Addictiveness of Sugar

July 28, 2014

Addictiveness of Sugar – The White Addictive Poison

Addictiveness of Sugar. It is not funny sugar is a legally accepted poison to your health. You can get help from the experts

A part from those committing suicide no one would want to poison themselves for fear of the consequences and love of life. But did you know that on a daily basis you are willingly adding poison in your body system? This sounds strange to your ears but it is the truth. I am talking about the sweet things and food staff you love and a day cannot go without having a bit. It may sound unbelievable to you that the normal sugar you add to your coffee, tea or milk is more addictive than cocaine, in fact it is not just addictive but it is eight time more addictive. How would you feel if you are told that researchers and medical professionals the world over are now saying that if they knew the effects and destruction that this substance has on people they would have banned it and placed it on the same list as cocaine. This substance is the cause of a pandemic of health issues, diabetes, obesity, disease and death. And what if you are told that you and your children are probably already addicts?

It is not my intention to scare you this drug is consumable and in fact, it’s not only legal to push, pedal, distribute and sell, it is also commercially promoted and advertised openly as one of the world’s most traded commodities. It is one of America’s top exported products of mass destruction alongside with weapons of war, alcohol, tobacco and entertainment. It is omnipresent in almost every food type and major American food brand. This addictive drug is one of the world’s most valuable agricultural commodities and is traded in the world market in the tune of billions of dollars by more than 123 countries. The secret of its deadliness is out in most developed countries and its use however has increased in spite of this knowledge and has more than doubled in developing countries. So what is this addictive, omnipresent, legal drug of choice? You have probably guessed it by now its C12H22O11 and I am almost sure that you are a user on some level of sugar.

Addictiveness of Sugar – Sugar

Research has established that almost everything, delicious and very addictive stuff, called sugar or sucrose or fructose or many other names it now goes by to hide its presence. Ever since laws have been implemented to specifically state the amount of sugar in their products, manufacturers have been using various other names to hide the actual amount of sugar contained in them. For instance look out for these sly labels – barley malt, beet sugar, brown sugar, buttered syrup, caramel, corn syrup, confectioners’ sugar, carob syrup, caster name them, whatever their new nouns may be the all have a common denominator and that is sugar.

Addictiveness of Sugar – Yes we need Sugar

Yes we do need sugar (glucose) and our bodies cannot function without it. We can however get our required amount from healthy fruits and foods and we need not add the extra 4kg of refined sugar every month, over and above what we require. It is important to note that sugar is found in most of our food but the adding of extra sugar and the creation of sugary products has grown exponentially. Researchers tell us that the most efficient way to deliver a sugar fix is via the soft drink industry. Apart from the effects on your health, a sugar researcher tells us that drinking one sugary soft drink a day will increase your weight by 6kg per year. A bottle of Coke a day will increase your weight by 11kg per year. And don’t get me started on sugar substitutes and “diet” cold drinks. According to medical professionals they are nothing more than poisons. Medically most, if not all sugar substitutes are referred to as neurotoxins.

Addictiveness of Sugar – Behavior Change

So it will be important that you make a decision to limit your consumption of sugar and realize the benefits. For instance listen to this confession my mother became a diabetic (no surprise) she then stopped eating sugar and lost about 20kg in 6 months with no much physical activities and no change at all in her diet. After several hardest days (40) of my life I lost 5kg and now on day 71, am down 8kg. I have to add that I have been weight training and not eating bread.

I never started my sugar stoppage for weight loss. I really did it because I got to a stage when my health started to suffer and I was out of control. I needed an intervention and the opportunity to kick my own ass. My waist had gotten so big I was asked to participate in a commercial audition for an organization and believe it I was literally struggling to tie my shoelaces in the morning without a respirator. I was on thyroid medication and Nexium for gastro oesophageal reflux, I fought hard to sleep, I had no energy and by 3 o’clock in the afternoon wanted to take a nap, I always got colds and flu, I got muscle cramps and injuries and I felt all round crappy.

