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Category: Addiction

Addiction

  • Addicted to Dimes, Confessions of a Liar and a Cheat

    manhattan_bridge_post_versionThis week’s guest blogger is  Catherine Townsend-Lyon, an author, blogger and  marketing guru. Catherine lives in Arizona and is a recovering gambling addict. For the next four weeks, Catherine will feature segments of her book “Addicted to Dimes” in this blog.

     “Sometimes we have to see on paper everything gambling addiction has taken from us.”

    The Early Years – Just another Ordinary Day

    I awoke to another cold and rainy morning in Southern Oregon to find my husband had already left for work. I saw the newspaper on the kitchen counter. I grabbed a cup of coffee, sat down and began to read. I came across a small headline that read, “Woman found dead in motel room.” The story was about a local woman who was in her late 50s. She was found dead in a motel next to a large Indian casino, about 40 miles north of where I live. I’d been to that casino many, many times. I started to get this sick feeling. The woman’s name was withheld until they could notify her family. She was found on the floor with a gunshot wound to the head. Police said it looked like a suicide. They found a note on a table that simply read, “I couldn’t stop gambling. Please tell my family I’m sorry.” The police did rule her death a suicide.

    Just then, I said a prayer for this woman’s soul, and for her family. Even though I never met her, I could have been her. I knew what torment and pain she felt before she died. I felt as though hands were grasping my throat and that someone had taken a sharp knife and pierced it right through my heart. See, I too had been an addicted gambler up until about four and a half years ago, so I understood the hopelessness that woman must have felt. I too experienced the pain of feeling like the only option you have left is to commit suicide. Needless to say, both of my attempts failed, which landed me in the hospital … twice, then into a mental and addictions crisis center … twice. It was a turbulent four years. I’d been on suicide watch both times, because I was so low and broken from the addiction. I just wanted to die. Why? To find some peace. Reading this article got me thinking of those dark years of emotional torment and very disturbed thinking.
    I finished reading the story and I had tears in my eyes. I started thinking about the hell I went through, so I couldn’t help but grab the box that I had in my closet of gambling addiction books, my journals, and all the educational materials I’d received from the countless times I’d tried to stop my gambling addiction. I’d been in and out of treatment groups and counseling so many times. I attended 12-step support groups, therapy, even church, for more than eight years. Recovery is not an easy thing.

    As I finished the article about this nameless woman, I wiped the tears from my eyes. I was so inspired by this woman’s story. It gave me a “call to action,” to write this book, but not knowing it would become published at the time. I have gained so much knowledge through treatment programs, 12-step support groups, and listening to others talk about their gambling addictions and experiences. My own story of journal entries are relied upon daily. They remind me of the horrific times I had with my addiction. They keep me from ever getting too complacent with this devastating illness. I thought, ”Why not put all of this in a book, to share with others what I’d been through, so other people out there who may have a problem with gambling, who feel lost, alone or hopeless, can know they are not alone?” No one should ever have to choose death over their own sanity. Many people aren’t aware that compulsive gambling addiction has the highest suicide rate.

    I started reading through my many journals I had written in. It’s a form of therapy, which I’d learned in my treatment programs. All the pain came rushing back, while reading some of the “dark entries, from when I was in the crisis center. I also was slapped in the face with the reality of what I’d done to others in my addiction, especially what I’d put my husband of 22 years through. There were two things that stood out to me right away, when I first tried to attain recovery. The first was how I got so hung up on just wanting to be “normal” again. The second was just how powerless this addiction makes you feel – the true loss of control over your gambling, once you cross the line into uncontrolled compulsive gambling.

    I hope you enjoyed reading the first few sections of Catherine’s book, Addicted to Dimes. The series will continue for the next three weeks. We know in recovery that we turn to addiction for many reasons, and that we can recover without knowing the reasons why we walked down such a dark path. And sometimes, we discover some of the underlying issues of why the addiction sucked us in. 

    Author, Catherine Townsend-Lyon lives in Arizona writes a blog on her web site: https://catherinelyonaddictedtodimes.wordpress.com/author/kitcat4459/

    And works with other authors on marketing their books at:

    https://anAuthorandWriterinProgress.wordpress.com

    You can Email her at: LyonMedia@aol.com

     

  • Every narcissist needs a codependent love addict

    manhattan_bridge_post_version

    “The most common toxic relationship is between the codependent love addict and the narcissist love addict. Opposites attract and love addicts are vulnerable to charming people.” -Author, therapist and founder of Love Addicts Anonymous, Susan Peabody.

    Narcissism is a personality disorder. It stems from childhood abuse. When these abused children are young, they decide that the world, and the people in it, are bad and they are the only ones that are good. These thoughts result in a distorted view of themselves. They are the ones that are perfect, and they should be catered to. They lack compassion for others, because everyone else is ‘less than’ or wrong. In general, narcissists are incapable of maintaining a healthy relationship because they have to be in control at all times. But really, a narcissist has to be in control so they are not abandoned, abused or hurt. These narcissistic behaviors find a home in any gender, male or female and in any relationship, heterosexual, gay or bi-sexual.

    If you keep your eyes open, you can detect a narcissist’s need for control and self-centeredness. If you make an error they will be critical and unsympathetic. And they will never forget a past mistake. They hold you to a high standard and exhibit disdain for what they consider weakness or vulnerability.

