This is especially true for those who have been caught in an addictive trap. To use the gift of rational processing it is important to appreciate when it is available and what it can and cannot do. Rational processing is too slow to influence behavior in real time. Performance, to be smooth and responsive to a changing world, requires a rapid, holistic processing. When we try to consciously control ongoing behavior, we disrupt it.
Rational processing is only possible when there is a surplus of cognitive resources.
It is not available when cognitive resources are otherwise occupied - e.g., by complex cognitive demands, or by strong emotional states. This is contrasted with the long time and many repetitions required to change a habit. Nevertheless, in some situations it will seem that the benefits of a first lapse will be greater than the costs. This temporary, state-dependent appraisal of costs and benefits will cause me to relapse. Later I will view the relapse as a big mistake, but then it will be too late.