Adrenalin junkies in this sport

[Baksteen 84]

Despite myself, I let myself get drawn into a Youtube Flamefest about someone dying in a skydiving/BASE incident. No need to name the person involved.

Between the trolls and indignant/self-righteous replies I found the following two quotes and it got me thinking:

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he said something that suddenly struck me as very true and really put this in a light i'd never considered: "Well, not like he could help it: He was an adrenaline junkie."

I realised that was the angle I'd missed, that he was driven to do this...

and

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He truly was an adrenaline junkie. And I mean...this is what happens when you are.

Respects [name of deceased]. I'm sad :( such a good guy

Many good people retire from this sport (or BASE or any other extreme sport) because they get tired of it or 'because they get too old for this stuff' etc. or take a time out for various reasons.

What is an adrenalin junkie?
Any of the people involved in extreme sports?

Or is an adrenalin junkie someone who will keep pushing their limits - someone who keeps seeking for that ultimate thrill, or at least that fresh new thrill until they find the limit that won't be pushed? Exceeding that limit they find their skills, or sometimes even considerable skills and natural talents lacking so they die?

Is the true challenge of extreme sports knowing your limits? Knowing when to quit? Knowing when to quit pushing?

Are you an adrenalin junkie?

Why?

"That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport."
~mom

[pirana 0]

Thje search for excitement, THE rush, no doubt attracts a lot of people to the sport. My observation though is that if that is all they find, they eventually move on. Those that stay mostly appear to me to be appreciative of the surreal nature of what we do. It is downright maniacal when you think about it, almost defying explanation. A couple interesting quotes that try to give insight to why we do it:

“. . . some of them had gotten themselves absolutely determined about that mountain. You wouldn’t believe it, use or no use, life or death, these people had got the habit and they now spent their spare time and all their energies in chasing the clouds of their own glory up and down all the steepest faces in the district. And one and all they came back uplifted.” – John Menlove Edwards, Letter from a Man.

“The more improbable the situation and the greater the demands made, the more sweetly the blood flows later in release from all that tension. The possibility of danger serves merely to sharpen awareness and control. And perhaps this is the rationale of all risky sports: You deliberately raise the ante of effort and concentration in order, as it were, to clear the mind of trivialities. It’s a small-scale model for living, but with a difference: Unlike routine life, where mistakes can usually be recouped and some kind of compromise patched up, your actions, for however brief a period, are deadly serious.” – A. Alvarez, The Savage God: A Study of Suicide.

“If anything goes wrong, it will be a fight to the end. If your training is good enough, survival is there; if not, nature claims it’s forfeit.” – David Roberts, Moments of Doubt.

“There are many shades in the tales of adventure and gales, and it is only now and then that there appears on the face of facts a sinister violent intention – that indefinable something that forces it upon the mind and the heart of a man, that this complication of accidents or these elemental furies are coming at him with a purpose of malice. With a strength beyond control, with an unbridled cruelty that means to tear out of him his hope and fear, the pain of his fatigue and the longing for rest; which means to smash, to destroy, to annihilate all he has seen, known, loved, enjoyed, or hated; all that is priceless and necessary – the sunshine, the memories, the future; which means to sweep the whole precious world utterly away from his sight by the simple and appalling act of taking his life.” – Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim.

Pretty certain I got these from Into thin Air.

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[JohnRich 4]

"Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result."
- Winston Churchill

Kind of like the way we "cheat death" by jumping out of airplanes.

[fastphil 0]

I think the term “cheating death” is a misnomer and shows a lack of understanding for the sport (and supports the “this is a sport?” perspective). Unlike being shot at, where, as the target, you have almost no control of your situation; skydivers have almost total control of their circumstances. The adrenaline rush is addictive, but it’s the explorative nature of a new universe with a new realm of possibilities that attracted me, and also the reason that, as I gained proficiency, I moved on to the next challenge.