    Narcissists are very charming in order to seduce people into liking them. Their ability to impress people is amazing. They appear confident, exciting and are a “match made in heaven”. Love addicts fall for narcissists and bond with them. The narcissist is so good at their craft, that when their true colors emerge, they manipulate their codependent love addict partner to ensure they will not abandon them. It is as if the narcissist and codependent love addict are fighting for the same thing. The codependent love addict fears abandonment as much as the narcissist.

    Early abandonment of a child places that kid into a very harsh environment, forcing them to endure and grow up rapidly. They hate the fact they were abandoned but believe that they can endure, and if they work hard enough, abandonment will never happen to them again. A codependent love addict adult emerges from this traumatic childhood environment.

    A male codependent love addict is a survivor. He will scrape and do without in order for his offspring and family to survive. These men are self-effacing, excelling in sales, in service positions or dealing with the public. If he needs more money than his 9-5 career can provide, we will find him at a grocery store stocking shelves at midnight or a Home Depot directing others to purchase Sawzalls or mulch on a weekend. These codependent love addicts are constantly fulfilling their role as the primary enabler for their narcissist. A consummate “make doer”, he is unable to speak up for himself, selling himself short in order to avoid the pain of conflict with his loved one. He is strong, he is resilient, and he is a “mute coyote”.

    You might want to consider attending a 12 step mutual support group such as:

    http://www.loveaddicts.org/

    http://www.slaafws.org

    http://coda.org/

    http://www.adultchildren.org/

    To find a professional with counseling experience in love addiction go to the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health (SASH), which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to scholarship and training of professionals certified in sex and love addiction treatment.

    http://www.iitap.com/certification/addiction-professionals

    We Codependent Men – We Mute Coyotes by Carrie C-B , Ken P, Bob T http://www.amazon.com/We-Codependent-Men-Inspiration-Addicted/dp/0578079704

  • Melissa Killeen Presents Workshop at Association of Recovery Community Organizations (ARCO) Meeting

    hotel email website melissa book

  • Bob Timmins – A Titan in the World of Recovery Coaching.

    manhattan_bridge_post_versionBob Timmins, an addiction specialist who is credited with salvaging the lives of a long list of celebrity drug users by steering them onto the path of sobriety and helping them stay there, died of respiratory failure in 2008 at his home in Marina del Rey after battling years of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 61 [i]. Though little known by the public at large, Timmins was a titan in the world of recovery coaching.

    Some of his clients — members of the bands Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mötley Crüe and Aerosmith — have spoken publicly about Timmins’ role in helping them battle drug abuse. But most celebrities preferred anonymity, a request Timmins took pride in honoring. “Bob has helped everyone from the owners of sports franchises to heads of movie studios to Grammy-winning, internationally known music idols . . . as well as the most down and out homeless person who comes to him for help,” said Michael Nasatir, a friend, and a criminal defense attorney in Santa Monica, who worked with Timmins early in his career.

    What Timmins knew about drug abuse, recovery and redemption was learned from experience

    Robert Wayne Timmins was born in Los Angeles on Sept. 27, 1946, the son of a police officer. His mother suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, and when Bob was 9 years old, she attempted to murder him. Timmins was placed in foster care, by ninth grade he lived on the streets, was a heroin junky, and as  a convicted felon, he spent time in San Quentin. It was in San Quentin that Timmins met Danny Trejo, they were cell mates and prison gang members, these two were familiar with all forms of prison violence. Yet, it was Trejo that introduced Bob to the 12 step rooms. When Trejo left San Quentin, he told Timmins to look him up after his release. Four years later, expecting to start-up exactly where he had left off before entering San Quentin, Timmins showed up at Trejo’s doorstep. Danny Trejo took him to his house, and offered him a spare bedroom to stay in. When Timmins said “Come on, let’s do some things…” in response, Trejo took him to a 12-step meeting. Trejo introduced him to Eddie, his first sponsor, and the rest, let’s say is history. Bob Timmins credits Trejo and Eddie, with turning his life around. Eddie was Timmins’ sponsor until Eddie died with 47 years of sobriety. Timmins said “If I didn’t get a sponsor and jump into recovery, I wasn’t going to stay long enough to get anything.” [ii]

    In the years that followed, Timmins helped found and was involved with several organizations, including the CLARE Foundation, Cinco Swim Sober Living Home, the recovery centers Impact House and Cri-HELP in Los Angeles as well as the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. Early in his career he began working with troubled youths, including a young Jeff McFarland.

    “I met him when he worked at a rehab hospital I was in,” said Jeff McFarland, who is now an attorney. “I was a 19-year-old drug addict and criminal, and he helped me turn things around. He had instant credibility. When you spoke to him, you knew that he had lived the life that you live. And he understood.” Today, McFarland is the chair of The Timmins Foundation [iii]. The Timmins Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in memory of Bob Timmins, whose work changed Jeff McFarland’s and countless other young people’s lives. The Timmins Foundation supports a “Bob Timmins Bed” that provides beds for inpatient treatment or residence in a sober living home for a year to clients that are unable to afford the entire cost on their own. The Timmins Foundation seeks to provide financial support for the early intervention and treatment of substance abuse, which Bob knew could prove to be the difference between a life well-lived and a life wasted. The Foundation goes into the community, seeking out young adults in need of treatment and builds a sense of purpose for young adults in post-treatment recovery [iv].

