anncat
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I'm with Dave. I would like to end all this addiction talk and just find out also if "Ge" enjoyed the Alladin or even bothered staying there. Also I wonder if he got addicted to the casino and maybe is still there catering to his addiction??
 

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