Today because a decision to change my behaviors I feel 100% healthier, I have stopped all of my medications, I sleep well, have more energy than ever before and I have lost 8 kg in fat. Not bad for just stopping and looking out for sugar. The most important and significant change is the fact that I have taken back control of my life from my drug of choice, beautiful, deadly, Florida icing – sugar.

Relapse

Unfortunately I have found that one of the only ways to beat an addiction is to be placed in situations of temptation again and again and having to say no. Every time you are tempted and you say no, you take back the power. You take the power away from the addiction one temptation at a time. You will find, like I did, that the universe will, with love and kindness, put you into situations of mass temptation the exact day and week you decide to take back your power. It is perfectly designed because you cannot take back your power unless you are tempted. Taking yourself out of a situation does not allow you to exercise personal control. It’s the hardest most satisfying ride you will ever take. I challenge you to be and obtain your superpower of self-control and you will have the best of your like I did.

What is your feeling of that confession? As you reflect about it, you will not find it to be smooth all the way and so you will need to seek for help from the experts like talking to Dr. Akoury of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center will help you achieve optimal weight loss if sugar brings obesity to your life. At this facility we focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE. Doctor Akoury is also an addiction professional of over two decades and you will be able to get all inclusive professional attention on both addiction and Obesity.

Addictiveness of Sugar – The White Addictive Poison

Reality of Drug Abuse

July 26, 2014

Reality of Drug Abuse – When Drug Abuse is ruining your life

The reality of drug abuse. Are you not aware of the dangers of drug abuse? Drug abuse has no respect to anyone.

Drugs are poisonous to the body and are not good for human life in any way. All that drugs can do to one’s life is to ruin it and destroy. If drugs are this destructive what are you doing about it? Don’t you think the time to face the reality has come? Take a moment and reason within yourself how it’s practically impossible for you to own up to what you’re doing to yourself, particularly when it gets to drug abuse. It’s seemingly too easy to engage in justification, finger-pointing, playing the blame game or just ignoring the truth.

The moment drug abuse is ruining your life you will not be able to be in the comfort of repudiating the facts: You’ve slid downhill just about as far as you can go. How do you face reality? What are the signs that drug abuse has nearly done you in? Is there anything positive you really can do, now that you feel like you’re a lost cause? The answer is an undisputable yes. The very first thing to do is acceptance that there is a problem which needs fixing. This then gives you the willpower to take further recovery action which may include the following:

Reality of Drug Abuse – Take Stock of Your Life

This will open your dark days in drugs and believe me it is not anyone cup of tea, it will be emotionally and socially painful when the reality descend on you. For instance you may notice that you succeeded in destroy yourself. Despite the painful reality there is hope of turning the tables and begin transforming your life. By now I believe that this moment of reflection has given you enough reasons why this is the best decision you are taking and so let us list just a few in case you need reinforcement for making this drastic change in your life.

Reality of Drug Abuse – Getting your health back

Is there anybody who doesn’t want to be healthy and live a good life? You were then but now your refreshment time has come and you are going to put all the past addictive experiences behind you greeting each day with smiles of abundance of health without the pain brought on you by chronic drug use. You must resolve to do what you can to regain your health. If you’re now in a debilitative state or end-phase disease, you can still take steps to make your quality of life better for your remaining days.

Reality of Drug Abuse – Mend relationships with your family

Your actions during the period you were using drugs may have caused you the joy of being with your family and friends and by now their hearts are broken and some may have even written you off their lives you must make a mend with them because no one wants to live a life empty of the love and support of those closest to us, even if we have our differences. Family should be able to raise above all that. You will appreciate that in this category your drug abuse and addiction has cost you dearly and you may be afraid or even unwilling to go through the difficult challenge of mending relationships. Yet, you still want to, somewhere deep in your psyche. Be encouraged this is only difficult but not impossible it may take longer than you think but peace will prevail once more. The key is to have this as a goal, and then work toward achieving it once you’ve become clean and sober again.

Reality of Drug Abuse – Reclaiming your job

Anyone who’s a drug addict knows full well that working and career don’t mix with the never-ending pursuit of the next fix, the next high. All you think about and all your actions revolve around your drug use – scheming to find, borrow or steal money to obtain your drugs, angling for where to secure them, using, getting high, coming down from the high, and beginning the cycle all over again.

