The
use of substances, severely impairs our ability to decide and takes us away
from those advantageous strategies that guide us towards wellbeing. Damasio
shows that when the perception of feelings is distorted because of the use of
substances, our decision-making process is jeopardized and we develop the
inability to choose advantageously for our future. People who are undergoing
treatment with anxiolytic drugs lose their ability to feel the future and to
choose advantageously. Moreover, their behavior is not finalized, and this
increases the lack of meaning and the identity conflict. The identity conflict
increases depression and the feelings of discomfort and suffering.
The Vital Needs Theory - page 38