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How Do You Get Your Adrenaline Rush?Every human being has something that they do that gives them an adrenaline rush. For some, it is intellectually based. For others, it is emotionally based. But for a large majority of people, the rush is physically based. Let's explore each one and see how it relates to the disabled person. What are intellectually based adrenaline rushes and what are the individuals like who thrive on them? These individuals are the workaholics of the world. That’s right you know who you are. The people who work 80-90 hours per week. Who are too busy working to watch your family grow? The rush for you is the deal, the project, and the merger and so on… Your rush comes from putting it all together and sitting back at the end saying to yourself "Wow! What a rush, let's do another." Many times, the money is secondary. It is the power and complexity of the work and or deal/project that cause the blood to flow. What is an emotionally based adrenaline rush? These individuals get a rush out of relationships. They are social individuals who know everyone. They love to "network." It’s not about power or money, it is about relationships. What is a physically based adrenaline rush? I think that we can all answer that. It is the individual who is looking for the endorphin high. They love to exercise or do physically adventurous activities. These individuals are the runners, bikers, fitness people, hikers, climbers, and ball players. You all know who you are. Running marathons at 40 and 50 years old. Rappelling off of cliffs on the weekend. Skydiving. A sub-category to all of these groups is the thrill seeker. Studies have shown that thrill seekers have a low level of a certain chemical in the brain. So for them to get an adrenaline rush, they have to do something extraordinary. These are the extreme sports individuals. Any individual can fall into one or more of these categories. The point that I am trying to make here is that most people need some sort of adrenaline rush in their lives. What happens when a physical or mental impairment causes disability? Suddenly, you are no longer able to get that rush. If the disability is mental such as a nervous breakdown or a post-traumatic stress, in my opinion the adrenaline rush becomes less important. If however, the disability is physical you better try to figure out a way to substitute for that rush (this is the reason why this article is being written). After the initial shock of becoming disabled settles in you start to look for something to get you blood going again. In my case, I was a well-respected physician when I became totally disabled. After coming to terms with what was happening to me. I needed something to give me that rush. Unfortunately, an Indian Casino opened up not to far from where I live. Initially, I would go simply to get out of the house for a while. As time passed, I went more and more. I actually disliked the atmosphere at the casino but I was drawn back time and time again. No this doesn’t end in a poverty story. I spent ample time gambling it is just that I am a cheap person who only gambles quarters. After examining what kept drawing me back there I came to the conclusion that it was the adrenaline rush of the machine when I made a "hit". My game is Keno. Watching the numbers fill up on the screen and hitting all 5 or 6 was very exciting. When I win, it’s only 2-300 dollars. When I loose, it’s only 50-60 dollars. The money, winning or loosing won’t change my life but the rush of hitting the machine makes me feel good for a day or so. Admittedly, when I’m feeling down about my physical disability, my desire for the rush increases. I knew that I had to deal with this and by the grace of God I did. Is that happening to you? Have you developed a fixation on gambling? Do you frequent a casino or the corner card game or a local bookie or even the state lottery? What other adrenaline rush activities do disabled people look for? Alcohol! It is easy to get and socially accepted to a point. Heck, you are in your own home whose going to know? What about a drug addiction? Hey! A little "pot" it's not hurting anyone. Besides, I need it to get through the day. "I’m bored and lonely. I need something to make me feel good." Pornography! "The Internet is my best friend during the day. That is when I am most bored. You see if I can get through the day till supper time, then I’m OK because I’ve always been home at night." So you spend all day long looking at pornographic sites on the Internet. "Who does it hurt?" you asked? I’m here to tell you that it hurts you. "It hurts me, it hurts me?" You say. Yeah. Anything that you become obsessed with will hurt you. Lets take each one of the addictive adrenaline rushes and go over how they can ruin your lives. Gambling - You start off with small bets and doing it once and a while. Over time, the rush that you get from "the hit" starts to wear off so you increase the bet and or the frequency betting. Remember that most of us that are disabled are on a fixed income. Also, most of us aren’t making nearly as much as we did when we were working. As you increase the bet, your family starts to suffer. Not that badly at first. Maybe you don’t have any money to take your family for a pizza or a movie. Then you increase your bet again because your not getting the rush that you want. Remember, very occasionally you will win something but in the long run you always loose. Now