Category Archives: Women Health

Obesity and Religion today

Obesity and Religion today-The truth of the matter

Religion

Weight gain, obesity has no room with this healthy but fun exercise

I come from a Christian background with good moral teachings at a family level and beyond. In my up bring I can state with certainty that apart from when in school all my days were spent either in the church or in a church related event or function, and so I am a son of the church if I may put it that way. Why this introduction in this health topic? Is there any meaningful relationship between the church (religion) and obesity as a health risk today? Answering these questions will form the basis of this article and I take the earliest opportunity to seek your indulgence to take a moment and read on.

Obesity and Religion today-Order of events

You are probably wondering why obesity in the church set up, I was wondering too but listen to this, in my introduction I mention that “apart from time spent in school, all my days were spent either in church or in a church related function” to understand this better let us discuss some of the orders of my church, every:

  • Mondays the church has fellowships in various local languages and this is a door to door event done in rotation depending on your cell group.
  • Tuesdays is set aside for senior believer’s fellowship that is those who are very strong and undoubtedly faithful to the doctrines of the church as spelt in the bible.
  • Wednesdays is for fellowship conducted in the national language meaning all ethnic groups attend in their respective cells (i.e.., eastern, western, central and more)
  • Thursdays is church bible study.
  • Fridays all the cell groups of Wednesdays have one regional meeting in a given location.
  • Saturdays is dedicated for young adult’s fellowship.
  • Sunday we have four different church services.

Obesity and Religion today-The diet

As you can see each day of the week is occupied. Now back to the problem of obesity in all these events and many others not mention there is food every time these meeting takes place. The feasting after each event is normally not under any control. Host members take their day and entertain their guest in their own way. You can now start to understand where I am heading to. The kinds of meals prepared are so luring and appetizing that everyone will always ask for more. At this time the knowledge of healthy feeding habits is not a consideration and faithful can only feast and make merry.

You can margin if you subscribe to all these groups and you are committed in each on a daily, weekly and monthly basis not withstanding your own poor feeding style at the restaurants and even at home, you will certainly become addicted to food and poor you it is with the wrong kinds of food which are not in any way healthy at all. It’s no wonder some studies have established that young adults who frequently attend religious activities are fifty percent more likely to become obese by middle age as compared with young adults with no religious involvement

We may not categorically state that religious participation is associated with development of obesity, but looking at the narrations above it’s possible that getting together weekly and associating good works and happiness with eating unhealthy foods could lead to the development of habits that are associated with greater body weight and obesity.”

Obesity and Religion today-Awareness

Previous research established a correlation between religious involvement and obesity in middle-age and older adults at a single point in time. By tracking participants’ weight gain over time, however the new study makes it clear that the normal weight of younger adults with high religious involvement became obese, rather than obese adults becoming more religious, this research is being presented at the American Heart Association’s Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism/Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention Scientific Sessions 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Obesity is the major epidemic that is facing the globe’s population right now. We know that people with obesity have substantial risks for developing diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer, and of dying much younger. It’s therefore very important that we use all of the tools at our disposal to identify groups at risk and to provide education and support to prevent the development of obesity in the first place. Once the weight is on, it is much harder to lose it. Knowing this, as writers and the society at large we must caution that the research findings should by all means be taken to mean that people with frequent religious involvement are more likely to become obese and not that they have worse overall health status than those who are non-religious. This is because we all can testify that people with frequent religious involvement tend to live longer than those who aren’t religious in part because they tend to smoke or take alcoholic drinks less if not at all.

Here’s an opportunity for religious organizations to initiate programs to help their congregations live even longer. The organizations already have groups of people getting together and infrastructures in place that could be leveraged to initiate programs that prevent people from becoming obese and treat existing obesity. This is an action point and these groups must desire to embrace teachings on how dietary changes and increased physical activity can lower cardiovascular disease risk factors such as obesity, cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Now that you know how to gain weight and become obese in the religion set up you need to make a positive decision about this problem. It’s not something you would want to try but instead run away from as much as you can. I want to make this conclusion remarks for you who is reading this article, if you are already have the problem of weight gain or obesity or if you know of a friend or relative going through this, help is just a stone through away with doctor Dalal Akoury of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. Doctor Akoury cares for you and will focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE. This is something you don’t want to miss if you wish to have your life back and live it to the fullest.

