You stated.....”We are literally ‘programmed to think’ down given pathways—many of them very early in our lives—and enduringly over the whole of our lives.”...
We are certainly ‘influenced’ but taking it to the degree of being ‘programmed’ is far fetched at best when it comes to ‘willingly’ taking in to the body whatever substance of ones choice which leads to addictions.
... talking about the brain..... we see the world via the brain...programming as you’re implyiing is ‘brainwashing’.....the healthy brain connections are already in place at birth..... obvious brainwashing is possible when it comes to controlling people as we see in the muslim world and NKorea.....where they are not ‘free’ to choose.
But that is very different than saying a person becomes addicted because he’s programmed so.......rather he destroys the pathways in his brain by being an addict.
Remarkably the brain has an amazing ability to heal if given the time to do so as well as those pathways which have been harmed.......in other cases the damage is so severe little amount of healing can occur.
But I totally disagree peoples brain pathways are programed ‘for addiction’.....that’s pure baloney.
Am rushing off on errands at the moment. Later.
NOPE. That's what the research has PROVEN. Maybe I need to explain the research better. I realize that some folks are disinclined to accept facts or the truth. Though I have this funny notion that folks do better at least UNDERSTANDING the facts before rejecting them out of hand.