Is Fructose as Addictive as Drugs and Alcohol? By Sayer Ji Contributing Writer for Wake Up World Fructose, which literally means “fruit sugar,”* sounds so sweet and innocent. Not so for industrially processed fructose in isolate form, which may be as addictive as alcohol [i] and perhaps even morphine [ii] [iii] and which according to USDA research published in 2008 into major trends in U.S. food consumption patterns, 1970-2005, we now consume at the rate of at least 50 lbs a year — the 800 ounce gorilla in the room. Our dietary exposure to fructose, of course, is primarily through either sugar (sucrose), which is a disaccharide comprised of 50% fructose and 50% glucose by weight, or through high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is mostly a 55% fructose and 45% glucose blend of monosaccharides, but goes as high as 90% fructose and 10% glucose in HFCS-90 form. The reality is that fructose can cause far more damage than glucose, and we must look beyond caloric equivalences to understand this. Article Sources About the Author
Why Is Breaking Free of Addiction So Tough? What Is Addiction? Key Points Addiction involves craving for something intensely, loss of control over its use, and continuing involvement with it despite adverse consequences. Addiction changes the brain, first by subverting the way it registers pleasure and then by corrupting other normal drives such as learning and motivation. Although breaking an addiction is tough, it can be done. The word “addiction” is derived from a Latin term for “enslaved by” or “bound to.” Addiction exerts a long and powerful influence on the brain that manifests in three distinct ways: craving for the object of addiction, loss of control over its use, and continuing involvement with it despite adverse consequences. For many years, experts believed that only alcohol and powerful drugs could cause addiction. New insights into a common problem Nobody starts out intending to develop an addiction, but many people get caught in its snare. The scientific consensus has changed since then. Pleasure principle
Do Hidden Opiates In Our Food Explain Food Addictions? By Sayer Ji Contributing Writer for Wake Up World Food addictions are not strictly “psychological” problems, but have a hard-wired, organic component. Many of the most commonly consumed foods in Western culture actually contain narcotic properties associated with the presence of psychoactive chemicals that bind to opioid receptors in the nervous system. These peptides are so powerful that researchers block their action with a drug known as naloxone and which is used to treat addiction among heroin abusers, and can even prevent death from heroin overdose. These “food opiates” are heavily concentrated in wheat and dairy products, especially cow’s milk. * Gluten exorphin A5: H-Gly-Tyr-Tyr-Pro-Thr-OH* Gluten exorphin B4: H-Tyr-Gly-Gly-Trp-OH* Gluten exorphin B5: H-Tyr-Gly-Gly-Trp-Leu-OH* Gluten exorphin C: H-Tyr-Pro-Ile-Ser-Leu-OH* Gliadorphin: Tyr-Pro-Gln-Pro-Gln-Pro-Phe Food opiates are widely distributed throughout our diet, and are found in many unsuspecting places. About the Author
Habits: How They Form And How To Break Them Routines are made up of a three-part "habit loop": a cue, a behavior and a reward. Understanding and interrupting that loop is key to breaking a habit, says journalist Charles Duhigg. iStockphoto.com hide caption itoggle caption iStockphoto.com Think about something it took you a really long time to learn, like how to parallel park. Parallel parking, gambling, exercising, brushing your teeth and every other habit-forming activity all follow the same behavioral and neurological patterns, says New York Times business writer Charles Duhigg. How Habits Form It turns out that every habit starts with a psychological pattern called a "habit loop," which is a three-part process. "Then there's the routine, which is the behavior itself," Duhigg tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. The third step, he says, is the reward: something that your brain likes that helps it remember the "habit loop" in the future. "In fact, the brain starts working less and less," says Duhigg. Marketing Habits On breaking habits
Healing Addictions - PostFeminine When “Willpower” Does Not Work – How Do We Heal Addictions? One of many things I do in my powerful 15-Week Miracle Coaching program is help people let go of their addictions. Recently, one of my 15-Week Miracle Coaching program clients was able to let go of his addiction to pornography that had plagued him for years. In my system of Holistic Belief Reprogramming, we don’t do the conventional “cold turkey” approach. The failure rate of rehab programs shows us that “cold turkey” doesn’t really work for most people. And of those people it does work for, very commonly they just find a new addiction where they can continue avoiding the “repressed emotions” that are driving the addictions. So in Holistic Belief Reprogramming, we don’t even try to use “willpower” to overcome an addiction. Interestingly enough, I was not “trying” to cut back on drinking alcohol because it’s never been a “problem” in my life. Lately though, I’ve noticed some changes. How did this happen? 1. 2. 4. 5. Love,
7 Reasons Why Life Is Better Without Booze I was the consummate party girl for 20 years before I finally realized that alcohol was taking more than it was giving. I quit drinking two and a half years ago at the age of 35 and have never felt happier, more confident, or as in control of my own destiny than I do now that I'm sober. Here are just a few of the reasons why life is better when it's alcohol-free: 1. 2. 3. 4. 4b. 5. 6. 7. After breaking free from the alcohol trap, I desperately wanted to help others see how much better life is without the constant negative cycle of drinking to excess, bad hangovers, and mornings filled with regrets.
