Our other core need is authenticity. Definitions vary, but here’s one that I think applies best to this discussion: the quality of being true to ones… - Gabor Maté

people jeopardize their lives for the sake of making the moment livable. Nothing sways them from the habit — not illness, not the sacrifice of love and relationship, not the loss of all earthly goods, not the crushing of their dignity, not the fear of dying. The drive is that relentless.

Free choice only comes from thinking; it doesn’t come from emotions. It emerges from the capacity to think about your emotions.

For those habituated to high levels of internal stress since early childhood, it is the absence of stress that creates unease, evoking boredom and a sense of meaninglessness. (p28)