Likely your job was one of the first things to go once your drug use began affecting your performance and attendance, as well as your appearance, interaction with co-workers and boss, and your overall manners. Getting back into gainful employment should be one of your goals after you are clean and free of drugs, since you cannot support yourself or others or make any meaningful headway in recovery if you are poverty-stricken.

Reality of Drug Abuse – Make something of yourself

Somewhere along the line you gave up on your dreams and instead you relegated yourself to something less than, to living in the shadows, to only getting by. Do you have idea why that took place?

Did you grow up in a dysfunctional family, constantly browbeaten and ridiculed, humiliated so that you felt like you were worthless and no-good?
Were you physically beaten, sexually abused, and neglected to the point of having to fend for yourself?
All this can and does put children at serious risk of falling prey to the lures of drug abuse.

Nonetheless because you are picking up the pieces you can come back from all this. You can make something of yourself once again. It will take a great deal of effort and the help of professionals to build your self-esteem don’t lose focus it can be done. You have to choose to try. It is not just a worthwhile goal but it is essential to achieving all your other goals in sobriety.

Reality of Drug Abuse – Financial security

The effects of drug addiction on your finances are one which is very much noticeable due to the sudden change of your lifestyle. It is common with most if not all drug addicts to be reckless with their spending on the supply of their substances until they are completely penniless. When they become penniless they begin to use their properties in exchange for the drugs, then lying and stealing from friends, family members or even strangers. Any available money would be used to finance the drug needs. This is the reality of your life as an addict but now that you are choosing to be sober and have your life back, financial security will be very important. Achieving this may not be possible easily without hard work and immense discipline. You will have to draw a plan of action even as you seek help from someone who can give you the best action plan. With good plan you will get back on your financial feet and live on the positive side of life.

Finally as you consider these options it will be fair for you to be in constant touch with an addiction professional who will be of help to you professionally on this journey of addiction recovery. Doctor Dalal Akoury has been a medical doctor with vast experience of over two decades in the line of addiction and her services will be very helpful to you for real tine addiction treatment in the most natural way.

Reality of Drug Abuse – When Drug Abuse is ruining your life

Understanding Food Addiction

July 25, 2014

Food Addiction: Is it True?

Food Addiction Addiction has been known to emerge as a result of a prolonged habit. This means that addiction doesn’t always have to result from drugs, but it can as well come as a result of behaviors such as shopping, internet, gambling and not forgetting eating. Eating to many of us is an activity that we normally do when it is time for eating or simply when we have to eat. This is sometimes not the case. Especially with fast foods which by nature are palatable and mouth wetting. If a person has access to such foods, he/she may develop a behavior of every time wanting to eat these foods. This is despite the fact that some of these foods may have negative health effects, such as body being overweight. At this point, the person taking the food is considered addicted.

How do you know you are a food addict?

There are common habits which can suggest whether or not you may be suffering from emotional eating and food addiction. You should examine yourself based on these habits and if you identify yourself with one or several of them, you should consider visiting a professional to discuss your eating habit. The following are some of such habits:-

The addict may develop fear of food – the person may seem to avoid some foods. These people suffer the views that such foods are harmful and thus avoid them. They will always give excuses for not being able to take the food and sometimes will try to avoid events in which the food is to be eaten.
Emotional eating – the people with food addiction will seem to un-necessarily eat a lot of food. This is especially the case when they are stressed, anxious or worried. This habit of overeating leads one to feeling guilty and hence the anxiety about their eating habit makes them to eat even more. This habit of overeating can easily become a viscid downward spiral.
Abrupt weight loss or gain – many addicts of food will suffer poor body image and a feeling that they want to lose weight. This weight loss is normally not easy when someone is eating un-healthily. For a food addict to maintain the required diet it is almost impossible and thus an intervention is required for such a person to be helped to recover. This problem can be solved by many of nutritionists and doctors. If you are suffering from food addiction, you should consider visiting a doctor or a nutritionist to get you problem solved.
Food addicts may engage in substance abuse – the food addicts frequently engage in abuse of dangerous substances such as laxatives. They also engage in harmful activities such as self-induced vomiting, frequent fasting and excessing exercise.
The food addicts may be food possessed – the addicts of food who are food obsessed are normally very easy to be observed. These people will always want to talk about food. They are ever thinking about food, the amount of food they can eat every day, the amount they previously ate and they possess anticipation to eat.

