Is recovery the same as abstinence?

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Recovery is not just about quitting past destructive behaviors and addictions. We might like to think that recovery is simply being abstinent - being clean, not engaging in bad habits and not taking xyz. Recovery that lasts, however, is not passive. It is not us sitting it out, waiting for the craving magically to just disappear over time. The most frequent relapse happens, when we think our recovery is about focusing on just NOT doing that or taking that. This will simply exhaust our willpower over time and we will give in. We will give in to the craving, because we are not creating a space for the recovered new self, we are just abstaining - and life feels empty when we go about it this way.

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Why you might want to give up cheat days

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I am not a big fan of so-called cheat days. And anyone with a history of addiction issues likely want to avoid this black-white pattern of planning their eating schedule as well. Cheat days easily turn into binge days. And this leaves us in a mental state of feeling like a failure - we went overboard, we felt like we lost control and allowed our impulses to completely take-over. This is a red flag situation for anyone to relapse back into their primary type of addiction. Simply because our MINDSET is now one of "whatever", "I can't control myself" so "I might as well xyz". 

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4 fold death increase on anxiety medications

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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?

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Why a strong sex-drive is an indicator of strong health

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According to a 2008 study in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 38.7% of women report decreased libido as their primary sexual health concern. What has sex got to do with addiction and recovery you might think? Well, the biochemical imbalances following an addiction often leads to a complete wipe out in sex drive. 

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Abstinence vs. moderation

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Is it all or nothing - what do you think? I like to think that most things in life can be enjoyed in moderation. Although learning to embrace parts of something that has once controlled one, can be difficult. And indeed for some substances it is not possible, as the biochemical component is too strong to ever gain a sense of how to enjoy in moderation again. Yet, from my years of having worked in the addiction field, I am convinced that the deeper lesson of addiction is to embrace the gray zone.

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5 Questions Non-Addicts Don't Ask

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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.

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Study sheds light on drug addicts risk-taking behavior

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New insight has been gained into how the brains of drug addicts may be wired differently. The findings show that while drug users have very strong motivation to seek out ‘rewards,’ they exhibit an impaired ability to adjust their behavior and are less fulfilled once they have achieved what they desire. This disconnect between the craving for a drug and inability to regulate behavior may be key to breaking the cycle of addiction.

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Glutamine repairs gut and liver after alcohol damage

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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.

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Cinnamon Essential Oil To Stabilize Bloodsugar

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One of the first things, that will always be affected prior to the relapse, will be a blood sugar fluctuation. Blood sugar is a driver for other biochemicals parameters, such as serotonin and beta-endorphins, which drive addictive behaviors. So what is the takeaway lesson here? Understanding that managing your blood sugar is a constant focus point throughout recovery. Addicts have a very low stress tolerance level, and this translates to being exceptionally sensitive to blood sugar imbalances. 

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Do you need to cut out sugar?

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Sugar, sugar, sugar. Everyone is talking about sugar these days, like a single grain hidden under the carpet will make you drop dead in plain sight. Let's sum up some research that makes for this widespread obsession with the white villain. Just one to two servings of sugary beverages per day may raise your risk of heart disease by 35 percent, diabetes by 25 percent, and stroke by 15 percent. Cutting added sugars can improve health in as little as 10 days, reducing triglycerides by 33 points, and lowering blood sugar by 53 percent. This all seems like the perfect case to drop that sugar like it's hot. Or does it?

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Natural born addicts: When mother passes on drug addiction

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A study of two opioids used to wean babies born in withdrawal from drugs their mothers have taken shows that buprenorphine is superior to methadone in reducing duration of treatment and length of hospital stay. While buprenorphine is often prescribed for pregnant women who are undergoing addiction therapy, a study in Journal of pediatrics is the first report of the drug being used to treat newborns in clinical practice.

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A hangover = an acute nutritional deficiency (+top 3 remedies to combat candida)

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Alcohol and drugs deplete the body of B-complex vitamins, zinc, magnesium and other nutrients. A hangover is mainly an acute nutritional deficiency. When we begin drinking alcohol the nutrient deficiencies worsen, and this further increases the cravings for alcohol or sugar. The body can run on alcohol although it is a poor fuel, as it wrecks our body balance over time. Often we will find ourselves going after carbs or sugar when cutting down on alcohol. Alcohol and sugar addiction is closely tied, why it is not uncommon to find food addiction issues surface after alcohol rehab. The biochemical and nutritional aspects of addiction, are still not widely understood in the medical community. Some of the major nutritional causes for alcohol addiction and cravings include nutrient deficiencies, toxic metal excess, adrenal gland exhaustion, blood sugar issues and  yeast infection in the intestines.