Obesity and Religion today-The truth of the matter

 

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Obesity and Gender difference

Obesity and Gender difference-Do we have equality in this?

Gender

the issue of obesity cuts across all gender men and women suffer victims and must start healthy living

Many people think that there is a dramatic difference in how obesity affects men and women. The truth is, we have more in common than not, but some notable differences do exist.

The emotional and physical struggles are pervasive and attack a man’s self-esteem and social status in many of the same ways as women. It may be that the misconception about these differences applies to more overweight individuals.

It may well be that men are less sensitive to being overweight or on the leading edge of obesity as they are often considered to just be the “big guy,” and it is less socially acceptable for women to be even moderately overweight.

Men who are overweight are sometimes perceived as being stronger and the guy you ask over to help on moving day. There is however the point of no return where the “big guy” is just the “fat guy.” He is no longer seen as the helpful or strong guy but the one that can’t be physically active and would only hurt him on moving day.

Obesity and Gender difference-Eating Habits and Gender

It has been documented that there are gender differences in eating habits. Specifically, a study conducted by Foodborne Disease Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) found that men tend to eat more meat (particularly red meat) and poultry and women were more likely to eat fruits and vegetables. Additionally, the sexes find comfort in food, but approach this aspect of food in very different ways.

Experts in a study conducted in 2005 Journal Physiology & Behavior (Vol. 86, No. 4) found that men were more likely to use food in celebration, and they will seek out higher protein foods such as steak. Whereas, women use comfort foods to cope with negative experiences and choose higher calorie sweet snack foods such as chocolate or ice cream.

The stereotype of the man going out for a big steak dinner to celebrate a promotion at work and the woman drowning her sorrows for the lost relationship in a half gallon of ice cream actually have scientific merit.

That is not to say that men do not also deal with negative emotions with food as women do, but that times of celebration are also times of risk for poor eating decisions. It is in these celebratory activities ware men seem to be more unique and choose to feed themselves in discriminatively to crown the event. In so doing they lose track of their diet and gain more pounds

The part where men get lost is that coping occurs not just with negative emotions, but with even the positive ones. We often think about our bad decisions and negative coping, but men are more apt to throw caution to the wind in the efforts of celebration.

Obesity and Gender difference-Weight Gain and Gender

These differences may well play into how men and women deal with weight gain. There has been a distinct appeal to low carbohydrate approaches to men as they get to keep some of their favorite celebratory foods and are not resigned to salads and raw vegetables. Whereas women may be more likely to struggle with such approaches; or the recommended “protein first” approach to the post-operative diet plans.

Men differ greatly in how they deal with their vanity. Don’t fool yourself – even the manliest of men can be vain. Whether it is coloring our gray or replacing our missing hairs, we want our youthful masculine appearance. Weight issues are no exception.

Men long for the six pack abs and gun show arms which will elude most of us. Some of us struggled with weight issues early in our childhood. The early experience left us scared of ridicule and social exclusion. Others mourn the loss of their physical abilities and looks with the addition of weight later in life.

Obesity and Gender difference-Male Weight Issues

I have been leading aftercare support groups as part of my work. When starting my work there, we developed a men’s-only group, as men were often the minority in the existing support groups. It appeared as though the men wanted such a venue as they felt that there were significant differences in their experiences from women who had undergone gastric weight-loss surgeries.

The reality was that their experiences were not as different, but the issues that they wanted to work through were often not appropriate for the coed setting. It seems the weight kept the men from feeling as sexual and that many had given up on themselves. Their comfort in being out of any relationship or taking their relationship for granted had caught up with them.

Yes, I am letting the secret out that men are often more motivated to stay healthy to attract the opposite sex, but irony rears its ugly head. With increased weight comes decreased sex drive, not to mention decreased attractiveness.

Reduced sex drive is a prominent theme of the men’s groups; with this comes isolation. Later with their weight-loss well underway they are equally surprised by the return of sex drive and the confusion now how to handle this. With fragile self-esteem damaged by weight and years of social isolation, this sex drive is often an unwelcome surprise.

