Everyone knows that addictions are bad for a person. Smoking causes lung cancer, alcohol causes ulcers in the esophagus and stomach, etc.; too many addictions combined can cause bones to become brittle, the frame withers away, and you are suddenly shorter, weaker and exhausted.
So why are addictions so hard to break? Why cant a person just throw down that last cigarette and quit? Well, you see, its not exactly a function of will power alone.
Research has shown that people become addicted to things because there are abnormal levels of certain chemical messengers in the brain (too many of some messengers, and not enough of others). This leads to a chronic imbalance in the body, which causes a person to want to eat more, drink more, or take drugs. But the drugs will only help the imbalance for a short time, and before you know it, you need to take more of them, which causes an addiction.
This is why natural methods have a higher success rate. And, Im not talking about those 12 step programs, where you introduce yourself and state that you have an addiction, and then your peers are supposed to help you by making you feel bad if you fall off the wagon. Those programs do have value, but they are not effective by themselves. In fact, 70 to 85 percent of addicts will relapse within 612 months of leaving the step programs.
The better way to bring the messengers to their required level is with proper diet and nutrition - and you will be pleased to find out that its not an uncommon diet.
Eat Less Sugar Sugar leads to a temporary high, and then a crash, which causes mood slumps and a craving for alcohol, drugs and/or more sugar.
More Whole Grains Increase consumption of raw or lightly cooked fruits and vegetables, eat brown rice instead of white, and have oatmeal for breakfast.
Snack on Protein This will help balance blood sugar. Try eating hard-boiled eggs, cheese, nuts, peanut butter and apples every two or three hours.
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to break the addiction by yourself just by changing the diet; it will take a long time and a lot of dedication. Thats why the holistic programs use a physiological and psychological approach, and claim to have as much as an 85 percent success rate. Its kind of like this: If you broke your arm, you would want to see a doctor to get the arm fixed up before you started talking to others about how you broke it. Its the same theory, you need to get the messengers back into balance, and then you can do the 12-step program with your peers.
Now back to food: Good food sets off neurotransmitters in the brain, but food alone cannot act fast enough to get needed vitamins into the system. The body is slow to deliver vitamins from food, and sometimes there are blockages that prevent food and vitamins from getting through. That is why addicts drink alcohol and go for drugs; there is quick relief when drugs are delivered as a liquid. Its also why its necessary to get professional help for an addiction; and my preference would be for holistic methods.
With holistic methods, professionals will do tests to check liver and kidney function, and nutritional status and then perform psychological surveys to see what brain chemicals are out of whack. Different vitamin levels will be prescribed for each person. Vitamins are then put into the system intravenously, bypassing any damage done to the gastrointestinal system that would limit the ability to absorb nutrients. These vitamins consist of Vitamin C, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, and Vitamin B. The Vitamin IV is usually recommended for six-ten days.
Since vitamin deficiencies prompt cravings, the Vitamin IV therapy can stop the withdrawal that leads to relapse with other programs. Once brain chemistry is rebalanced and the body can absorb the nutrients by itself, patients can start taking vitamins orally along with nutritional counseling.
This seems like a much better way to cure an addiction then to put someone on another drug, like sedatives or stimulates. It will have a life-long effect on your health, and probably a side benefit of natural weight loss. If you are interested in learning more, try to find a Health Recovery Center in your area, or a Holistic Health Clinic.
Evelyn Grazini is a Health and Wellness Researcher, and the Editor at "aHealthStop" Find Discount and Natural Vitamins, Skin Care, Hair Care, Weight Loss, Home Health, and More! http://www.ahealthstop.com
The Anti Inflammatory Diet - How to Beat Inflammation Naturally
Most people who experience inflammation have heard all about the medications that are available to cure the pain and swelling that can occur during a flare up. But how many know that there are some great anti inflammatory foods that can affect how yo...
Signs of an Addiction
Addictions come in many forms. Its important to recognize the signs of addictions in order to seek out help before the problem becomes to large.Some different types of Addictions are:
Caffeine addiction, nicotine addiction, drug addiction, Alcohol a...
Breakthrough Spiritual Research on the Root Cause of Addictions
Addictions are a worldwide phenomenon adversely affecting the lives of millions across all geographical boundaries and cultures. At a personal level, peoples lives are destroyed by their addictions and their loved ones also suffer the trauma from the...
How To Beat Alcohol Cravings
If you can beat your cravings for alcohol you will beat your addiction and will never return to drinking, but how do you do it, surely we are talking about something major here? it cannot be that simple can it? You will be surprised!How you think abo...
Are You Addicted to Article Writing?
Are you addicted to online article writing? I was once accused of that in a nice way. A very popular Internet copywriting editor said that I was; Punch Drunk on Article Writing! Not sure if that is possible, as I am not convinced that it is something...
You Can Break Whatever Addiction You May Have!
Addictions are a worldwide phenomenon adversely affecting the lives of millions across all geographical boundaries and cultures. Addictions cause enormous personal harm to not only the addict, but to their families and friends as well. Psychologica...
List Building - How to Test a Squeeze Page I
It is critically important that you test the web copy on your squeeze page. I have squeeze pages that convert at 10%, and I have squeeze pages that convert at 65%. This varies dramatically based on the traffic source and the squeeze page itself. S...
Reading Music - Learning Rhythms, Time Signatures and Counting
One essential part of learning to play a musical instrument is often sidelined - learning to count and to understand time signatures. Let's start with a basic foundation in learning music rhythms.All commonly used time signatures consist of one figur...
Fiddling with a Metronome - Get Started the Easy Way
Using the metronome while you play or practice the fiddle is a learned skill. It is not immediate and intuitive.I have coached many violin and fiddle students in using a metronome. Every time the student learned how to match the pace of playing a tun...
Do You Know An Addict?
Are you or someone you know an addict? If you are truthful in answering this question the most likely reply would be, yes. Believe it or not but most people in this world has one addiction or another the problem is that some are believed to be more u...
