​Knowing When To Swim To Sea

If you sit on the bank of a tidal creek in the American Southeast, you might see a remarkable sight. At high tide dolphins will swim inland in search of food. The creek’s water is not very deep, and, as you can guess, it gets very shallow—even empty—during low tide. Yet, the dolphins don’t seem to get stranded. They get back out to sea before the water drains from the creek.
 
Apparently, dolphins know when to swim out of the tidal creek. That might seem unremarkable to you, but take a look at any aerial photo of tidal creeks. They meander here and there. The path back to the sea is one that twists and turns. Not only do dolphins have to know when the water is receding, but they also must know how fast it drains from the creeks and which creek leads seaward.
 
We like to think of ourselves as the top brains on the planet, but in many instances, humans get themselves lost or stranded. That is particularly true with any of our vices and addictions. The geography of vice and addictions is a set of tidal channels subject to rapidly turning tides. Where the tidal creeks meet the sea they provide easy access as we seek the fish we crave, but those channels narrow. Not satisfied with the fish near the channels’ mouths, we pursue others farther into the creeks.
 
Are we as smart as dolphins, able to get out before being stranded?