Obesity and Gender difference-Conclusion

In conclusion, men struggle emotionally, socially and physically with obesity just as women do, but there may be subtle differences in how that weight evolves and how they deal with the need to reduce the weight. Celebration, isolation, sexuality and self-esteem all can be obstacles as well as incentives to men in their weight-loss efforts. A better insight into the individual’s reasons for eating and the consequences of their weight will lead to better weight-loss efforts and increased self-esteem. Looking at the struggle both gender go through, I want to offer a solution which will be long lasting. If you are struggling with weight gain or obesity no matter gender, a visit to AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury’s  is all you need. At this facility you will be cared for. Doctor Dalal Akoury will focus only on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE and you will live your life to the fullest.

Obesity and Gender difference-Do we have equality in this?

 

 

 

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Food that inspire food addiction

Food that inspire food addiction-They cause physical and emotional dependencies

Food

mind much a bout the kind of food you eat, you may be feeding on food that cause addiction

In many cases overweight people are often seen or believed to be either lazy or just don’t have the will power to actively operate normally. The choice of food you eat, when you eat and frequencies of exercise you do affect your weight significantly. The previously ignored element may be food addiction; this does not necessarily mean that we are desperate for a candy bar. By the way some of the food that causes addiction are:

  • Chocolate
  • Sugar
  • Cheese
  • Milk
  • Meat

Food that inspire food addiction-Chocolate

Experts have found out that chocolate stimulates the same part of the brain that opiate drugs do, that is to say chocolate acts like a drug producing food addiction which causes us to crave for more and more of it.

Before we know, we are on the road to being addicted to chocolate. Emphasis should be made to the public that food addiction is not a laughing matter. Chocolate as food contains other stimulant drugs like caffeine, theobromine and pheylethylamine, according to expert’s chocolate is not just a drug but a whole drug store wrapped up in one.

Food that inspire food addiction-Cheese

But chocolate’s not the only food addiction studies have established that when people who were consuming meat and other dairy products are stopped from consuming the same, the yearning for cheese was described as a “deep seated craving” that stayed with them much longer than their compulsion for other foods. Researchers also found a chemical in cow’s milk similar to morphine, and after testing it repeatedly, they discovered that it was, in fact, morphine. It was only a trace amount, and not all the samples contained the chemical in recognizable levels, but there was indeed a small amount of morphine in cow’s milk.

Assuming that the morphine must have come from the cows’ diets, they were shocked to find that the cows actually made traces of it within their bodies, along with codeine and other opiates that were produced in their livers. They were also surprised to learn that cow’s milk (and the milk of any species) contains the protein, casein that breaks down during the digestion process, and releases other opiate-like compounds called casomorphins. What does this have to with cheese? Casein is concentrated in cheese. So we have the makings of another possible food addiction.

Food that inspire food addiction-Milk

Why are there traces of morphine in milk? (Actually, it’s not some environmental problem.) Scientists believe that the mother’s milk has a relaxing effect on the baby, and this drug-like effect on the brain is responsible for the bonding that is necessary, for the baby to get the nutrition he needs. Researchers gave volunteers yogurt and skim milk, and found that the casein (milk opiates) not only acted within the digestive tract, but some of the fragments actually entered the bloodstream, with direct access to the brain. The effect was greatest about 40 minutes after eating. As mentioned before, cheese has more casein than other dairy products. (Recent studies have found that meat also stimulates the brain’s pleasure centers.) To further prove their theory, researchers found that when volunteers were given naloxone, (a drug that blocks opiates, used in the treatment of heroin and morphine overdoses), their desire for cheese, meat, chocolate, and other addictive foods was greatly decreased.

Food that inspire food addiction-Sugar

In addition, scientists have discovered that fast foods, like hamburgers and fries, may also be responsible for food addictions. The high fat and carbohydrate content causes changes in the brain that are normally correlated with drug addiction, (and the result is food addiction.) Sugar and fat stimulates the release of natural opiates in the brain, and may be triggering the same response as heroin. After giving rats a diet that was one quarter sugar, he abruptly withdrew the sugar, and the rats went into high anxiety mode, experiencing trembling and teeth chattering, similar to the effects that occur during morphine or nicotine withdrawal. So, in review, the sugar produced the same withdrawal effects that highly addictive drugs do.