    In courts across the nation, Timmins was an expert witness and a consultant in the development of treatment plans for addiction-related offenders. He assessed drug addicts before they went to trial, he advised them and suggested to the judge to place them into treatment instead of incarceration. Judges and lawyers paid Timmins for his expertise in selecting a proper program for a defendant, “but the amount we paid him was a joke compared to what he did,” said Bernard Kamins, who served as a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge from 1985 to 2007 and worked with Timmins in the California Drug Court system. “Here’s this guy who for $150 would get somebody straightened out. . . . He knew the right places to put people, and he gave them two things: hope and motivation. As a judge I couldn’t do that,” Kamins said. Timmins steered clients to 12-step meetings and helped them find sponsors. But Timmins did more, drawing from the people he knew and had helped in the past, he could put an addict in contact with a youth homeless shelter, admit them into a treatment center at no cost, introduce them to the president of a recording studio or aid in their admission into USC. Timmins was that type of guy.

    Working with celebrities did not leave Timmins star-struck

    In the entertainment industry, Timmins influenced the way recording labels treat artists by requesting amenities such as “safe harbor rooms”:  hospitality suites that are clean of drugs and alcohol. In the entertainment industry, drugs and alcohol were given freely to the artists to stimulate their creativity and as perks for their performance. As a recovering entertainer this was a very dangerous environment to be in, Bob changed this dynamic in the industry. After the 1995 death of Shannon Hoon of the group Blind Melon from a drug overdose, Michael Greene, president and CEO of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences announced the first industry wide symposium on the subject of drugs in rock and asked Bob Timmins to help. Beside “safe harbor rooms” and contractual guidelines that advocate sobriety, the symposium and Grammy.org helped Timmins and Howard Owens start the MusiCares Foundation, and MAP, the Musician’s Assistance Program, which provide assistance to musicians, including those suffering from addiction. MusiCares provides a safety net of critical assistance; services and resources that will cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies for music people in times of need. MusiCares celebrated 20 years in 2013.

    In a 1991 article in GQ magazine; he said “I see them as human beings first. I see them in their pain and try to help them through a suicide attempt or whatever’s going on”[v]. Bob Timmins was one of the most influential foundational thinkers in recovery coaching, developing the concepts of sober companionship, recovery coaching and legal services coaching. Through the years he tirelessly helped rock star, millionaire or skid row addict with the same compassion and conviction, whether he was compensated handsomely or graced with a humble handshake and a thank you. Bob was a milestone in the recovery coaching movement.

    Hear Bob Timmin’s AA Story, this is a must hear:

    http://timminsfoundation.org/Speech2005b.html

     

    References:

    [i] Addiction specialist worked with celebrities OBITUARIES / Bob Timmins, 1946 – 2008 March 08, 2008| Jocelyn Y. Stewart | LA Times Staff Writer- jocelyn.stewart@latimes.com

    [ii] Christopher Kennedy Lawford “Moments of Clarity: Voices from the Front Lines of Addiction”, Harper Collins NY

    [iii] Addiction specialist worked with celebrities OBITUARIES / Bob Timmins, 1946 – 2008 March 08, 2008| Jocelyn Y. Stewart | LA Times Staff Writer- jocelyn.stewart@latimes.com

    [iv] The Timmins Foundation, 865 S. Figueroa St., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90017. http://timminsfoundation.wordpress.com/2008/12/20/the-timmins-foundation/

    [v] Addiction specialist worked with celebrities OBITUARIES / Bob Timmins, 1946 – 2008 March 08, 2008| Jocelyn Y. Stewart | LA Times Staff Writer- jocelyn.stewart@latimes.com

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  • Alcohol Kills One Person Every Ten Seconds

    manhattan_bridge_post_versionThe misuse and abuse of alcohol affect the lives, health and well-being of billions of people. A World Health Organization 2014 report stated the consumption of alcohol led to 3.3 million deaths around the world. In essence, the report says that alcohol kills 1 person every 10 seconds.

    Shekhar Saxena, head of the World Health Organization’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse department, reports that there are roughly 3.25 billion people in the world that drink, and these drinkers consume an average of 4.5 gallons of pure alcohol a year. China is estimated to increase it’s per person, per year alcohol consumption ratio by an additional 1.5 liters of pure alcohol by 2025.

    According to SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), more than half of all U.S. adult citizens drink alcohol, with 6.6% meeting criteria for an alcohol-use disorder.

    One in 10 deaths among working-age adults aged 20-64 years are due to excessive alcohol use.

    A CDC study, published in June of this year, found that nearly 70% of deaths due to drinking involved working-age adults, and about 70% of those deaths involved males. Nearly 88,000 people die in the U.S. from alcohol-related causes annually, making it the third most preventable cause of death in the United States. In 2013, fatal accidents involving an alcohol-impaired driver accounted for 10,076 deaths or 30.8 % of all driving fatalities.

    Men are more likely than women to experience alcohol-related deaths. Although more women are drinking today as compared to 2012, of the 88,000 alcohol related deaths, approximately 62,000 were men and 26,000 were women. This study proclaims that excessive alcohol use can shortened the lives of working-age adults by about 30 years.