Addictions Help Guide www.Helpguide.org Reprinted with permission for personal or non-profit use. Visit www.helpguide.org to see the article with links to related articles. © Helpguide.org. All rights reserved. This material is for information and support; not a substitute for professional advice. It takes courage and strength to face up to any type of addiction, whether it’s alcohol, drugs, nicotine, gambling, the internet, or self-injury. Recovery is a process, and there’s bound to be some bumps in the road. Drug Abuse and Addiction: Signs, Symptoms, and Help for Drug Problems and Substance Abuse Understanding drug use, drug abuse, and addiction People experiment with drugs for many different reasons. Many first try drugs out of curiosity, to have a good time, because friends are doing it, or in an effort to improve athletic performance or ease another problem, such as stress, anxiety, or depression. Use doesn’t automatically lead to abuse, and there is no specific level at which drug use moves from casual to problematic. It varies by individual. Why do some drug users become addicted, while others don’t? As with many other conditions and diseases, vulnerability to addiction differs from person to person. Family history of addiction Abuse, neglect, or other traumatic experiences in childhood Mental disorders such as depression and anxiety Early use of drugs Method of administration—smoking or injecting a drug may increase its addictive potential Drug addiction and the brain Addiction is a complex disorder characterized by compulsive drug use. 5 Myths about Drug Abuse and Addiction
Substance Abuse & Mental Health: Substance Abuse and Co-Occurring Disorders Understanding dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorders In a dual diagnosis, both the mental health issue and the drug or alcohol addiction have their own unique symptoms that may get in the way of your ability to function, handle life’s difficulties, and relate to others. To make the situation more complicated, the co-occurring disorders also affect each other and interact. What comes first: Substance abuse or the mental health problem? Addiction is common in people with mental health problems. Alcohol or drugs are often used to self-medicate the symptoms of depression or anxiety. Addiction is common in people with mental health problems According to reports published in the Journal of the American Medical Association: Roughly 50 percent of individuals with severe mental disorders are affected by substance abuse. 37 percent of alcohol abusers and 53 percent of drug abusers also have at least one serious mental illness. Source: National Alliance on Mental Illness There is hope.
What Is Denial? Video What is denial, really? And, can it be beneficial? Learn about the causes of denial and it's many forms in this psychology video from About.com.See Transcript Hi, this is Jane Fendelman for About.com and this video is about denial. What is denial? Denial is Not Necessarily a Bad Thing Denial is a protective device. What Causes Denial? Denial is caused by sustaining some sort of trauma, whether it's in childhood or adulthood. Denial and Negative Emotions Human beings are uncomfortable with feeling negative emotions. Types of Denial Some examples of different kinds of denial are sometimes people stay in a relationship where their needs are not really being met, and they're in denial that that relationship is dysfunctional. Sometimes it's drug or alcohol addictions. If they're willing to go to an expert or a counselor with you that's great. Thanks so much for watching. About videos are made available on an "as is" basis, subject to the User Agreement.
Denial - a Symptom of Alcoholism? One of the most frustrating factors in dealing with alcoholism, as a relative, friend or professional, is it is almost always accompanied by a phenomenon known as "denial." In the long path the alcoholic takes toward mental, physical and moral decline, usually the first thing to go is honesty. He simply lies about his drinking. Little lies at first. I only had two... I haven't had a drink in a week... As the alcoholic begins to drink more, and more often, he begins to hide this fact from those around him. If someone tries to discuss his drinking with him, he simply refuses to talk about it, or dismisses it as not a real problem. Clues To a Problem But these simple acts of denial, lying about his drinking or refusing to discuss it, are clues that the alcoholic himself deep down inside knows that he has a problem. But the true alcoholic, the person that has the disease, covers up and denies his drinking out of his own feelings that there is something different or "wrong" about it.