In this video, I’m going to teach you about Hyperbolic Discounting, the invisible force that is preventing opiate recovery. What if I told you that the main reason it’s SO HARD to quit opiates is due to our caveman brain wiring?
Would that interest you?
Because the way our brains are wired to choose immediate rewards rather than far-off rewards is totally screwing your ability to get off opiates.
Check out this 8-minute video to see just how important this invisible force is, and to find out my 4-Step System for conquering this default brain mechanism so you can overcome opiate addiction with ease.
Watch the video below:
(Click here to watch the video on YouTube)
How Hyperbolic Discounting Works
- Given two similar rewards, humans show a preference for one that arrives sooner rather than later.
- Humans are said to “discount” the value of the later reward, by a factor that increases with the length of the delay.
- Hyperbolic Discounting is a cognitive bias, where you choose smaller, immediate rewards (instant gratification) rather than larger, later rewards (delayed gratification).
Your Caveman Brain
- A caveman did not have to contend with the same complex choices we have today.
- Cavemen and cavewomen never knew if they were even going to survive the day, so we evolved to choose the IMMEDIATE options that had the best chance of ensuring survival and procreation.
- Example – A caveman never had to choose between eating the meat of the animal he hunted and killed today, or investing the dead animal in an Animal 401k that would yield a big return decades later!
- Our brains are wired to choose immediate rewards rather than the potential of a far-off future reward.
Instant Gratification vs Delayed Gratification
When it comes to opiate addiction recovery, there is a big dilemma. Our brains are literally wired to choose instant rewards (feel good today by using opiates) instead of far-off rewards (feel like crap for a few weeks or longer with the hope that we will eventually feel better sometime down the line after quitting opiates).
How do we overcome our brain’s natural wiring of Hyperbolic Discounting and go through the very UNFUN (is that a word?) process of quitting opiates today, so that we might feel better in the future?
The Solution
- Step 1 – Write a list of all the reasons you want to quit opiates.
- Step 2 – Write a list of all the ways in which using opiates is causing negative consequences in your health, finances, relationships, career, business, parenting, self-esteem, spirituality, and all other areas of life.
- Step 3 – Write out a new Target Identity of how you want to be as a person and what you want your life to look like in the future. Be very specific.
- Step 4 – Read this document every morning first thing upon waking, and every night just before bed.
A daily review of all the reasons you want to quit opiates as well as your new future Target Identity and Life will start to reprogram your brain. A strong neural connection will be made.
“When neurons fire together, they wire together.” New brain research shows us that we can literally rewire our brains with neuroplasticity.
Speed of Implementation
- The Speed of Implementation is how fast you implement something new that you have learned.
- The most successful people take action on what they’ve learned within 24-48 hours.
- Do the writing exercise I provided you within the next 24-48 hours and begin reading your document at least once daily, and preferably morning and night.
Final Thoughts
At night, I usually walk for a few miles after dark while listening to audiobooks. I listen to about 2-3 new books a week. I found out about the concept of Hyperbolic Discounting while listening to a book called The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results.
It was one of the best books I’ve ever listened to.
And as soon as the author described Hyperbolic Discounting and how this default brain mechanism can screw us over, I got super excited because I made the mental thought connection of how this phenomenon makes opiate recovery SO HARD for most people.
So I really hope you enjoyed learning about this important and fundamental topic.
To help you, even more, I encourage you to check out The Ultimate Opiate Recovery System, which has all the information you could ever dream of on how to get off opiates without withdrawal symptoms.
Furthermore, if you could use some personal help, I also offer one-on-one Opiate Recovery Coaching.
If you have any comments or questions about Hyperbolic Discounting and how you can overcome this default brain mechanism to make it easier to conquer opiate addiction, please post them in the comment box below. Take care!
I worry constantly about my Doctor leaving or me not being able to get Subutex and I cannot go on not having bowel movements. I think about me having to go into a rehab and then what will I do with my three Boston Terriers who are all I have. I love my dogs more than anything in this world. I would love to be free of the addiction. I take Subutex for chronic back pain.
Hi Philip,
Those are valid concerns. If you doctor leaves there are other doctors that prescribe Subutex. As for the bowel movements, fiber supplements can help a lot with that side effect. Wishing you the best. Take care.