    Alexandra Sifferlin for Time Magazine reported that harmful alcohol use not only leads to addiction, but it can put people at a higher risk of over 200 disorders like liver disease, tuberculosis and pneumonia.

    Binge drinking can damage the frontal cortex and other areas of the brain

    The CDC report shows that 16% of drinkers partake in binge drinking, which is the most dangerous form of alcohol consumption. Some of the risks associated with binge drinking are well known. It increases the risk for sexual assault, violence and self-harm. But the physical effects of such behaviors on the body are often not discussed. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there’s strong evidence to suggest that regular binge drinking impacts executive functioning and decision making by damaging the frontal cortex and other areas of the brain.

    According to the 2013 The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), approximately 5.4 million people (about 14.2%) in the age range of 12-20 years, were binge drinkers (15.8% of males and 12.4% of females).

    One in every four families are impacted by alcoholism

    More than 10% of U.S. children live with a parent with alcohol problems, according to a 2012 study.

    According to Herma Silverstein, author of the book; Alcoholism, one of every four families has problems with alcohol.

    The CDC study also found that about 5% of the alcohol related deaths in the U.S. involved people younger than age 21.

    In 2012, 58.3% of people who tried alcohol for the first time were younger than 18.

    Drinking during pregnancy can cause brain damage to the infant, leading to a range of developmental, cognitive, and behavioral problems, otherwise called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). People/children with difficulties in the following areas may have FASD or alcohol-related birth defects:

    • Coordination
    • Emotional control
    • Learning challenges
    • Socialization skills
    • Focus in class, holding down a job

    These statistics are over powering and most definitely build an excellent argument to stop drinking, especially over this Fourth of July long holiday weekend. Please share these statistics with a friend, post on your social media pages, re-publish in your blog, or newsletter.

    References used in this blog:

    The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) is one of the 27 institutes and centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIAAA supports and conducts research on the impact of alcohol use on human health and well-being. http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics

    Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) is a peer-reviewed electronic journal established by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. The mission of PCD is to promote the open exchange of information and knowledge among researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and others who strive to improve the health of the public through chronic disease prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/features/alcohol-deaths/

    The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) provides national and state-level data on the use of tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs (including non-medical use of prescription drugs) and mental health in the United States https://nsduhweb.rti.org/respweb/homepage.cfm

    Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is an agency of the U.S. Public Health Service in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.samhsa.gov/

    Alexandra Sifferlin, (2015) What Drinking Does to Your Body over Time, Time Magazine, http://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/

    And

    Alexandra Sifferlin, (2014) Alcohol Kills 1 Person Every 10 Seconds, Report Says, Time Magazine, http://time.com/96082/alcohol-consumption-who/

    Silverstein, Herma. (1990), Alcoholism. New York: Franklin Watts http://allpsych.com/journal/alcoholism/#.VZQkhWPH_VI

     

  • How Emotionally Mature Are You in a Heated Conversation?

    manhattan_bridge_post_versionI am working with a client who is struggling in his recovery. He is having trouble being emotionally mature in heated conversations with his live-in girlfriend. I discussed with my client how he acts when he is in an argument.

    My client would like to believe that he is a mature, rational, 40-year-old adult, but if he is honest, if we all are honest with ourselves, we’ve all have some emotional immaturity within us.

    The truth of the matter is that we can act like adults in our relationships or we can act like we’re 6-years-old.

    When one partner shows emotional immaturity, the other one follows suit, often without much hesitation. Then the entire discussion fails. Perhaps we are triggered by a feeling of being less than, or of rejection or abandonment. In a flash we become the 6-year-old that was that was reprimanded by their older sister, the 9-year-old who wasn’t selected for the baseball team, or the 12-year-old seeing their aunts and uncles fight at Thanksgiving dinner.

    As a coach, I like to differentiate between the emotional maturities of the 6-, 9- or the 12-year-old, as compared with the maturity of the forty-year-old. When we begin to mature, our childlike behavior no longer reaps the same reward and we are forced to act more maturely.

    A 6-year-old is very limited in their list of options of how to handle a situation. They were learning as they go, finding out what works and what doesn’t. As adults, we have choices and options that a 6-year-old didn’t. Before you react to something, ask yourself this: Do I want to be 6, 9 or 12 – or do I want to be 40? A true adult gets to choose!

    Let me illustrate the difference. . .

    Immature Mature
    I snap at my partner because I feel irritation. I recognize that I am irritable and why, so I calmly let my partner know how I feel and what I need to help me feel better.
    I hold something that bothers me inside until I blow up at my partner. I hold something in until it comes out sideways. I tell my partner as soon as I am aware that something is bothering me so we can calmly discuss it.
    I call my partner names and belittle them when we are arguing. I point fingers, invade my partner’s space and raise my voice I realize that name-calling and belittling does not help the situation and I can voice what is really bothering me instead. I recognize my body language, keep my hands at my sides, lower my voice and keep my distance.
    I stuff my feelings down or lie to my partner because I am afraid it will start a fight or they will reprimand me I am honest with my partner because I am emotionally prepared for their reaction.
    I act on my sense of urgency to fight with my partner, knowing that I am right, reactive and emotionally activated. I recognize that I am reactive and I force myself to wait until I feel more stable to discuss it with my partner. I never respond immediately to something when I am angry, even if my partner insists.
    I am defensive, hurt and argumentative when my partner complains about something I am doing. I recognize that my I am not perfect; I say I am human, I can make mistakes. I expect that sometimes my partner will have comments about my actions or behavior.
    When my partner complains about me, I remind them that they have done the same thing or they did something that bothered me in the past. (pointing the finger, deflection or cross-complaining) I hear that my partner is bothered by something and I validate their feelings. Any complaints I may have about them can be brought up another time.

