ELEMENTS OF RECOVERY

How to break food, drug and alcohol addictions, bite by bite.

The real secret to getting what we want.

February 15, 2018 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Anxiety, Depression, Emotional Management, Faith

Most of us are busy trying not to get rejected. When we don't risk rejection, we blend into the many shades of depressing gray that makes up the sky of hazy february. Greatness is standing out. Greatness is daring rejection. Only what I give to you can I have myself. The spiritual field is opposite that of the material. And this is the key. Instead of wanting, we need to create abundance from a mustard grain of faith. If I want kindness, I need to be it. If I want love, I need to give it.Everything is faith based in the spiritual realm and nothing is ours til we give it freely.

Drowning.

August 17, 2017 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Depression, Eating Disorders, Emotional Management, Faith

It is a funny thing in life. Oftentimes we spend so much time in the mud, that we think we are drowning. When the only thing we need to do is to stand up. The water is rarely more than an inch and yet we lie facedown, drowning in only an inch of water and dirt. It often doesn't require much to change the path we are on, if it leads to nowhere. Yet in our mind we make it out to be quicksand. How do we save each other when we can't even master the simple task of saving ourselves? How do we experience the freedom we so long for, if we constantly choose to remain in the chains that comes with addiction? Why do we make things so complicated, when fact is, we always have the option to just stand up and walk away. Walk away from what doesn't serve us anymore. And yet, how many of us ever look up to see that there is another way than how we have been living our life in denial? Imagine if breaking the chains of addiction was as simple as standing up and walking away. And maybe it is - when we want something bad enough, we will find a way - we will make a way. Faith is the only thing that separates us.

What does addiction look like?

July 20, 2017 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Anorexia, Anxiety, Binge Eating, Body Image, Bulimia, Depression, Eating Disorders, Emotional Management, Transformation Keys

Sometimes we think that addiction is the stereotype presented to us in movies. We see the husband that suddenly goes bankrupt and his beautiful wife leaves him. So he is left in the gutter with stubbles and a bottle of Jack. We also see the drug addict as the person with one too many tattoos, portrayed as scarily gaunt, getting their money from shady business and spending their weekends at raves. These stereotypes are not what addiction usually looks like. Many addicts are high-functioning. Addiction is incredibly common amongst CEOs and people who need to keep up the pace of a life that is based on money, power and relentless ambition. Someone who is high-functioning will still have a job, maintain relationships and have their money matters in order. The high-functioning addict will appear to have their life together.

"Don't eat that", he said.

June 29, 2017 by Christina Santini in Body Image, Depression, Emotional Management, Intimacy, Self-Worth, Transformation Keys

"Don't eat that. Stop.", he said as he smacked the back of her hand, reaching for the bread basket. Oh man. I wish I was making this stuff up. But no. A very good friend of mine from New York dated this guy for 2 - not minutes, hours, days, weeks or, heck, even months but 2 full years. Now this may seem like an innocent little thing to say. Although I think I would bite the hand of any person trying to keep me away from the bread basket.

Medication-Assisted Treatment for addiction - does it work?

May 31, 2017 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Biochemistry Balancing, Depression, Emotional Management

Substituting one addiction for another does not break the fundamental chains of addiction. It is well-known in the addiction field, that if we do not master to rewire our brain to find new paths of pleasure, relapse is only a feeling away.

We cannot drug our way out of addiction.

That said, instead of going cold-turkey (which taps right into our black-white addictive thinking), it might prove very useful to take it step-by-step and beginning our journey into recovery by substituting our primary drug of choice for a secondary. Substitution can be an important player in helping us not getting overwhelmed by the intense withdrawal that often leave us completely drained, lethargic and quite often suicidal. But what does the science say about medication-assisted treatment for addiction?

4 Surprising Celebrities That Struggled Addiction

May 24, 2017 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Anorexia, Binge Eating, Bulimia, Depression, Transformation Keys

Addiction has become epidemic - it knows no face, race or gender. And no one is too rich, too smart or too good-looking to escape its claws. Read on to find out which 4 surprising celebs struggled and overcame addiction.

Nutrient deficiencies that make you ANXIOUS!

May 11, 2017 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Anxiety, Biochemistry Balancing, Depression

Anxiety is a chemical reaction in the body. This reaction becomes chronic regardless of our psychological toolbox, if we are deficient in some core nutrients involved in the production of the calming neurotransmitter called GABA. Click on to read more about nutrients involved in feeling anxious.

Changing lanes.

March 08, 2017 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Anorexia, Binge Eating, Bulimia, Body Image, Depression, Eating Disorders, Self-Worth, Transformation Keys

We tend to shape our future by constantly looking in rear mirror. This, essentially means that our past keeps running on repeat - just in different shapes and forms. When we are battling any type of addiction, we will want to understand a couple things in order to prevent dabbling between different self-destructive patterns.

Depression might be due to inflammation

March 02, 2017 by Christina Santini in Biochemistry Balancing, Depression, Superfoods In Recovery, Natural Medicine

More and more research is pointing in the direction that depression might be associated with chronic inflammation. And thus explaining why an anti-inflammatory nutrition strategy like including plenty of fish oil, turmeric, broccoli etc. has shown to be valuable in treating depression.

