Decisions are different from choices, though they are often seen as being one in the same. Men who have lived with addiction are often unrefined in their decision making, as well as making good choices. A main culprit for this lacking skill is impulsivity. For men who have lived with addiction in particular, impulsivity in decision making is two fold. First, addiction alters the way the brain functions. Addiction tends to wear down the efficacy of brain areas which regulate decision making or considering the potential for negative consequences. Second, men are inherently more impulsive due to testosterone. The combination of the two can lead to behavioral pattern development which can be challenging to overcome without proper therapeutic intervention. Thankfully, when men choose to go to treatment, they participate in evidence based techniques proven to heal the brain, restore brain function, and change the way men make decisions, for the better. Men learn how to overcome impulsivity, wage their options, choose, and decide.
Svetlana Whitener, a life coach, explains in a contributing article to Forbes that decisions and choices are different because of determinism and freedom. Choice, she argues, is based in freedom, which she defines as “the ability to choose among different alternatives unfettered by other considerations and restraints.” Decision making, on the other hand, is based in determinism, which believes that everything in life is predetermined by an external source. “Effective decision making can only flow from a place of choice,” Whitener resolves. “You must make a conscious effort to free yourself from fear and perceived limitations to get there.” She continues to describe how living without feelings of restriction lead to living life in a way where no one thing in particular every feels like a problem which cannot be solved. “Instead, there are only opportunities for growth and discovery,” she powerfully states. “Nothing can stop you.”
Addiction is a restricted way of thinking, being, and living for men. Men who are living with active addiction can feel as though they are living in a predetermined life and make decisions accordingly- because their addiction has determined everything which will happen to them. The very moment men realize they have choice in whether or not they want to stay addicted, their decisions change. From that moment on, the growth and evolution is unstoppable. All of the limitations men have perceived for themselves, including testosterone driven impulsivity, dissolve. Life becomes a fluid power of choice determined by freedom. Men in recovery are free to choose how they want to make decisions for their lives.
At Tree House Recovery in Portland, Oregon, we are helping men set up their lives without limitations. Through physical training, psychological recovery, and an evidence based treatment program, men at Tree House find freedom from addiction. Call us today for information: (503) 850-2474