    I showed my client this chart and asked how he reacted to the most recent blow-up with his girlfriend. He identified several immature characteristics in these columns that he used in the recent exchange. How many characteristics did he use, did this number of immature responses overwhelm the number of mature responses? Then we talked about what the mature responses would be.

    Immediately, he said this was a good chart and he was going to show her this chart to tell her about how she was also immature in this past discussion. I suggested he not to do this, saying that a mature partner need not shame his partner, even if it is under the guise of using a learning tool. It would be more important for him to practice having mature adult responses to future, potentially explosive situations, so the temperature of the next conversation does not rise. Then his girlfriend will see and emulate his mature behavior in future dialogues.

    Using correct tools of engagement in heated discussions was never taught in our families or at school. We learned how to argue and fight from our parents, family members or friends. At forty, it is time for my client to approach a heated conversation as a forty-year-old and not a 12-year-old.

  • I am hungry — Why do I want to eat flour and sugar compulsively?

    There are several reasons why flour and sugar spike a desire to eat more. There is also a variety of reasons flour and sugar relax us, make us sleep or damage our immune system. Let’s explore those reasons.

    Comfort foods
    Many food addicts describe eating a high-carbohydrate load of pasta or bread and then feeling relaxed, calmed and satiated. The mere term “comfort food” has an impact on this role our brain has in making us eat certain foods like meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, or Mom’s apple pie.

    By eating your mother’s favorite meal, you are reminded of good times, idyllic family settings, safety, and well, comfort. So in these cases your brain is convincing you of how you feel after ingesting a Thanksgiving dinner and then telling you to fall asleep during the football game. These emotional attachments to certain foods are as diverse as are my readers and too complicated to cover in a short blog post, so let me move on.

    Candida Albicans infection
    Candida Albicans infection is an improper colony of flora in your intestines. Candida Albicans is a fungus that can appear in your gut, your vagina and your toes! It can comprise good microorganisms that live in the human mouth and gastrointestinal tract. C. Albicans lives in 80 percent of the human population without causing harmful effects. However, with an oversupply of sugars and starches it can blossom and overcome the good flora in your gut. The result is that you feel odd, hungry, anxious, tired and perhaps, frightened. Once you add more sugar and starches to the mix, you feel better. So, soon a person learns to eat more sugar to “feel” better. When in actuality, sugar and starches are the cause of the problem. For more on this go to: http://drlwilson.com/ARTICLES/CANDIDA.htm.

    Serotonin and Dopamine enhancement
    Did you know that 90 percent of the serotonin in your body is produced in your gut? Serotonin and dopamine are neurotransmitters found in the brain and elsewhere in the body and they cause pleasurable sensations, reduce stressful feelings as well as reduce anxiety and pain in the body. Eating certain carbohydrates stimulate the production of serotonin and dopamine in the body. Again, a person learns to eat carbohydrates to feel good; however, this is only a temporary feeling.

    Hypoglycemia
    This is a common metabolic imbalance that causes energy fluctuations throughout the day and can cause many other symptoms such as anxiety, nervousness, mental confusion, tremors, shakiness, headaches, and even depression.

    Basically, the body is no longer able to regulate its blood sugar level perfectly, so you can experience times during the day when your blood sugar dips too low. Hypoglycemia is low energy production and a low glucose level in the cells. The symptoms are caused not only by low glucose in the blood cells, but also by any number of imbalances that affect the body’s ability to burn glucose at the cellular level.

    Eating something sweet or perhaps, starchy, is a quick fix for this condition. Just think about that 3pm hypoglycemic low you feel at work and running to a vending machine. It is easy to believe that one “needs” a soda or candy bar as a quick fix to the symptoms of hypoglycemia.

    Unfortunately, eating sweets, in particular, but also many starches, just makes the condition worse because most refined foods are lacking the vitamins and minerals needed for the body to adequately regulate its glucose metabolism.

    Unfortunately, the blood sugar soon decreases again, causing even more cravings for the carbohydrate foods, and the beginning of a vicious cycle. To break that cycle one needs to eat adequate protein and most likely, quality fats and oils. But these usually will not give the instant pick-me-up one gets from flour and sugar. In addition, most people need targeted vitamin and mineral supplements and a complete healing program to restore the body’s sugar-handling ability. At least 70 percent of the American population suffers from some degree of hypoglycemia.

    A need for insulin
    I am going to keep this section brief, as I am not a doctor nor knowledgeable about diabetes. Simply said, eating sweets and starches stimulate insulin release. This may have a pleasurable effect on some people, especially if insulin levels are somewhat low and resistance is present. Non-diabetics can experience fluctuations in insulin levels, just as a diabetic can.