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My 4 Favorite Fatty Foods For Addiction Recovery

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Post addiction, chronic inflammation is the key health concern that needs to be addressed. Inflammation of both brain and body is the trigger of a wide range of health issues in recovery - including depression, cravings, hormonal imbalances, bone density issues and low fertility. And let's not forget the often notorious rapid weight gain that happens after beating an addiction due to severe metabolic dysfunction following. This can be the final straw for many, as they struggle through addiction recovery. It is a well-known fact the addicts already have a poor body image, and now weight gain happens. Metabolic dysfunction and the hormones involved in inflammation, such as thyroid, estrogen-testosterone balance, insulin and cortisol, determine how our body reacts in addiction recovery. Another low-cal diet won't matter here, as our body is so out of wack it is not able to enter the  "fatburn zone" due to chronic inflammation and hormone imbalance. So, which 4 foods help to provide the distinctly different types of fats needed in recovery to repair hormones, bones, brain and body?

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Sleep deprivation and the addiction connection.

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When we don't sleep sufficiently for our needs, our brain doesn't recharge and our body cannot repair optimally. We feel a bit worn out. A bit edgy. A bit tense. A bit teary. A bit irrational. A bit forgetful. Oftentimes compensating by our lowered stress tolerance by exhibiting some overly neurotic tendencies aka perfectionism. Over time, we exhaust our energy reservoirs and we begin searching for the quick fix. First, if we have no history of addiction, we might reach for something socially acceptable. A fix like caffeine to keep us alert. A fix like red wine to make us feel a bit calmer, when our nerves feel frazzled. Or maybe we pop a Xanax to take the edge off. Many of us will also reach for something edible - our hunger feels insatiable, because it is interwoven with cravings now. 

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3 Tips To Navigate The Holidays When You Are In Recovery

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It is hardly surprising that the holidays is a stressful time for many, especially those in recovery from an addiction. Even though Christmas is probably my favorite time of year, it can also be a very painful time in certain seasons of our life. Seasons of our life when things are not going quite as smoothly. Christmas is a time where everything becomes magnified - good or bad. So many triggers can be set off simultaneously, emotionally and biochemically - fueled with anticipation and ideals of perfection. Perfect happiness must happen at 6 PM when we savor the dinner in all-together harmony. No wonder those of us who strive for perfect bliss during this time get a bit stressed out. So how do you navigate the holidays when you are in recovery and temptation for relapse a plenty?

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Is what you worship ruining your life?

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Humans were designed to worship. Designed to worship? Seriously what. Did you inhale too much "California grass", I hear you thinking. Nope. Think about why you want more money, designer shoes etc.  Think about why you go to the bar at night. Think about why you watch the game every Sunday.  Think about why you watch gossip celeb tv. Think about why you do the things you do. In each one of our lives, is an element of worship. Humans were designed to worship. This is not something that most of us ever think about, yet realize. Most of us do not even realize, that we are worshipping something. So what are you worshipping and how might that be affecting your life?

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10 Truths For Family of Addicts

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Addictions can include mind-altering substances such as drugs and alcohol, as well as mood-altering addictions such as eating disorders, compulsive over-spending, smoking, porn, being “glued” to the internet, gambling or codependency in relationships. To care for an addict is often as debilitating as the addiction itself: watching someone play mind-games with themselves and others all the while slowly self-destructing. In order to survive as a family member of an addict there are a couple things to keep in mind to keep one's own sanity and also not become an enabler for the addict.

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Can you love an addict?

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When we are addicted to something... anything... we lose ourselves. We wear so many masks to hide our insatiable hunger for our fix of choice, that we become merely a shadow of our former self. This feeds into the feeling of emptiness and that there is a void which we must fill up with something outside ourselves, because we feel hollow. For every addiction there is abandonment at the root of the self-destruction and distraction.

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What to do when you crash in recovery.

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Recovery is not a linear process. It is important to be aware of what we can expect in recovery. If we are not mentally prepared of the rocky ride of breaking an addiction, it is easy to get stuck in black and white thinking and give up. We will do this because our default mode of thinking is one of the addict. This means that we often struggle with the gray zone. This is the area where change happens: at the border of our comfort zone. Not inside it, yet not outside it. The problem arises when we don't follow the path of HOW WE THINK recovery should be - then, we feel like a failure. We will easily give up, because we feel that we are not "doing it perfect". 

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