Saffron for depression

January 18, 2017 by Christina Santini in Biochemistry Balancing, Depression

By 2020, depression is expected to be the world’s second-leading cause of disability according to Center for Disease Control. New research has shown that the yellow spice saffron is likely THE MOST effective remedy against depression (if not caused by heavy metal toxicity though - then you need to rid your brain of heavy metals first!). Saffron works for serotonin imbalance related depression.

How do we manage anxiety?

December 07, 2016 by Christina Santini in Binge Eating, Addictions, Depression, Eating Disorders, Emotional Management, Transformation Keys

In the Noonday Demon Andrew Soloman writes, " Depression is a response to past loss, anxiety is a response to future loss". However, the two states often feel similar. This is because anxiety and depression share a single set of genes. This set of genes lies close to the genes involved in alcoholism and certain eating disorders.

Is it killing you or making you stronger?

November 30, 2016 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Anorexia, Binge Eating, Body Image, Depression, Eating Disorders, Emotional Management, Transformation Keys

Humans is the only specie that will engage in activities to actively self-destruct in attempt to be more lovable. The gap between who we are and who we want to be, is what motivates most of us to grow. Some of us choose methods that change us by killing us - physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Who would you be without your addiction?

November 09, 2016 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Depression, Eating Disorders, Emotional Management, Transformation Keys

When we are addicted to something, our true self tends to get hidden away. Only to be seen in glimpses here and there, when the cravings are not controlling us. And usually, when we are addicted to something, most of our waking time is spent on figuring out when to get our next fix, recovering from the crash after the high has worn off or dealing with the insatiable cravings. There is little space to just be. Be okay with who we are. This is super stressful. And what do we do, when we are stressed out? We reach for our addiction of choice. And on and on it goes.

On repeat.

October 26, 2016 by Christina Santini in Depression, Emotional Management, Transformation Keys, Self-Worth, Addictions

How many times do you find yourself in the same situation, just differences faces and different spaces? If your answer is more than 3 times, you might want to consider what the shared feature of each situation is.

The perfect time.

October 19, 2016 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Depression, Emotional Management, Transformation Keys

When are we ready for change? When the time is right. And the time is always right. Time is the only thing in life we cannot get more of. Nevertheless we tend to wait for that right time, as if only then magic can happen. I don't know many people who truly ever change. I do know many people, who say they are waiting for the perfect time. When the time is right, then they will do it. Whatever that may be.

Are you addicted to misery?

August 03, 2016 by Christina Santini in Depression, Transformation Keys

If there is one thing I have learnt in life, it is that everybody hurts sometimes. No one hurts more than others. And yet it seems that there is this competition going on “who has it tougher”. I don’t get it: Aren’t we supposed to change what we don’t like in life, instead of continue being in a situation that cause us to complain day in and day out. Isn’t insanity defined by the very act of doing the same thing over and over again, yet expecting a different outcome...?

Are you Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired?

April 27, 2016 by Christina Santini in Binge Eating, Addictions, Depression, Transformation Keys

Nest time you feel like you are about to do something that you have promised yourself not to do - ask yourself this simple question: Are you Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired? This is one of the most easy tools to begin to replace bad habits, step by step. So simple that many refuse to do it - because "it is just too easy" and thus a waste of time, because everything else in life seems like a battle. This is the lie we tell ourselves to NOT take action: if it is not hard, it must not work. Yet it is the simple things in life that works best.

4 fold death increase on anxiety medications

March 16, 2016 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Depression, Stress Tools

A study reveals this anxiety medication is reaching an all-time high of deaths now. Scott Disick has revealed his anxiety medication addiction. This is an addiction that hits every age group and wealth group. It is not harmless and it causes tremendous damage to the body and brain - it basically rips your gastrointestinal tract to pieces and causes multiple chronic health issues in its waters. Not to mention, highly deadly especially when combined with alcohol, as it often is in cases where one needs to "calm the nerves". So how do you figure out why you are anxious in the first place and thus, what the right actual treatment for you is, rather than mask it with drugs shown deadly?

5 Questions Non-Addicts Don't Ask

February 24, 2016 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Depression, Transformation Keys

Hello, my name is xyz and I am an addict. Not something anyone ever wants to have to say out loud. Therefore, we often make excuses, explanations and elaborations for our destructive habits, as to not have to attach ourselves with the term "addict". When we are scared of change, when we fear we won't make it through to the other side, when the light seems so far away and we feel weak... That is when we will often tend to deceive ourselves. We will lie in an attempt to survive in the midst of the misery. We will often lie so much, that we convince ourselves, that we do not have a problem. That everything is OK. We are OK. This is OK. What we are doing is fine - everything is just fine. When in fact we are slowly drowning.

Glutamine repairs gut and liver after alcohol damage

February 10, 2016 by Christina Santini in Biochemistry Balancing, Depression, Addictions, Natural Medicine

Gut damage, post-addiction depression and serotonin issues related to liver and gut damage are well-known obstacles in spite of managing to quit alcohol. However these health troubles are almost unbearable for many, because now the digestive and mood balancing biochemical markers really become obvious in daily life, when not numbing out from the mental and physical discomfort on the regular with alcohol. Researchers are finding that L-Glutamine plays a critical role in healthy digestion and brain function. Glutamine has been shown in studies to protect against mucosal breakdown in the gut. There are even studies looking into how glutamine can aid in reducing side-effects of chemotherapy treatments.