    Chronic fatigue syndrome, Adrenal exhaustion, fast and slow oxidation
    Are you tired? For some of us, eating sugars gives us a boost in energy. The causes of fatigue are varied. There is a theory of health and disease treatment that is called the bioenergetic approach. It is theorized that if you have nutritional balance in your body, you will be well. Here the goal is not to diagnose any disease, nor is it to cure anything. Instead, the focus is on raising the body’s adaptive energy level.

    Adrenal exhaustion is a very common reason for low energy and chronic low blood sugar. Cortisol and cortisone, the hormones secreted by the adrenal glands, function to raise and maintain the blood sugar level. When these hormones are low, a person will experience chronic low blood sugar and fatigue. The condition is temporarily improved by eating sugars, fruits, juices or other items containing sugar. Once again, the effect is very temporary, and it can set up an addictive pattern of eating to feel better.

    Fast or slow oxidation is when carbohydrates and amino acids are oxidized too slowly (“slow oxidation”) in one cycle or too quickly in another cycle (“fast oxidation”). In both cases energy production is reduced. People that experience fast and/or slow oxidization suffer from inefficient energy production, but for opposite biochemical reasons. The most common symptoms of a fast or slow oxidative rate are fatigue, emotional duress of some type, lowered resistance to infections, a low body temperature, gall bladder or liver problems, and being over or under weight. Your oxidation rate is influenced by both genetics and by your diet. Thus, what you eat affects your rate of oxidation and energy production, which in turn affects your mental, emotional, behavioral, and in some cases, physical characteristics.

    The need for essential nutrients
    Protein, fat, zinc, manganese, vanadium, chromium, and inositol, are essential nutrients that are often missing in a food addict’s diet. We are so nutritionally depleted that we develop unusual food cravings, in part because we are seeking various essential nutrients that are not present in high enough concentrations in our daily diets.

    This can definitely explain some cases of overeating. It is thought, for example, that a deficiency of inositol may cause people to crave sugars. It is well known that deficiencies of zinc and chromium, and perhaps manganese and vanadium, may be involved in sweet cravings due to the need for these nutrients in the metabolism of sugars or glucose. A low intake of protein can cause carbohydrate cravings in slow oxidizers. A low intake of fats and oils can cause carbohydrate and sugar cravings in fast oxidizers.

    Caseomorphins and Gluteomorphins – the food opioids
    Both caseomorphins and gluteomorphins are morphine-like opioids, which we derive from dairy and wheat respectively, and are critical to our understanding of the power of these two foods in our health and well-being. These morphine-like substances, casomorphin and gluteomorphin, can be very sedating and addictive and help to explain why 75 percent of the calories in the standard American diet come from wheat and dairy, alone. Food addiction is a very real thing and these opioids play a huge role.

    Caseomorphins are formed during our attempt to digest casein, the protein that makes up 80-90 percent of the protein content of cow’s milk. It is this same protein that can cause damage to the lower intestinal lining and a malabsorption syndrome similar to that seen in celiac disease, or gluten intolerance. Borden uses casein to make Elmer’s Glue; think what it does to the walls of your intestines.

    The gluteomorphins are derived from gliadin, one of the main proteins found in gluten grains (wheat, barley, and rye). Gluten is also used to make industrial adhesives, as are soy and corn. All five of these foods are capable of damaging the lining of the intestinal tract and leading to the malabsorption of calcium, iron, B complex, C, and trace minerals (e.g. zinc, magnesium, lithium, boron, and more). This malabsorption or leaky gut syndrome contributes greatly to the ill health of the brain and immune system, setting the stage for the action of these food-derived opioids.

    Dependency on carbohydrates are a major contributor to symptoms of IBS, thyroid dysfunction, fibromyalgia, neuropathy, arthritis, depression, chronic fatigue or other typical signs associated with food intolerance. And because of these food opioids, withdrawal from these foods can lead to classic drug-withdrawal symptoms.

    These sedating compounds are also the single biggest contributing factor to post-meal drowsiness. Throw alcohol into the mix and you have a tragic situation just waiting to happen.

    Amylopectin A, Agglutinin and Gliadin
    Gluten research is coming up with more and more reasons not to eat wheat. U.S. cardiologist Dr. William (Bill) Davis and author of Wheat Belly, contends that wheat’s content of the readily-digested starch amylopectin A, is highly disruptive to blood sugar levels. The lectin (a toxin) in wheat known as “wheat germ agglutinin” can cause inflammation in the gut and elsewhere, and Gliadin, another component of gluten in wheat, has among other things, drug-like effects.

    Dr. Davis’ research shows that gliadin might not be fully digested in the gut, and may give rise to small protein molecules known as “polypeptides.” These can sometimes penetrate the gut to gain access to the bloodstream, after which they also have the capacity to make their way across the “blood-brain-barrier.” Once in the brain, gliadin polypeptides can bind to opiate receptors in the brain. Opiates receptors are also similarly bound by the addictive chemicals of morphine, heroin and opium.

    The body can generate chemicals which bind to opiate receptors termed “endorphins.” However, when a substance comes from outside the body, it is termed an “exorphin.” Gluten-derived exorphins can induce a feeling of mild euphoria. This might explain why tearing off a piece of a freshly baked baguette or digging into a bowl of pasta can seemingly be so intensely pleasurable for some. It might also explain why some struggle with giving up wheat.