[skyjumpenfool 2]

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..... The adrenaline rush is addictive, but it’s the explorative nature of a new universe with a new realm of possibilities that attracted me, .......

Agreed! But it's much more than all of the above. There's the social aspect of this sport, which is also very addictive. Then, there's the physical and/or the mental challenge, both are also very addictive.

I'm not trying to imply that skydivers or extreme sport enthusiast tend to have addictive personalities. In fact, I know of several people who do it and don't like it. Thus, they stop. So, I think you have to love it to do it for any length of time.

In sort, WE DO IT BECAUSE WE LOVE IT! It's just that simple...

Birdshit & Fools Productions

"Son, only two things fall from the sky."

[pirana 0]

I read the summary of a study that found we are actually quite calm and level-headed on average (as opposed to being highly susceptible to addiction, which is more of a trading-gratification-for-safety thing).

Turns out the average person drawn to super-stimulating things like extreme sports tend to have significantly different brain chemistry balances. In short, they concluded it takes more to get us juiced up (we tend to be markedly less likely to panic) so we seek activities that really up the ante.

So where the average person might get all anxious and sweaty from going around a corner at more than 20 MPH (my wife braces as if we are about to roll over), we NEED to fall from the sky.

Sounds plausible.

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[Baksteen 84]

Would you happen to have a PDF of that? Sounds really interesting

"That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport."
~mom

[pirana 0]

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Would you happen to have a PDF of that? Sounds really interesting

I'm pretty certain it was something I found via a a trail of links that started in one of these forums. I'll try a little searching.

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[pirana 0]

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Would you happen to have a PDF of that? Sounds really interesting

Here's a good general article that came up in a quick Google search. Not a scientific paper, but a good overview of the ideas.

http://blog.imultisport.com/2008/02/11/risk-taking-instinctive/

(Wiki has a good entry on dopamine that gives a good summary of all the good things dopamine does for us).

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[airtwardo 7]

http://blog.imultisport.com/2008/02/11/risk-taking-instinctive/

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[pirana 0]

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Would you happen to have a PDF of that? Sounds really interesting

Here is something I found more amusing than anything. Interesting treatment of sex.

http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/addiction/berman/relapse/

(How come my links aren't clicky until someone makes them clicky?)

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[rehmwa 2]

Quote

I read the summary of a study that found we are actually quite calm and level-headed on average (as opposed to being highly susceptible to addiction, which is more of a trading-gratification-for-safety thing).

Turns out the average person drawn to super-stimulating things like extreme sports tend to have significantly different brain chemistry balances. In short, they concluded it takes more to get us juiced up (we tend to be markedly less likely to panic) so we seek activities that really up the ante.

So where the average person might get all anxious and sweaty from going around a corner at more than 20 MPH (my wife braces as if we are about to roll over), we NEED to fall from the sky.

Sounds plausible.

We've met the so-called "adrenaline junkies" in this sport - they don't stay long, those that do are really those stereotypical idiots that no one wants to jump with.

I think the term is just something a few call themselves because they don't realize the term is derogatory. It's the whole "LOOK AT ME" syndrome.

From talking and experiencing people that seem to like to self label "adrenaline junky" - I suspect most of it is just a lazy personality - trying more riskier stuff, because they are too lazy and unfocused to pursue the more difficult aspects of the disciplines available. AND, too lazy to do the preparations and research necessary to REALLY push the edge in a responsible manner like those we respect in the sport. the 'junkies' WISH they were like our pioneers and pretend (pose) to be, but they are just thin ghosts of the real thing.

edit: I like the other quote - "we do it because we love it" - not to try and impress ourselves and others and come up with XtReemE labels to try and make ourselves feel special or better than others. It's just a great activity that is a lot of fun.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Sletzer 3]

I really like your explanation. You beat me to saying what I was thinking.


As a side note, I ate some eXTreEmE Doritos the other day. Quite tasty

I will be kissing hands and shaking babies all afternoon. Thanks for all your support! *bows*

SCS #8251