Several months ago I heard a dog trainer who specializes in over-reactive dogs refer to something she called the limbic state. According to her, the limbic state is a condition where the limbic system (the most primitive part) of the brain takes control of the animal. Once the animal is in this state, the handler has little chance of calling it off the target. An animal in the limbic state will focus exclusively on the target, ignoring everything else including pain and damage to its body. Indeed, if the handler gets between the animal and the target, the animal will likely go right through the handler, doing whatever is necessary to remove the obstacle (handler) from its path. This is why breaking up a dog fight is so dangerous, where even a beloved family pet may turn savagely on its owner.

So whats this got to do with addiction recovery, you ask? People are a subtype of animal, and we all have a limbic system. The limbic system contains the fight or flight, the reflex/instinct, and the reward/pleasure centers. Therein resides our addiction.

People who slip or relapse are often criticized for their weakness, both by themselves and by others. But it isn't always weakness. Sometimes there is nothing they can do about it. The addiction rears its ugly head, the limbic system literally takes control over the conscious and no power they have in them can stop it. The addiction screams for it's fix and sees to its satisfaction.

Now, not every dog is reactive and therefore its conscious, rational mind can exercise greater control over the primitive limbic. These dogs can be called off the target, even during a fight. Breeding and training have a great influence over that control (hunting dogs vs. attack dogs). The same goes for people. Some are more genetically predisposed to being able to maintain conscious control over their primitive side. Training helps, too. Preparation before beginning a recovery, learning as much as you can about what you will experince and the causes is quite powerful. Even slips/relapses are beneficial, if lessons are learned and applied to future quits.

So if you've ever attempted an addiction recovery and "failed", know that you are not alone. Also know that you are not weak, nor a failure, nor a lost cause. You are actually quite normal. Study your slip/relapse. Identify what happened, what caused it, what triggered the "limbic state". And use that information as a weapon on your next attempt.

As Winston Churchill said, "Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. "