    So in reading this you can see that sugar, carbohydrates and other gluten-containing foods have addictive qualities that affect quite a lot of individuals. It seems to be a very real phenomenon and there’s no doubt that eliminating or dramatically reducing sugar, flour and gluten consumption usually leads to a significant improvement in well-being, energy levels, mental function and usually, weight loss. It also explains why we want to eat more after we ingest flour and sugar.

    I want to remind you that information and advice contained in this blog should not be used for diagnosis or as a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your doctor, nutritionist or healthcare professional before beginning any new treatment.

    Research for this post came from:

    Food Addiction Institute
    http://foodaddictioninstitute.org/fundamental-concepts/am-i-a-food-addict/2011/01/

    Lawrence Wilson, MD
    http://drlwilson.com/ARTICLES/ADRENAL_BURNOUT.htm

    Dr Jeremy Kaslow, Allergy, Asthma, and Clinical Immunology and Internal Medicine
    http://www.drkaslow.com/html/oxidation_rates.html

    Dr John Briffa- A Good Look at Good Health Blog
    http://www.drbriffa.com/2012/05/17/wheat-opiate-of-the-masses/

    Dr William Davis- The Wheat Belly Blog
    http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/

    Dr Joseph Alaimo, Alaimo Chiropractic- Blog
    http://drjosephalaimo.wordpress.com/2011/06/23/caseomorphins-and-gluteomorphins-%E2%80%93-the-food-opiods/

  • I am hungry — What’s wrong with flour and sugar?

    What’s so bad about flour and sugar? Flour and sugar are the two most common substances to which food addicts identify as being addicted to. Although some food addicts report addictions to fatty, salty and excess food volume, I am going to focus on flour and sugar in this post.

    If you think you might be a food addict, then you need to know a lot more about what foods are the most likely to be addictive, even though you may not want to give them up. Most food addicts don’t want to give up flour or sugar; they just want to avoid the consequences of eating.

    The simplest way is to find out if you are addicted to flour and/or sugar is to use the self-assessment provided by the Overeaters Anonymous on their website, Is OA for you? You can also check out the Food Addiction Institute’s self-assessment questions, Am I a food addict?

    Phillip Werdell, from the Food Addiction Institute, suggests using an assessment of different kinds of “eaters,” if you are looking for a way to distinguish between a psychologically-based eating disorder and a food addiction. H. Teresa Wright, a registered dietitian from the Philadelphia area, with over a decade of experience working with compulsive eaters, suggests to her clients that they read two books: Geneen Roth’s Feeding the Hungry Heart, as a good read on emotional eating and Breaking Free of Compulsive Eating, a book focused on addictive eating. In addition, she suggests Kay Shepard’s Food Addiction: the Body Knows or Anne Katherine’s Anatomy of a Food Addiction.

    Both Wright and Werdell suggest letting you decide what type of eater you are, so you can come to your own conclusions. If you try any of the self-assessments and you think you need to make major changes in the way you eat, my strong recommendation is to do this in consultation with a doctor, dietitian and/or therapist.

    Sugar
    Sugar is a carbohydrate. Perhaps we only use the white or brown stuff, but sugar is also a natural part of many other foodstuffs such as lactose, which is a sugar found in milk, maltose in grain, fructose in fruit, and sucrose, a refined sugar. Brown sugar is simply white sugar with a bit of molasses added or it is colored with caramel.

    The food industry has developed enormous sidelines of “diet” foods, usually labeled “Sugar-Free.” Given the many different varieties of sugar; derivations of sugar such as Splenda; sugars formed from alcohol (not surprisingly, these can be very addictive); chemical sweeteners (the “polys”); artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharine, etc., the label “Sugar-Free” usually means the food contains a different kind of sugar. For some food addicts, these non-sugars can have the same result as refined sugar—the inability to eat it in reasonable amounts. Although some artificial sweeteners have no caloric value, their impact on our bodies can be just as deadly as sugars with calories, if we cannot stop consuming it. A single can of soda contains 12 teaspoons of added sugar. That’s 120 percent of the USDA’s recommended daily intake of sugar. Just think how expertly the food industry has glamorized diet soda, and how powerfully addictive artificial sweeteners are when linked with caffeine.

    What is bad about sugar is how it works in our body. Sugar is rapidly converted in the blood to triglycerides. Triglycerides are a type of fat (or sometimes called a lipid) in your blood, which can increase your risk of heart disease,obesity, and diabetes. Sugar is devoid of vitamins, minerals, or fiber; it is an empty food. Its main use in the food industry is as a stabilizer, flavor enhancer and an appetite stimulant.

    Today, the per capita consumption of sugar and other highly refined sweeteners (such as high-fructose corn syrup) is 158 pounds a year. That is a 30 percent increase in the past four decades, and during the same time period, the number of overweight Americans increased by nearly 20 percent. The culprit? Sugar.