How can food addiction be overcome?

Are you a food addict? Or do you know a person who is a food addict? The knowledge of how addiction can be treated is vital. Unlike the other types of addiction, overcoming the food addiction is not easy. For example when dealing with drug addiction, you will be encouraged to stop taking the drug, but it is impossible to stop taking food. So how can a food addict overcome?

You need to reprogram your taste buds – if you are addicted of sugary foods, you need to start reducing the rate at which you take these sugary foods. Try to also avoid adding sugar to the foods that are not supposed to be sweet. Try to slowly reduce taking of sugary foods in the favor of fruits and vegetables. This will restore your sensitivity in the taste buds and reduce craving for the addictive food.

Food Addiction

Have a good planning of your meals – avoid just eating what your mind thinks about. It is important to plan your health eating and ensure you eat responsibly, by avoiding overeating. An addict will always rave for a given food, so try to avoid being drawn to taking the unplanned foods.
Hunger moderation – another factor that causes people to overeat is hunger. You should learn to moderate your hunger and eat the food amount that is healthy to your body.
Understand your weaknesses – as a matter of fact, each person has a given food that he/she cannot turn down. For example, there are some people who cannot go past a place selling ice cream without having to buy. The best way to do away with what you cannot resist is to avoid it. Avoid the places which will tempt you with these foods.
Get yourself healthy ways of cope – when you stop taking some foods, there will be left a void, for example the time used to walk looking for cookies. Ensure you do a healthy activity during this time, for instance hiking or going out with friends.
If the therapeutic treatment methods do not work to help you out of the food addiction, opt the medical treatment. Visit your doctor and be open to discuss the problem with him/her.

Food Addiction: Is it True?

Employees and Drug Addiction

July 24, 2014

Employees and Drug Addiction – Workplace

Workplace must be accommodating enough to discourage drug addiction. Stressful set ups will only injure any meaningful gains made.

The reality of addiction related problems in the workplaces is becoming a common phenomenon and unless we positively come out to address it we will soon not have an economy to run as organization or nations. The prevalent of addiction cut across all sectors of life of both the individuals and the society and when it does it destroys one’s health, relationships, emotional well-being and this effects eventually finds their way in the workplace bringing very negative results. It is believed that majority of people struggling with addiction are employed in various sectors of the economy and because of this their performance is reduced to about two thirds in relation to those employees free from the scourge.

Various studies have established that prior to enrolling for treatment these employees were unproductive due to consistent absconding of duty, lateness or just lazing a round because of their addiction problems. This is a clear indication that employees addiction impacts negatively to their work performance which eventually translate to the inflated cost of doing business to their employers beside the dented reputation of the organization image and goodwill. In the interest of this it’s important to consider and understand the role of the workplace and the employer in the addiction recovery process. Therefore:

Why is it Difficult for Employees to Ask for Help?
It may not be easy for employees to seek for help for fear of being victimized by their employers and the related stigmatization. However employers should take note that support their employees with addiction problems to reach out for help not only benefits the employee in terms of their physical, emotional, and mental health but also benefits the organization in many productive ways.

The Benefits of Addiction Treatment

As indicated above helping employees with their addiction conditions in beneficial to both the employees and the employer as discussed below.

Benefits to an Employee and the Employer – when our mental health is good, we are able to cope with the hassles and stressors of everyday life. We are purposeful and productive. But our mental health is poor it can impact a variety of aspects of our lives. When someone is suffering from mental health problems or illness, such as a substance abuse problem or other type of addiction, the impact on the individual can be more pervasive and severe. Co-workers may perceive these types of individuals as difficult or unreliable, and this can create a very unpleasant work environment.

When mental health or other medical conditions become so severe, the individual may have to take a leave from work for an extended period of time. This can escalate:

Disability costs
Benefits utilization
Replacement costs and
Costs associated with lost productivity.