Food addiction plays an enormous role in our eating habits, when we’re depressed, tired, lonely, anxious, worried, fearful, etc. We run to the addictive food of choice. For me many people, it is chocolate and sugar, with carbohydrates following close behind, which is particularly bad and that explains why diabetic is rising. Certain foods act as drugs, because our body responds to the natural opiates in them, just as it would to drug opiates. As we experience these effects over and over, we may develop a food addiction.

Medical scans have even been able to document these findings about food addiction. Researchers compared the brain scans of drug addicts with chronic over-eaters, and found startling similarities. If you think about it, many of the behaviors are the same–the obsession, compulsion, and preoccupation with drugs, is often also experienced with food. The overwhelming guilt, the tendency to use drugs to relieve emotional problems, and even the secrecy that is often involved in drug use, is also a part of compulsive overeating. While none of the researchers are suggesting that the physical and emotional drive is as strong with food, as it is with heroin, what they have found is that some of the previously mentioned food addictions are a part of the overall problem of obesity or overeating. Food addiction is real, according to scientific research.

So how do we kick the habit of food addiction? Interesting unlike coming off of drugs, we can’t just stop eating. Nutritionist suggests starting your day with a good breakfast that will help you keep food cravings at a minimum. Try to keep blood sugar levels normal by staying away from white sugar, white flour, white bread, and other starchy foods such as white potatoes, rice, and pasta. Instead substitute low-fat protein, vegetables, beans, low-sugar fruits, and whole grains. Eat enough healthy foods to satisfy your hunger, and don’t go on starvation diets. You’ll just end up binging sooner or later, because your body feels so deprived.

Take a break from some of the more addictive foods, and you will soon experience less of a craving for them. Food addictions are just one component of overeating, and obesity. There are often metabolic issues, genetic variables, and complex physical and emotional reasons why we overeat. But learning about the addictive nature of some foods, can enable us to understand the powerful cravings that we sometimes experience, and help us on our path to healthy food choices.

Food that inspire food addiction-They cause physical and emotional dependencies

 

 

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Prefrontal cortex in addiction: The Executive Brain

Prefrontal cortex in addiction-Effect of Right and Left PFC

The Prefrontal cortex in addiction

Studies around problems in the brains prefrontal cortex have been associated with Impulsive action; a trait of addictive behavior.

The prefrontal cortex in addiction (PFC) is that portion of the brain located in the very front of the brain, just behind the forehead. It’s in charge of abstract thinking and thought analysis it is also responsible for regulating behavior. This includes mediating conflicting thoughts, making choices between right and wrong, and predicting the possible outcomes of actions or events. This brain area also governs social control, such as suppressing emotional or sexual urges. Since the prefrontal cortex is the brain center responsible for taking in data through the body’s senses and deciding on actions, it is most strongly implicated in human qualities like consciousness, general intelligence, and personality

Prefrontal cortex in addiction-Function

This vital region of the brain regulates thought in terms of both short-term and long-term decision making. It allows humans to plan ahead and create strategies, and also to adjust actions or reactions in changing situations. Additionally, the PFC helps to focus thoughts, which enables people to pay attention, learn, and concentrate on goals. This area is also the part of the brain that allows humans to consider several different yet related lines of thinking when learning or evaluating complex concepts or tasks. The prefrontal cortex in addiction also houses active, working memory.

The Prefrontal Cortex in Addiction

Chemical addiction is classified as a mental illness, such that addiction changes the brain in fundamental ways. An addiction disturbs a person’s normal hierarchy of needs and desires and substitutes new priorities connected with using drugs or alcohol. The resulting compulsive behaviors that override the ability to control impulses despite the consequences are similar to hallmarks of other mental illnesses.

Prefrontal cortex in addiction-Signs of Prefrontal Cortex Damage

  • Studies around problems in the brains prefrontal cortex have been associated with Impulsive action; a trait of addictive behavior.
  • Lack of dopamine in the prefrontal cortex is also associated with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).
  • Lack of serotonin is a common problem with juveniles who lash out.

Some believe that impulsive behavior says more about an addicts approach to their addiction rather than the addiction itself. If one asked, “Why would anyone use drugs knowing that they lead to suffering?”  The impulsiveness argument is a good answer, because it suggests that the thinking person is not in control, which reinforces the argument that the addict is powerless.

