PLEASURE PRESCRIBED FOR WHAT AILS YOU.

• Position: Physicians suggest substitutes for unhealthy activities - Brief Article

Instead of nagging you about smoking and not exercising, some physicians are now prescribing responsible pleasures. "Incorporating responsible pleasures into patients' lives may be the single most underestimated source of health in our times," Richard A. Lippin, chair of the Mental Health Committee of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, told the World Future Society, Bethesda, Md.

More and more doctors are promoting "medical optimism," a doctrine based on love of life, self-determination, and responsibility. Because they know that pleasure relieves stress, they are advising their patients to start enjoying life in new ways.

People can choose among a vast array of responsible pleasures to help maintain healthier lives, says Lippin. His list includes:

Sex...