you’re spending money that should be directed towards household things like food and rent just to name a few. You start to feel more and more depressed and your self-esteem takes a nose-dive. You start going into your savings hoping to win back the money that you lost and praying that your spouse doesn’t find out. Your motto is I Can Handle It! But deep down you know that you can’t. You start picking on your spouse for spending money trying desperately to make it until the next check comes. You start fighting with your spouse, yelling at your kids while feeling totally miserable. Is this what you really want? Alcohol and Drugs - We all know what these two substances can do to you. At first, there seems to be no damage to you from them. You feel good. Hey! What is wrong with drinking 10 beers or smoking 3 joints a day if it gets me through the day? Like anything else, you won’t stay at that level. Pretty soon the 10 beers or 3 joints won’t cut it for you. Now you need 18 beers or some hard liquor to get your rush. You try to justify the three joints by saying that it helps with your constant pain and what is wrong with that? What is wrong with it all is that your personality will start to change, you begin to think that you need your fix to get through the day. You start to live for your fix just to get the adrenaline rush. Your relationships start to falter. You are treating the people that you love and need the most miserably. This can lead to a family breakdown. The hardship that you cause is horrible. Pornography - I know what you are going to say. Yes! If you are getting you daily rush by looking at pornography for hours a day on the web or movies, it most certainly will change your life. How you ask? In my opinion by opening your mind to depravity day in and day out. Think for a minute if your relationship with your spouse has changed since you started your pornographic obsession. Do you look at your spouse differently? Are you making love to your spouse or are you just having sex. My guess is that if you look at porno for hours a day most days, you are trying to imitate the porno and your physical relationship with your spouse is just physical. Think about your spouse for a minute. How do they feel about you looking at that stuff and then wanting to have sex with them? Don’t you think that they are wondering whom you are having sex with, them or some fantasy? This could be very detrimental to your relationship. So far I have laid out all of the bad stuff about adrenaline rushes. What are you supposed to do? Do you simply ignore the rush? No of course not. In my opinion you need to have that adrenaline rush. There is a substitute that is specific for you. If we dissect human personalities, amongst many other attributes lies the fact that we are analytical, artistic or a combination of both. It is my belief that most people are the latter. I also believe that the individuals that are more artistic deal with their disability better. Why, because artistic people know how to be alone and express themselves. They can get their adrenaline rush from writing or painting or drawing or music. Their accomplishments are in the finished products. Analytical individuals are usually the Type A people that we hear so much about. I believe that even these types of people have artistic flares. My suggestion to you is to search yourself. Come to terms with yourself and the fact that you no longer are working or have the ability to be physically active. Then find the substitute that will give you a rush. Look into drawing or painting. With practice and commitment anyone can be an artist. Buy a book on portrait drawing and study how to do it. Then offer to draw portraits for your friends. I’m telling you this could be a major rush. You can also do the same with watercolors or any other medium. Another thing that you can do is to learn how to play a musical instrument. You don’t need to take lessons. Buy a book and teach yourself. You do have the time. Also, you don’t need to buy any instruments. Call the local music store. They rent out most instruments for about @ $20-25 per month. The accomplishment of playing music is also a rush. Maybe you would like to try writing. I know that writing a novel is a difficult thing to conceptualize but hey you might have one in you. There are books at your local bookstore that will guide you on how to get started. If that is too much what about short stories. Put a couple of them together show them around. Freelance writing for magazines is another thought. Don’t forget that there are over 3000 magazines of all interests on the Internet. They are all looking for writers. Getting paid is not the issue; the rush of being published is enough for most. If this interests you, log onto www.writersdigest.com and look for their special issue called Writing For The Web. Also, don’t forget our own DisabledPerson.com. We have a special section called Get Published where you can publish you story about your disability. Continuing your education might also be of interest to you. There are many universities that now offer classes and degrees on line. That certainly is a wonderful way to get your rush. In closing, be constructive with you time. Being constructive will not only help you pass the time, but it will also give you a sense of purpose. A sense that yes you can still make a difference in society and yes you can continue to get your adrenaline rush.
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