don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

I trust you are familiar with my Gary Larson-inspired DBRU equivalent concept.  If not, please read, "The Nature Of DBRU Equivalents" for a full explanation.

The bottom line meaning of the concept is this: DBRU equivalents are fulfilling, "best of times" sensations that add to quality of life. These little pleasures, joys, satisfactions, delights and thrills are ideally pursued, experienced and enjoyed on a daily basis, as part of a successful wellness lifestyle. My double-blind, cross-over trials of a longitudinal, horizontal and dignified nature suggest a minimum DBRU equivalent daily allowance of 23 units is essential for wellness purposes. A much higher dosage is desirable.

But, can there be too much of a good thing? Can one over-indulge in DBRU equivalents?

Well, scientific research remains to be done, but I can offer tentative, theoretical guidelines based upon my inner wisdom, channeling the spirit of Halbert L. Dunn and divine guidance to help you ponder the matter and make adjustments, if necessary. It's not likely, but if you are a very special case, professional assistance may be advised to tone it down a bit.(Nobody wants those they know to have waaaaay too much fun relative to what they are able to manage.) Mae West said there can never be too much of a good thing, but that point of view has not been clinically validated.

I estimate, based on having made a dozen trips down under since 1986, that more than 30% of Australians engage in copious DBRU equivalent activities, far more than any other Western nation. Most, if not all, of these Aussies are DBRUaholic, in my humble opinion. As noted, there is no official consensus, as yet, on what, exactly, qualifies one as a "DBRUoholic." Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) relies on sufferers to diagnose themselves; it might be wise for those concerned with the opposite consequences of DBRUoholism ("multiple best of time" endurers?) to do likewise.

Wellness innovators are rumored to be working on screening tests for measuring and diagnosing DBRUoholism. If respondents answer in the affirmative to three of five questions regarding matters such as having a really great time throughout the day while engaged in a wide variety of activities of a social, business, athletic and family nature, this strongly signals addiction to well being and puts one under suspicion as an DBRUoholic. An example of the kind of question used to assist multiple best of time endurers determine if they are DBRUoholic is: 

• I crave a good laugh at a definite time of day (morning, noon and night, mostly) and I can even have fun when I'm alone.
• I  (sometimes) do things or think of things that bring on laughter, a deep sense of appreciation for my good fortune and/or a burst of emotional gratitude that I love someone so much or am loved. 

These kinds of sensations are telltale symptoms that increase the likelihood that a person is afflicted with or dependent upon DBRU equivalents. Oftentimes, such experiences facilitate an escape from worries or troubles. In short, such experiences signal incipient cases of DBRUoholicism.

Of course there is a difference in abuse of DBRUoholism from dependence on sensations like happiness and joy, based partly on the specific advances the indulgences entail. The term "abuse" might apply if you've done any one of the following in the past year:

• Engaged in guilt-free sexual pleasures that involved consenting adults that had no adverse consequences on anybody -- and you resolved or otherwise intend to keep on pursuing such pleasures.
  
  
• Had fun and exceptional experiences in what normal people averse to unnecessary risks consider hazardous and/or reckless (for example, sailing in deep waters distant from nearby shores, rescue vehicles, etc.) because the emotional gains from being independent and in tune with natural forces render such risks manageable, especially given your personal skill set.
  
  
• Found that your quest for added meaning and purpose caused you to have to rearrange major obligations at work, school or home because of the power of attraction. Some positive life goals simply require your full attention for a period of time.

Of course, in cases such as those noted above, "abuse" only applies when used by others who do not themselves have base levels of DBRU equivalent affinities. Such people cannot appreciate the impact of DBRU equivalent feelings upon your quest for a life of (to you at least) great meaning and purpose.

But, what about "dependence" on DRBU equivalents?

Well, you are on your way to dependence if you have any three of these seven risk factors:

1. Found yourself in a sate of being quite happy, serene and/or fulfilled, more often and/or longer than you initially intended or expected.
   
   
2. Been unable or unwilling to cut down or stop having DRBU equivalents when on a roll.
   
   
3. Found you needed or at least decided to go for more DBRU equivalents in order to get the same glorious affect.
   
   
4. Had withdrawal symptoms without your normal joy or happiness level. 
   
   
5. Spent more time exercising or pursuing added meaning and purpose while recovering from the previous day's DRBU equivalent highs.
   
   
6. Found that the DBRU equivalents were so enjoyed that other activities were neglected.
   
   
7. Continued to experience DBRU equivalents despite psychological or physical changes (for instance, unusually high energy levels, public attention to your accomplishments and other personal/social feedback of a desirable nature). 

Yes, the cycle is clear and the slippery slope evident for all to see: DBRU equivalent "abuse" progresses to dependence, which almost inevitably becomes chronic. Relapses into repeat bouts of happiness are frequent. In time, it may not be possible to return to socially expected levels of moderation. Normalcy will be permanently out of reach.

However, the above analysis is based upon random observations of Australians severely addicted or obviouly DBRUoholics. DRBU equivalent affinity in the general population down under and in this country is much more varied, with milder forms of dependence. Some 43% of daily imbibers of joy and pleasure in one Aussie survey did not report lasting commitments to DBRUoholism, even though they recognized that were setting themselves up for serious attachments to advanced states of physical and psychological well-being.

Most DBRUoholics are dependent on the experiences of living at the top of their game, loving life and feeling great. They manage not to have abuse problems at all. Like many alcoholics, they are successful students, good parents, good workers and so on -- but without the alcoholic symptoms of hangovers and health problems, social disorders and occasional dreadful public displays of stupidity associated with inebriation. In summary, DBRUoholics are fit, happy, positively connected with others and committed to causes and purposes larger than their own immediate interests, though they attend to personal affairs quite well, also.

To become a DBRUoholic, always look on the bright side of life and live so as to be well. Read my books and newsletters, visit my website and blogs and attend my lectures, be careful to agree with all my opinions. No, that's optional -- I'm kidding. All you need do is learn about and pursue, in your own fashion, a wellness lifestyle. A REAL wellness lifestyle, that is, one founded on reason/exuberance and liberty, not the sissy kind devoted to risk reduction or life extension. Nothing wrong with either less illness or longer life, but those are fringe benefits included as part of a higher quality of life attendant upon REAL wellness that will lead to DBRUoholism, with a lot of determination and a little bit of luck.

All the best. Be well.

(This essay might be considered a wellness antidote for another to the plentiful articles that invite readers to assess the degree to which they are susceptible to or caught up in alcoholism. An example of the genre appeared as a Health Journal feature in the Wall Street Journal on January 8, 2008 (See Melinda Beck, "Are You an Alcoholic?")

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the PHYSICAL DOMAIN under the skill area of adaptations and challenges. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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