Prefrontal cortex in addiction-Signs of Addictive Behavior
  • Addicts differ in their capacity to exercise judgment and inhibit impulses.
  • The brain’s prefrontal cortex helps to determine the adaptive value of pleasure recorded by the nucleus accumbens and checks the urge to take the drug when it would be unwise.
  • If the prefrontal cortex is not functioning properly, an addictive drug has more power to monopolize the reward circuit.
Prefrontal cortex in addiction-Depression

Though depression involves an overall reduction in brain activity, some parts of the brain are more affected than others. In brain-imaging studies using PET scans, depressed people display abnormally low activity in the prefrontal cortex in addiction, and more specifically in its lateral, orbitofrontal, and ventromedial regions. And the severity of the depression often correlates with the extent of the decline in activity in the prefrontal cortex.

  1. Orbitofrontal cortex
  2. Lateral prefrontal cortex
  3. Ventromedial cortex
  4. Limbic system

The prefrontal cortex in addiction is known not only to be involved in emotional responses, but also to have numerous connections with other parts of the brain that are responsible for controlling dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, three neurotransmitters that are important in mood regulation. More specifically, the lateral prefrontal cortex seems to help us choose a course of behavior by letting us assess the various alternatives mentally. The orbitofrontal cortex seems to let us defer certain immediate gratifications and suppress certain emotions in order to obtain greater long-term benefits. And the ventromedial cortex is thought to be one of the sites in the brain where we experience emotions and the meanings of things.

The two halves of the prefrontal cortex in addiction also seem to have specialized functions, with the left half being involved in establishing positive feelings and the right half in establishing negative ones. And indeed, in depressed people, it is the left prefrontal cortex that shows the greatest signs of weakness. In other words, when people are depressed, they find it very hard not only to set goals in order to obtain rewards, but also to believe that such goals can be achieved.

In healthy people, the left prefrontal cortex might also help to inhibit the negative emotions generated by limbic structures such as the amygdalae, which show abnormally high activity in depressed patients. In patients who respond positively to antidepressants, this over activity is reduced. And when the amygdalae remain highly hyperactive despite antidepressant treatment, the likelihood of a patient’s relapsing into depression is high.

It is also interesting to note that when someone’s left prefrontal cortex is operating at full capacity, the levels of glucocorticoids in their blood are generally very low. This follows logically, considering the harmful effects that high levels of glucocorticoids have on mood.

Brain-imaging studies have also shown that in patients with severe depression, the volume of the two hippocampi is reduced. This atrophy may be due to a loss of neurons that is also induced by the toxic effects of the high levels of glucocorticoids associated with recurrent episodes of depression. The extent of atrophy in the hippocampus even seems to be proportional to the sum of the durations of the episodes of depression, and depressions that are treated rapidly do not seem to lead to this reduction in hippocampal volume

Prefrontal cortex in addiction-Effect of Right and Left PFC

 

 

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None is immune to stress and addiction

None is immune to stress and addiction-All are at risk

.Addiction

Professionals work in very stressful environment and many of them are suffering from addiction secretly

It’s easy to think only the less privilege in the society is the possible candidates for stress and addiction. This school of thought is in the mind of the majority and everyone wants to believe it however this is not always the case. Everybody is at risk of being addicted to any substance or being stressful in any environment. If you go to health institutions you will find medical staff trying to offer treatment to addicts, you may be tempted to believe that they themselves aren’t suffering from the same. Some are, and some definitely aren’t. In fact one out of 10 physicians have problems with alcohol or drugs at some point during their careers.

Those who admit they have an addiction to alcohol or drugs, as well as those who slip up and get reported, usually have to go through an intense substance abuse program before they can practice medicine again. Such physician health programs are pretty effective, helping around 80% of doctors recover from their problems. But these programs raise some ethical questions and I ask.

None is immune to stress and addiction-Is your doctor impaired?

Given that drug- or alcohol-impaired doctors aren’t rare, it’s possible you may come across one someday that is if you haven’t. You might suspect a drug or alcohol problem from your doctor if you notice some of these signs:

  • slurs words
  • stumbles
  • lacks coordination
  • forgets beyond what is reasonable
  • looks unusually disheveled
  • is irritable or easily angered
  • becomes overly emotional

It must be noted that these aren’t specific to drug or alcohol abuse, but they could be the result of drug or alcohol use. They could also be due to many other issues, such as a personal problem (marital difficulty or death of a loved one, among others), a medical illness (such as diabetes or the onset of dementia), or another mental health problem. Keep in mind that doctors, like the rest of us, can be very good about hiding an addiction. This drug problem is not affecting only the medics but it cuts across all professions.

