John R. is a 35-year-old stress seeker with a good job in the aerospace industry. He lives in a beach town near Los Angeles and drives into Beverly Hills to see me once a year for a checkup. A few months ago we had an unscheduled meeting in the hospital.

John had been upset when he didn’t get a promotion he thought he deserved. Instead of talking it over with his supervisors, he threw a tantrum, then stomped out, hopped in his car and headed north on Pacific Coast Highway. The California

Highway Patrol stopped him because he was going 80 miles an hour. John argued with the patrol officer and wound up in jail. It was while telling off his cellmate that he suffered the chest pains that sent him to the hospital.

I had explained the relationship between stress seeking and heart disease to him several times. He never paid attention. This time he took very careful notes. Since that time, John has worked very hard to control himself. “I’m in no hurry to die, Arnie,” he said.

*134\80\8*

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