    In 2005, researchers examined the effects of sugar on the immune system. A published study at the National Institute of Health documented sugar’s impact: Sugar steals the ability of white blood cells to destroy bacteria. White blood cells are known as “phagocytes,” and phagocytic tests show that a couple of teaspoons of sugar can sap their strength by 25 percent. A large helping of pie and ice cream renders your white cells 100 percent helpless. This effect lasts from 4 to 5 hours. Consider a 900 ml serving of processed and packaged orange juice or one 683 ml of cola—either of these will depress the immune system by 50 percent, 30 minutes after ingestion and this will last for hours! If you have sugar at every meal, which many do by eating processed foods, alone, your immune system is constantly impaired.

    For food addicts, who binge on enormous amounts of sugar, eat meals consisting of large amounts of processed food, or diets consisting almost completely of convenience foods, the impact could be exponential. For us, to eat this way is to die. 

    Flour
    Many food addicts are willing to give up sugar, but not flour. Paradoxically, it is because we believe that not having bread in our house, or never having a birthday cake makes us different. We fear appearing “different” when we already appear very ill with food addiction.

    Flour has been embedded in so many foods, we may have more difficulty surrendering flour than the more obvious of the two, sugar. Unfortunately, the food industry is willing to subscribe to “gluten-free” advertising. It is considered a niche market and many food stores see catering to people with Celiac disease (a wheat allergy) and gluten allergies as a revenue boost. Some food addicts have these medical issues, but really what makes flour addictive is the issue of bioavailability.

    Bioavailability defines the ease with which something is absorbed from the digestive tract. The higher the bioavailability of a food, the greater the total absorption and rate of absorption. The faster a food is absorbed, the more quickly it turns to glucose in the body, producing a jump in blood sugar.

    Whole grains have been in the human diet for thousands of years. Milling, grinding and refining grains is a relatively recent endeavor. Unprocessed, whole grains take much longer to digest than refined flours, for example, hot oatmeal for breakfast is better than a slice of wheat toast. Many food addicts find that flours made from other grains are just as bioavailable. Rice flour is likely to trigger the same reaction in a food addict as rice syrup: both are highly refined. We may initially be persuaded by “faux foods,” e.g. “whole-grain bread,” “flour-free bread,” etc. The fact is that such breads are all made from refined grains. It is a matter of definition on a nutritional label. Reading the glycemic index of such foods tells us the truth about their composition.

    The more refined a flour is, the more bioavailable it becomes. And the more quickly it turns into a spike of blood sugar followed by a drop in blood sugar. Which is the main reason we want to eat something at 10am and 3pm, when we are feeling lethargic and need a boost of energy.

    Sugar and flour are both carbohydrates. Other high carbohydrate foods are fruit, sweet juices, ice cream, pies, candy, potatoes, flour tortillas, pasta, rice and beans.

    So why am I addicted to flour and sugar? We will explore more of this in next week’s post.

    Information and advice contained on this site should not be used for diagnosis or should not be used as a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your doctor or healthcare professional before beginning any new treatment.

    Research for this post came from:

    Food Addiction Institute
    http://foodaddictioninstitute.org/fundamental-concepts/am-i-a-food-addict/2011/01/

    Lawrence Wilson, MD
    http://drlwilson.com/ARTICLES/ADRENAL_BURNOUT.htm

    Dr Jeremy Kaslow, Allergy, Asthma, and Clinical Immunology and Internal Medicine
    hhttp://www.drkaslow.com/html/oxidation_rates.html 

    Dr John Briffa- A Good Look at Good Health Blog
    http://www.drbriffa.com/2012/05/17/wheat-opiate-of-the-masses/

    Dr William Davis- The Wheat Belly Blog
    http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/

    Dr Joseph Alaimo, Alaimo Chiropractic- Blog
    http://drjosephalaimo.wordpress.com/2011/06/23/caseomorphins-and-gluteomorphins-%E2%80%93-the-food-opiods/

  • Hello and welcome to my new web site
    Recovery Coach, New York City!

    melissa-new-post
    Melissa Killeen

    Hello and welcome to my new web site Recovery Coach, New York City!

    I am Melissa Killeen, a recovery coach with over 25 years of recovery and 10 years of recovery coaching experience. I also wrote the first book on how to be a recovery coach. And I train others on how to be a recovery coach as well as work with recovering individuals willing to remain sober and fix the collateral damage addiction has caused in their lives.

    Every week I will be publishing a blog post on this site. Sometimes I’ll come across an interesting insight, post or article that I will share with you. More often I will write my own posts, based on my experience as a coach. Hopefully, these posts will be helpful for those I coach or for other recovery coaches, therapists or professionals in the addictions treatment field. I invite you to subscribe to my blog and have it automatically sent to your inbox every week. Subscription and comment forms are at the end of each blog post.

    To kick off this new web site and blog, I thought I would look into the scientific proof of a classic recovery acronym HALT. Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tired. I was amazed that science backs up this ancient phrase, fully. Thanks to fMRI imaging, statistical and biological research, scientists have proven it is not good to make a decision when you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired.

    In my weekly posts, I will endeavor to offer good ideas for remaining sober. Besides adhering to the HALT concepts, I will suggest following good orderly direction (GOD), and you will have nothing to FEAR (Feelings Every Addict Rejects).

    Yours in recovery,

    Melissa Killeen

    If you are interested in purchasing Melissa Killeen’s new book, click below.

    Recovery Coaching
    A Guide to Coaching People in Recovery from Addictions

    buyitnow1