Rationale
This exercise will allow you to experience, first hand (though nowhere near to the same extent as an actual addiction), some of the physical, social, cognitive, and emotional experiences of a person who has a psychological burden. This burden could be most anything we have covered over the year: PTSD, OCD, drug addiction, schizophrenia, etc. . . . Participation in this exercise is voluntary. You may choose to end your participation at any time during the exercise at no deduction in points; however, you will still need to do the final write up (step 6).
Protocol
You are to engage in this exercise for 48 consecutive hours sometime between now and the last day of class for this unit. The more strictly you adhere to the guidelines, the more effective the exercise will be for you.
1. Ice
Your burden of choice is ice cubes. You used to be able to satisfy your needs simply with water, but the progressive nature of your burden has gone way beyond this. You now need specially processed water-ice cubes to feel homeostasis.
2. Craving
Thirst is your craving for the ice cubes. Every time you take a drink of any liquid, you must have an ice cube in the liquid. Yes, this will be difficult and will require much planning. Anticipate! This applies to all drinking situations including coffee, water from drinking fountains, cans or bottles of beverages, and even late-night drinks of water after you have awakened from a deep sleep. Make sure your ice trays are full before going to bed.
3. Social Burden
Ice cubes are out of bounds within the normal social structure. Do not let "regular people" see you or catch you using ice cubes. This applies to friends and family. The only people with whom it is acceptable to be open about your use of ice cubes are others who are burdened and participating in this exercise. This will take some creative thinking at home, in restaurants, and other public places.4. Obsession
To simulate the obsession aspect of a psychological burden, you are to keep an hourly log (waking hours only). Please obtain a notebook in which you can answer the following questions hourly:
1. How thirsty are you now? (scale of 1-10)
2. Where is your next ice cube coming from?
3. What is your plan to satisfy your cravings? Think ahead.
5. Social Evidence
You will wear a piece of yarn or string around your wrist. Wear this at all times during the exercise. Try your best to keep "regular people" from seeing the bracelet, because they might ask what it is about and this would put you in a difficult situation trying to explain it. Remember, you are trying to hide your burden from "regular people." The bracelet will also serve as a reminder that you are participating in the exercise. It will be easy to forget for a few hours so you will have to be diligent in your participation. Remember, people cannot turn off their burdens at will.
6. Write-up
At the end of the 48-hr period, please write one to two pages describing your thoughts, feelings, and reactions to the exercise. This paper is free form, so write in any manner that you feel is appropriate. Please bring your paper and log to class for the discussion on the final day of the unit.
7. Discussion
This exercise will be discussed on the final day of the unit. Be prepared.