Images of James Bond jumping from an airplane, free falling in a tuxedo seem very appealing. It’s easy to forget that this is a movie stunt, and every precaution is taken to make something that looks dangerous actually be as safe as possible.
In the real world of extreme sports, there’s no safety net - and the chance for serious injury isn’t changed by a cameraman’s call for a re-take. The first man to climb Mount Everest is credited with explaining his reason as, because it’s there. And he’s still there - he died on that mountain and his body was never found.
It’s not likely that he spent much time thinking about death because he was fascinated with the mountain. Did that cause him to be careless and underestimate the danger? Maybe. Mountain climbers may say they want to climb because it’s there but really, they want to climb it to prove that they can.
The popularity of extreme sports plays into the thrill seeker’s desire for risk. They push themselves to the limit and beyond because they get an extreme high from the adrenaline rush. The risk high is as addictive as alcohol or drugs. In fact, you’ll notice that alcohol products often show images of extreme sports in their advertisements.
Thrill seeking is mistakenly associated with men and their effort to be tough, strong and attractive to women. In reality, thrill seekers just have an inclination to be impulsive and non-conforming to social norms. As with substance abuse, the level of the thrill must constantly increase to provide the same high.
Not only is thrill seeking addictive, but as with substance abuse, it’s also expensive. Surfers and skate boarders travel around the world for competitions. Race cars and other sports equipment gets used and abused before it’s abandoned.
One in five Americans are prone to be risk takers. They don’t all become bungee jumpers or cliff divers, but they find ways to take risks. Some are street racers and shoplifters, keeping their risks closer to home. But they have one thing in common - they will do anything for the thrill.
Thrill seeker therapy groups are hard to find, except at addiction research centers. You and your family can attend substance abuse groups because the elements of addictive behavior are essentially the same.
Sell or give away your extreme sport equipment. Stop hanging around with your thrill seeker friends. Replace extreme sports with team sports, running or competitive individual sports. You aren’t going to become a couch potato, so find ways to be active that are healthy and not extreme or risky.
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3 responses so far ↓
1 Paul Maurice Martin // Mar 14, 2008 at
It must be that risk takers don't give a lot of thought to the downside, because there's nothing less thrilling than life as a paraplegic or quadraplegic. Maybe the naive thought is "I'd die doing what I love," but risk takers risk not just death but disability and a life that's the total opposite of an adrenalin rush.
2 oliver wakefield // Mar 27, 2008 at
I cannot believe that you are implying that risk taking is an unhealthy activity - just as Freud did!
Without an inbuilt tendancy to take risk, most present in adolescent juveniles, society wouldn't have got fed back in our caveman days!
It's there for a reason, some people just need to know how to use it CONSTRUCTIVELY.
Where would we be today without the great risk takers of the past? And you want to see if you can 'cure' the world of adventurers, extreme sports participant and other general risk takers?
We need more healthy opportunities for a 'rush' in this molly-cuddled, airbag-fitted-as-standard day and age, not people arguing that risk taking's evidence of a deseased mind.
Where I work, we help youths with unhealthy risk taking tendancies such as shop lifting, fighting, substance abuse etc and find skills that they can learn, feel positive about, but still get a rush out of, gain respect for, and live for. And yes, they may get injured wake-boarding, sailing, windsurfing, skate-boarding etc.
That is life, because it's the way we've evolved to seek and conquer challenges, it's just that society has become so safe that it can be hard to find somewhere positive for a risk taker to direct his attention.
You want to eat crocodile? You buy it. You certainly don't chase it with a stick anymore…..but we used to. So What do you think happened to that part of peoples brains which enabled them to get on with the task in hand?
Back in the day the risk taker would be the hero who fed everyone, now people like you make them feel like they're all messed up, and need corrective therapy.
I feel disgusted. Read up on risk takers, you'll see that they are extremely valuable members of society where they are involved in non-destructive activities.
Oli.
3 michele // Mar 27, 2008 at
Thanks for posting his. I came into recovery @ the age of 25 over 20 yrs ago. To keep me busy & away from old acquaintances my sponsor suggested I try to exercise or take up a sport. I quickly got into skiing and in a years time went from beginner to advanced. At 3yrs clean I was skiing double black diamond trails. On my 6th yr I pushed the excitement envelope so far I had near fatal accident. when I was air lifted off the mountain I could not feel my legs.
I was blessed in that I received top medical care right away & though one leg is now shorter, I am able 2 walk on my own 2 feet. but it taught me and others about adrenaline or danger addiction. Today I teach my sponsees about balance right from day 1. I'm grateful I lived to share that lesson.
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