"Extinction learning"

They've found an interesting way to help addicts recover:

"This is the first time that a therapeutic treatment has been shown to block the retrieval of memories associated with drug addiction, a major reason many addicts experience relapse, says Mueller.

Along with the discovery of propranolol's cocaine-memory blocking effects, the researchers also have identified the primary players in the brain responsible for "extinction" learning -- the ability to replace cocaine-associated memories with associations that have no drug 'reward.'"

So when you block the memory of the good times, you can focus on the bad. Kind of like AA. People tell their stories all the time, but the focus is on the bad things it did to them. They like to walk through the drink, and focus on the consequences associated with taking that first drink. I like that. It makes you remember what an ass you were, or all the trouble you go into, which wasn't the fun part. Apparently it really is a step towards the cure.

It's interesting how they call it "extinction learning." Changing that learning and associating the drink or the smoke or the drug with something bad instead of something good. I need to associate smoking with smelling bad. I think that's my biggest problem with it right now: I stink. And with getting out of breath in the first 30 minutes of running. Once my lungs warm up I'm fine, but those first 30 are a killer.