Stand up straight with your shoulders back

The author talks about a loop (either negative/positive) and how it is formed. Most people have been subject to the deafening howling of feedback at the concert when the sound system squeals painfully.The microphone sends signals to the speakers. The speakers emit the signal. The signal can be picked up by the microphone and sent through the system again, if it’s too loud or too close to the speakers. The sound rapidly amplifies to unbreakable levels, sufficient to destroy the speakers, if it continues.

The same destructive loop happens within people’s lives. Much of the time, when it happens, we label it mental illness, even though it’s not only or even at all occurring inside people’s psyches. Addiction to alcohol or another mood-altering drug is a common positive-feed-back process. Imagine a person who enjoys alcohol, perhaps a bit too much. He has a quick three or four drinks. His blood alcohol level spikes sharply. This can be extremely exhilarating, particularly for someone who has a genetic predisposition to alcoholism. But it only occurs while blood alcohol levels are actively rising, and that only continues if the drinker keeps drinking. When he stops, not only does his blood alcohol level plateau and then start to sink, but his body begins to produce a variety of toxins, as it metabolizes the ethanol already consumed. He also starts to experience alcohol withdrawal, as the anxiety systems that were suppressed during intoxication start to hyper-respond. A hangover is alcohol withdrawal (which quite frequently kills withdrawing alcoholics), and it starts all too soon after drinking ceases. To continue the warm glow, and stave off the unpleasant aftermath, the drinker may just continue to drink, until all the liquor in his house is consumed, the bars are closed, and his money is spent.

The next day, the drinker wakes up, badly hungover. So far, this is just unfortunate. The real trouble starts when he discovers that his hangover can be “cured” with a few more drinks the morning after. Such a cure is, of course, temporary. It merely pushed the withdrawal symptoms a bit further into the future. But that might be what is required, in the short term, if the misery is sufficiently acute. So now he has learned to drink to cure his hangover. When the medication causes the disease, a positive feedback loop has been established. Alcoholism can quickly emerge under such conditions.

Here is the list of words from Rule 1:

crustaceans	an arthropod of the large, mainly aquatic group Crustacea, such as a crab, lobster, shrimp, or barnacle.
scavenge	search for and collect (anything usable) from discarded waste.
Conestoga wagon	a large wagon used for long-distance travel.
kamikaze	a Japanese aircraft loaded with explosives and making a deliberate suicidal crash on an enemy target.
wren	a small short-winged songbird found chiefly in the New World.
pecking order	a hierarchy of status seen among members of a group of people or animals, originally as observed among hens.
bedraggled	disordered
stratum	a layer or a series of layers of rock in the ground.
barnyard	he area of open ground around a barn; a farmyard.
foe	an enemy or opponent.
ensconced	establish or settle (someone) in a comfortable, safe place.
endemic	(of a disease or condition) regularly found among particular people or in a certain area.
snugly	in a comfortable, warm, and cosy or well-protected manner.
grapple	engage in a close fight or struggle without weapons; wrestle.
fray	(of a fabric, rope, or cord) unravel or become worn at the edge, typically through constant rubbing.
vanquished	defeat thoroughly.
neurochemistry	the branch of biochemistry concerned with the processes occurring in nerve tissue and the nervous system.
serotonin	a compound present in blood platelets and serum, which constricts the blood vessels and acts as a neurotransmitter.
flexion	the action of bending or the condition of being bent, especially the bending of a limb or joint.
spaghetti	Spaghetti is a long, thin, solid, cylindrical pasta.
octopamine	a compound which can accumulate in nerves as a result of the use of monoamine oxidase inhibitors and cause a rise in blood pressure.
prozac	a synthetic compound which inhibits the uptake of serotonin in the brain and is taken to treat depression.
drooping	bend or hang downwards limply.
skulking	keep out of sight, typically with a sinister or cowardly motive.
scrunched up	If you scrunch something up, you squeeze it or bend it so that it is no longer in its natural shape and is often crushed.
inhibited	unable to act in a relaxed and natural way because of self-consciousness or mental restraint.
tail flick reflex	The tail flick test is one test to measure heat-induced pain in animals. This reflexive response is an indicator of pain sensitivity in an organism and reduction of pain sensitivity produced by analgesics.
dicta	a formal pronouncement from an authoritative source.
fractious	(typically of children) irritable and quarrelsome.
paramours	a lover, especially the illicit partner of a married person.
aphrodisiacs	a food, drink, or other thing that stimulates sexual desire.
archetypal	very typical of a certain kind of person or thing.
sheer	nothing other than; unmitigated (used for emphasis).
troupes	a group of dancers, actors, or other entertainers who tour to different venues.
nouveau riche	people who have recently acquired wealth, typically those perceived as ostentatious or lacking in good taste.
juxtaposed	place or deal with close together for contrasting effect.
morphology	the study of the forms of things.the branch of biology that deals with the form of living organisms, and with relationships between their structures.
depredations	an act of attacking or plundering.
Darwinian	Darwinism is a theory of biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others, stating that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individual’s ability to compete, survive, and reproduce.
capitalism	an economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.
primordial	existing at or from the beginning of time; primeval.
psycopaths	a person suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behaviour.
expending	spend or use up (a resource such as money or energy).
niche	a shallow recess, especially one in a wall to display a statue or other ornament.;a comfortable or suitable position in life or employment.
agoraphobia	extreme or irrational fear of entering open or crowded places, of leaving one’s own home, or of being in places from which escape is difficult.
crouch	adopt a position where the knees are bent and the upper body is brought forward and down, typically in order to avoid detection or to defend oneself.
axioms	a statement or proposition which is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true.
malevolent	having or showing a wish to do evil to others.
mayhem	violent or extreme disorder; chaos.
convulsions	sudden, violent, irregular movement of the body, caused by involuntary contraction of muscles and associated especially with brain disorders such as epilepsy, the presence of certain toxins or other agents in the blood, or fever in children.
dampened	make slightly wet.
metaphysically	Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the fundamental nature of reality.
emboldened	give (someone) the courage or confidence to do something.

Follow the rules for a happy live and the words for a happy read 😄

Published by Sara

A booklover :) View all posts by Sara