None is immune to stress and addiction-Reporting

What should you do if you think one of your doctors has a drug or alcohol addiction? For your own protection, it would make sense to find a new doctor, though this might be difficult if there aren’t many in your area. If the doctor you are concerned about works in a group practice or a hospital setting, talk with the practice administrator, clinic chief, division head, ombudsman, or other doctor in the practice in an objective and matter-of-fact way. They are obligated to ensure that their colleagues are safe to practice medicine.

If your suspicions are strong enough, and you don’t trust the doctor’s colleagues to take appropriate action, voice your concerns to the state board of medicine. Someone there will then be obliged to do some investigating.

Who is an addict? With addictive tragedies striking every community in the nation – with many millions of Americans addicted to alcohol and drugs alone – legions of scientists are asking: What aspects of psychological makeup contribute to addiction? Are there common threads that weave through all addictions, from hard drugs to cigarettes, from gambling to overeating?

It is part of a much broader effort that has already seen progress in understanding the chemistry of addiction, as biochemists isolate the chemicals and mechanisms by which the brain gives itself pleasure. And the whole panoply of addiction research has led to insights that buttress a profusion of therapies. Though some of them hold great promise, all would benefit from an increased understanding of the addictive personality.

Despite the wide gulf between an addiction to drugs and an addiction to gambling, some mental health experts find it useful to view addiction as including all self-destructive, compulsive behaviors. Some even go so far as to include the relatively benign activity of compulsive television-watching.

In bringing together much of the existing knowledge on the personality’s role in addictions, with an emphasis on drugs and alcohol, a new study prepared for the National Academy of Sciences concludes that there is no single set of psychological characteristics that embrace all addictions. But the study does see common elements from addiction to addiction.

None is immune to stress and addiction-Factors contributing to addiction

The report finds that there are several ”significant personality factors” that can contribute to addiction:

  • Impulsive behavior, difficulty in delaying gratification, an antisocial personality and a disposition toward sensation seeking.
  • A high value on nonconformity combined with a weak commitment to the goals for achievement valued by the society.
  • A sense of social alienation and a general tolerance for deviance.
  • A sense of heightened stress. This may help explain why adolescence and other stressful transition periods are often associated with the most severe drug and alcohol problems.

Professionals believes that the continuing search for the personality traits that play a part in the development of addictions is an essential part of the broader fight against addiction, an opinion shared by others familiar with the field. ”If we can better identify the personality factors, ”they (doctors) can help us devise better treatment and can open up new strategies to intervene and break the patterns of addiction.”

Moreover, it’s believes that the insights provided by this kind of research could lead to much more effective preventive programs than those available today, to be used ”before problems reach the critical stage.” Supplementing the personality factors listed in the academy’s report, other behavioral scientists who have studied addicts point to additional often-found features of personality or background – a lack of self-esteem, marked depression or anxiety, physical or sexual abuse in childhood, and sharply conflicting parental expectations.

The broad approach to addiction is taken by Lawrence J. Hatterer, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at the Cornell University Medical College who wrote in his book, ”The Pleasure Addicts” (Barnes) that ”Addictive behavior has invaded every aspect of American life today. We all feel the cloud of concern about becoming addictive – preoccupation with weight, smoking, drinking too much, or being caught in an excess of spending, acquiring, gambling, sex or work.”

Among other activities which, done in excess, have been characterized as addictive behavior are caffeine consumption, eating of chocolates or other sugar-laden foods, television watching, playing video games and even running.

None of these activities are considered to be addictions by doctors unless they involve excessive, repetitive use of pleasurable activities to cope with unmanageable internal conflict, pressure and stress. While such activity may begin pleasurably in a person’s life, the process in the addict involves increasing activity to achieve the same effect and eventually results in injury to the person’s health or to his work, family and social relationships. The addicted person typically denies that his activity is detrimentally affecting him. If the addict is forced to stop, he finds he suffers physical or psychological withdrawal pains, and often feels compelled to resume his excessive pattern.

None is immune to stress and addiction-All are at risk

 

 

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