After years of research, Joan Mathews Larson, Ph.D., author of Seven Weeks To Sobriety - The Proven Program To Fight Alcoholism Through Nutrition, set up an addiction treatment clinic in Minneapolis, MN that has over a 70% success rate. The Health Recovery Center was a pioneer in a holistic way of treating patients.

Dr. Larson states that "talk therapy" can help with coping skills and serious emotional issues but it cannot repair your alcohol altered brain and nervous system or banish the depression, unstable moods, and cravings that stem from the biochemical changes alcohol brings about. The program focuses on biochemical repair and restoration.

The recovery program is built around two premises:

Read more

Popularity: 14% [?]

Alcohol addiction is basically a sugar addiction. Hypoglycemia ( low blood sugar) is a factor for about 95 percent of alcoholics, and it may well be a major cause of alcoholism.

Alcohol is the ultimate refined carbohydrate, capable of elevating blood sugar levels even faster than white sugar. Consuming alcohol gives a temporary rise in blood sugar so the drinker feels relaxed and energized. When blood sugar drops, the person wants more. It is highly recommended that you take a lab test for hypoglycemia to help analyze your condition.

Brigitte Mars, author of Addiction-Free Naturally, states that when you quit drinking, it's essential that you feed your body a cleansing, healthy diet that supplies the nutrients it needs to recover from alcohol abuse. It is important to keep the body's blood sugar level stable by eating small, frequent meals. Avoid sugar, sweets, sweetened fruit juices, caffeine, and refined carbohydrates such as breads and pasta. Eat plenty of vegetables and whole grains and drink plenty of water.

When you have a craving for alcohol, try any of the following foods:

Read more

Popularity: 39% [?]

Drug abuse and brain disorders often co-exist. In some cases, mental diseases may precede addiction; in other cases, drug abuse may trigger or exacerbate mental disorders, particularly in individuals with specific vulnerabilities.

What are the medical consequences of drug addiction?

Individuals who suffer from addiction often have one or more accompanying medical issues, including lung and cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, and mental disorders. Imaging scans, chest x-rays, and blood tests show the damaging effects of drug abuse throughout the body. For example, tests show that smoking causes cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx, blood, lungs, stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder, and cervix. In addition, some drugs of abuse, such as inhalants, are toxic to nerve cells and may damage or destroy them either in the brain or the peripheral nervous system.

What harmful consequences to others result from drug addiction?

Read more

Popularity: 12% [?]

Just as we turn down the volume on a radio that is too loud, the brain adjusts to the overwhelming surges in (and other neurotransmitters) by producing less dopamine or by reducing the number of receptors that can receive and transmit signals. As a result, dopamine's impact on the reward circuit of a drug abuser's brain can become abnormally low, and the ability to experience any pleasure is reduced. This is why the abuser eventually feels flat, lifeless, and depressed, and is unable to enjoy things that previously brought them pleasure. Now, they need to take drugs just to bring their dopamine function back up to normal. And, they must take larger amounts of the drug than they first did to create the dopamine high - an effect known as tolerance.

How does long-term drug taking affect brain circuits?

Read more

Popularity: 13% [?]

Drugs are chemicals. They work in the brain by tapping into the brain's communication system and interfering with the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. Some drugs, such as marijuana and heroin, can activate neurons because their chemical structure mimics that of a natural neurotransmitter. This similarity in structure "fools" receptors and allows the drugs to lock onto and activate the nerve cells. Although these Street drugs mimic brain chemicals, they don't activate nerve cells in the same way as a natural neurotransmitter, and they lead to abnormal messages being transmitted through the network.

Other drugs, such as amphetamine or cocaine, can cause the nerve cells to release abnormally large amounts of natural neurotransmitters or prevent the normal recycling of these brain chemicals. This disruption produces a greatly amplified message, ultimately disrupting communication channels. The difference in effect can be described as the difference between someone whispering into your ear and someone shouting into a microphone.

How do drugs work in the brain to produce pleasure?

Read more

Popularity: 22% [?]

This information was recently released from Duke University:

smokers reported that consuming milk, water, fruits and vegetables worsened the taste of cigarettes , while consuming alcohol, coffee and meat enhanced their taste, according to the researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

The findings could lead to a "Quit Smoking Diet" or to development of a gum or lozenge that makes cigarettes less palatable, said lead study investigator Joseph McClernon, Ph.D., an assistant research professor of medical psychiatry at the Duke Center for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation Research.

"With a few modifications to their diet — consuming items that make cigarettes taste bad, such as a cold glass of milk, and avoiding items that make cigarettes taste good, like a pint of beer — smokers can make quitting a bit easier," McClernon said.

The findings appear in the April 2007 issue of the journal . The research was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Read more

Popularity: 32% [?]