Failing to address the underlying mental health problems of the employee increases the likelihood of the individual developing recurring problems at work. However, with adequate intervention and an ongoing treatment strategy, someone suffering from a mental health illness such as an addiction can experience good mental health and an improved quality of life.

How Employers Can Help?
There are several ways an employee can benefit including some of the recommendations made by the Mental Health Commission of Canada which include the following steps to be taken by the employers at workplaces:

Health promotion and prevention of psychological issues at work
Early identification of psychological problems and optimal treatment of mental health conditions to reduce disability and to support a return to work strategy.

Early Intervention for Best Results
What makes the establishment of wellness programs even more imperative, is that research has demonstrated that individuals struggling with an addiction, on average wait thirteen and a half years before entering residential treatment. The goal therefore is, to intervene early with an employee who has a substance use or behavioral addiction problem, before it progresses and worsens over time. By establishing a non-punitive, supportive organizational culture involved in the psychological well-being of their employees, an organization can minimize the potential escalating costs associated with employees and their problematic substance use and behavior.

Treatment Benefits beyond Absenteeism, Tardiness and Productivity
Even though studies have established the above as some of the costs and benefits associated with addiction in the workplace, employers must not limit their evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of treatment based exclusively on workers’ absenteeism, tardiness and productivity. The economic benefit of addiction treatment goes beyond these variables to include reduction on-the-job errors, accidents and injuries, and reduced disability costs. Other benefits may include improved morale, decreased conflict among workers and reduced costs associated with dismissal, hiring and training. Depending on the workplace context, other potential benefits can also include reduced legal liabilities and minimizing potential negative impacts on organizational reputation and trust between stakeholders and clients.

However it is understandable that becoming involved in employees’ psychological well-being is not an easy feat for employers and when performance is affected, it’s difficult to have the tough talk. This is where adequate training and education for managers and employees would help organizations to overcome this potential barrier.

The Bottom-Line and Beyond
Appealing to “the bottom line” and outlining the economic benefits of addiction treatment has shown to be an effective way to engage employers in the recovery of their employees’ addiction. The American Society of Addiction Medicine defines addiction as a primary neurological disease affecting brain reward, motivation, memory and its related circuitry. Because it is a chronic brain disease, addiction requires treatment and management over a lifetime unlike other chronic diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Addiction can be as devastating as any other illness and is classified as a disability by many employment legislations across the globe.

It is therefore very important to assist employees in their recovery process. Common barriers such as shame, organizational denial, and enabling behaviors of coworkers can prevent employees from seeking help for this medical and psychological problem. Employers need to understand the ways that their organizations may maintain these barriers and appreciate that employer involvement in the recovery process is beneficial for both the employee and the organization.

Effective addiction treatment that includes long-term continuing care and support from family and employers is a mutually beneficial solution to a problem that often permeates a variety of aspects of an individual’s life – including their work. So when it comes to your employees and addiction it is your business to liaise with reputable addiction professionals like doctor Dalal Akoury who founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center where addiction treatment is administered in total focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE.

Employees and Drug Addiction – Workplace

Best Addiction Treatment

July 23, 2014

Best Addiction Treatment – Food Addiction

Best addiction treatment. Food addiction is real and the earliest we acknowledge this the better for recovery

It is common knowledge that on a daily basis we have to eat to get the energy we need for the day’s activities. The fact that we eat periodically may not look like being addicted to food but before I get to solutions of food addiction, I want to help you understand how food becomes addictive. How do you begin your day? Probably when you wake up you purpose to do your work and eat responsibly and healthy food and you start with one healthy breakfast at home and on your way you navigate through mouthwatering bakery goodies which are tempting and you finally make it to work ready for the day’s assignment only to be received by your stressful boss laying on your table a new project deadline that is practically impossible. Minutes later yourself holding meat pie in your hand consuming down sugary anesthetics and desiring for more. By the time you leave our moment of eating and the truth of what you’ve done begins to sink in, the subsequent feelings of shame and guilt fuel your stress levels more and you’re already plotting your next food fix then you wonder. Why do I keep yielding to these cravings? Where’s my self-control and willpower? My friend this is just your brain being addicted to food.

