Craving: Why We Can’t Seem to Get Enough
Omar Manejwala, M.D.
Hazelden® (2013)

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle

Other reviewers have addressed most of Omar Manejwala’s points while sharing their reasons why they admire his book. Here’s my take:

1. Aristotle was correct and his insight also applies to bad habits that are, at least for me, much easier to develop and then sustain than good ones are.

2. Emotions have much greater influence on decisions than many (most?) people realize.

3. The same can be said of the subconscious mind.

4. Rational decisions are based on logic and/or evidence whereas emotional decisions are often made [begin italics] despite [end italics] them.

5. “Craving” can take so many different forms that the word almost (not quite) defies definition. The same is true of other words such as “aspiring” and “yearning.”

6. Positive craving helps to identify self-fulfilling objectives whereas negative craving can result in self-defeating consequences.

7. The values and behavior of the happiest, most successful people indicate a balance of reason, emotion, and intuition.

I am grateful to Omar Manejwala for increasing my understanding of these and other dimensions of human nature. One result is that I now feel much better prepared to recognize cravings and, hopefully, manage them more effectively than I have thus far.