Prisoners’ Dilemma and Recovering Addicts
Addiction and alcoholism are very complex diseases and recovery from such is one of the greatest challenges faced by individuals. Unlike other diseases, substance abuse cannot just be “cured.” After several years of being clean, many people relapse into their old habits and alcohol/drug dependence. We often hear about people “in recovery” but never people that have “recovered” from their addiction because it is an ongoing process. There is no formula, pill, or cure to alcoholism and addictions. The addict must be willing to commit to self-control over the long haul, and for the rest of their lives. Dr. Shahram Heshmat discusses the problem of self control that recovering addicts face every day of their lives and compares it to the Prisoners’ Dilemma.
The Prisoners’ Dilemma is a paradox when two opponents act in their own self interest and end up worse than if they had worked together. For recovering addicts, their current and future selves are opponents and both have decisions to make: to drink today and quit tomorrow or quit today. The dominant strategy, like in the Prisoners’ Dilemma, is to act in their own self interest and indulge today (drink) and quit tomorrow. This creates an endless cycle of addiction.
If both players were to cooperate they would be better off in the long-run. In the case of alcoholics and addicts, the current and future selves must connect and see themselves as one to work together and quit. Thus, starting a pattern of not drinking today to make it easier not to drink tomorrow to make it easier not to drink the next day, and etc. The individual must align their short-term incentives with their long-run interests to maximize the rewards of the present and future selves and to beat addiction.