The feeling of denial will follow and encourage yourself that you are not and that you only love sweet food once in a while but the bottom line is that food addiction is factual and realistic. It affects so many people and this is what the food processors ride on when producing their products for the market. Production of addictive food is a marketing tool for these organizations and that is why their ingredients is a perfect combination of salty, sweet, and savory to ensure you keep reaching for more. The moment you find yourself losing your willpower and desiring for more and more then you are not just in love with these food stuff but you are now addicted to them and that is what we want to address. To start us off let’s look at some of the ways of beating food addiction:

Best Addiction Treatment – Take the test

Taking the test would mean that you make a self-evaluation of your relationship with food with an aim of ascertaining whether you’re eating habit is a healthy one. Experts are in agreement that the many overweight or obese have some level of food addiction even though anyone of any age bracket or size can have this issue of food addiction.

Best Addiction Treatment – Know your staples from your treats

Our brains are rigged to seek out the delicious reward of natural carbs like berries from a bush or veggies from the ground. We savor healthy fats from avocados, olive oil, and fish and lean meats. Our brains drive us to forage around to find these foods so that we have quick energy (from carbs) and long-lasting fuel (from fat). These natural whole foods have sustained us since the dawn of time. Our brains were acclimated to the taste of these rewards. Every now and again, we’d savor a treat that contained more natural sugar (grapes) or fat (dairy or meat). This mix of staples and treats became our natural balance of healthy nutrients. Flash-forward, and now we have manufacturers creating hyper-palatable foods full of sugar, fat, and salt. And because they are ubiquitous, cheap, and easily accessible, fewer people cook. Grab and go is now the way to go.

Best Addiction Treatment – Rein in your reward center

When hyper-palatable race with natural foods your brain’s reward center, which secretes the pleasure chemical dopamine, gets hijacked. Insulin levels increases and drive you to desire for more and more. Suddenly, that bowl of fresh berries can’t compete with the über rewards of a Pop-Tart or a chocolate-coated breakfast bar. Occasional treat like birthday dessert, also leads to a dopamine rush, but then your brain settles down to more normal levels of dopamine. But when you can get your hands on hyper-palatable foods daily seven days a week and you start the day with that sugary, fatty, salty pastry and Grande sugary coffee drink, you end up with an endless appetite for more.

Best Addiction Treatment – Recognize the False Fix

After constant exposure and consumption of these hyper-palatables and let us call them False Fixes in The Hunger Fix, your brain essentially changes. The brain cannot stand this level of hyper-stimulation. It then reduces the number of dopamine receptors so that you no longer experience it as overstimulation and that is what is good about it however the bad news is that by doing this, your typical serving of food is no longer as rewarding. You find yourself not feeling as pleased and satisfied. The end result of this is that you end up with second and third and fourth portions, packing on weight along the way.

Besides this your reward center is being hijacked that is the brain’s CEO which is the prefrontal cortex (tap your forehead and that’s where the PFC is located), is becoming spoiled and impaired. The PFC can no longer help you rein in impulses or stay focused and vigilant which is why when one is in fully in addictive mode, moderation is a moot point.

Best Addiction Treatment – Know your enemy (False fix food)

Make a list all of your False Fix foods that you know will lead you to feel out of control and overeat. As you prepare to detox, look around you and take stock of all persons, places, and things that trigger your food addiction. This isn’t just about substituting False Fix foods for Healthy Fixes it’s also about scrutinizing your entire lifestyle so that you can make fresh healthier choices to support your recovery. It is important to note that you will not be able to change everything in one go and so you will gradually start with small but powerful steps to ensure sustainability of long-term success.

While doing all these you must appreciate that food addiction is real and the faster you make this acknowledgement the better because it is only when you do so is when you will have the ability to reverse the damage and reclaim your healthy, natural relationship with food. Remember I did not promise you that the journey will be easy and therefore careful selection of professionals to help you overcome will be necessary. For instance at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury’s care ware addiction treatment is focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE will be very ideal for all your addiction related problems.

Best Addiction Treatment – Food Addiction

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