Lisa Allen is 34 years old. She started drinking and smoking when she was 16. Lisa struggled with obesity for most of her life. She had a debt of over $10,000. None of her jobs lasted for more than a year. But the woman in front of the researchers today is very different. The new Lisa is slim and vibrant. She has the toned legs of a runner. She looked ten years younger than in her old photos. Today, Lisa has paid all of her debt. She stopped drinking. And she is now working for 3 years in a graphic design firm. "How long since the last time you smoked?" One of the researchers asked. Lisa answered, "Almost four years. I also lost 60 pounds, and I had finished a marathon since then." Lisa also began studying for a master's degree and bought a home. A lot of positive changes happened in her life.

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For the past three years, psychologists, neurologists, and other experts have studied Lisa and 23 other people are who former alcoholics, smokers, overeaters, and obsessive shoppers. It was a research that was funded by the National Institute of Health. The one common thing between Lisa and the other research subjects was that they were able to quit their bad habits within a short period. The experts want to know how they were able to do it. The researchers installed cameras in the subjects' homes to monitor their daily routines. The subjects also underwent fMRI brain scans as they were exposed to cigarette smoke or delicious meals. "I know you told this story several times. But could you please tell us again how you quit smoking?" The researcher said. Lisa began to tell her story.

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It was on a vacation in Cairo, Egypt. A few months before that, Lisa's husband came home from work and said that he wanted a divorce. He was in love with another woman. Lisa was devastated. She mourned, and she became obsessed. Lisa followed her husband and his girlfriend around town. She called the girlfriend's home every midnight, and then she would hang up. And then, there was the night when Lisa went to the girlfriend's house very drunk. She shouted and pounded on the door. Lisa threatened to burn the apartment down. It was the worst part of her life. Lisa felt so down and hopeless. Then, she thought about how she had always wanted to see the pyramids of Egypt. Her credit cards were not maxed out yet, so she went on that trip.

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On her first morning in Cairo, Lisa woke up to the sound of prayer from a nearby mosque. It was very dark in her hotel room. Her head is aching from jet lag. Lisa reached out for her cigarette. She lit it up, and then she started to smell burning plastic. It turns out that she was lighting up a pen and not a Marlboro. Lisa was very disoriented. She spent the last few months feeling angry, depressed, ashamed, and hopeless all at once. She was awake every night, crying, and over-eating. She was unemployed and unhealthy. Her whole life is crumbling down. She could not even light up a cigarette right? Lisa cried even harder. A few moments later, she stood up, took a shower, and left the hotel. Lisa rode a taxi and took a trip to the Sphinx, the pyramids of Giza, and the vast endless desert.

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Lisa thought that she needed a goal in her life. Something that she would look forward to. She made a promise to herself that next year, she would come back to Egypt and trek through this desert. No matter what happens she would accomplish this goal. It was a crazy idea. Lisa was overweight. She had no savings at all. But she challenged herself. To be able to do this, she knew that she needed to quit smoking. One year later, Lisa is in a caravan with 6 other people trekking the deserts of Egypt. She was able to achieve her goal. That decision to quit smoking started a change in her life.

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Over the next six months, Lisa replaced smoking with jogging. She changed her unhealthy diet. She became productive at work. She slept enough hours. She saved money in the bank and planned for her future. Lisa also joined a marathon, went back to school, and bought a new house. The researchers saw the old patterns in Lisa's brain. The old habits are still there, but they are weaker. New neural patterns have formed, which correspond to her new good habits, and they are getting stronger. Lisa is the favorite research subject of the experts because her brain scans are very clear. She was able to rewire her brain.