Angie Bachmann's The Power Of Habit

We as human beings can create our own habits, and also have the will power and the responsibility to change them, and ourselves. In the book The Power of Habit, it tells a life event about a woman who by gambling lost everything she had. Angie Bachmann, a house wife found herself bored at home, and resulted in going to a casino to distract herself. Being at home, she felt unskilled and alone, so she decided to try the casino. Bachmann, however, found herself going every day to the casino and after a few months, she couldn’t stop. Bachmann eventually hit bankruptcy and was able to recover, but she didn’t stop going to the casino. She created a habit and couldn’t control it. Bachmann hit bankruptcy for the second time, and this time she lost

Bachmann made the decision to go in the first place, and was aware that it could lead to trouble as well. In The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, writes, “She knew gambling could lead to trouble, so she set strict rules to herself” (Duhigg 247) From the very beginning she was aware that gambling could lead to trouble, and even with strict rules she failed, however, it is best to avoid anything that could lead to trouble. Once her habit took over, she wasn’t able to stop herself, but was well aware that it was is not the right thing to do. In Alexander’s “Seduction Experiment” they placed two separate groups of rats in two different cage to find the causes of addiction. One group was placed in what he called “Rat Park” which was a nice environment for the rats, as they were was enough room for them to socialize. The other group was placed inside an old, isolated cage, and they placed plain water and morphine-laced water in both cages. The results were stunning as the rats in “Rat Park” resisted from drinking the morphine-laced water and the rats in the plain old cage loved it and couldn’t resist to it. It showed how environment play a major role in addiction, “This rather stunning finding shows, perhaps most clearly of all, how rats, when in a “friendly” place, will actually avoid anything, heroin included” This could be the

He observed how rats resisted from drinking the morphine-laced that was water placed in their cages, despite the pain they endured, “The withdrawal is so painful” () they were able to resist. Bachmann could have fought her way out, unlike the rats they couldn’t do much to fight against their temptations, but were able to. But Bachmann was fully aware, had the freedom, and the will to quit her gambling habit, and say no to the casino offers. Bachmann as well was fully aware that gambling could lead to problems from the very beginning when she made her decision to go. All this showed how she had more than enough opportunities to call for help, if she couldn’t do it