1. Aim for an average 2,000-calorie per day diet.
2. Balance calorie intake with exercise.
3. Get fewer than 10% of calories from saturated fatty acids and avoid trans fatty acids.
4. Eat 2 cups of of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables per day
5. Eat 3 or more ounces of whole-grain products per day.
6. Eat 3 ounces a day of cooked meat, poultry or fish.
7. Eat 3 cups per day of fat-free or low-fat milk or milk products.
8. Limit total fat to 20-35% of calories.
9. Limit salt to one teaspoon a day.
10. Limit cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg/day.
OTHER TIPS:
Certain people should not drink any alcohol.
Women should drink one alcoholic drink per day or less, two or less per day for men.
Lower intake of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, and salt
Exercise regularly and reduce sedentary activities.
Choose “good” fats such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils containing polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids.
To try buy lean, low-fat, or fat-free meats, poultry, dry beans, and milk or milk products.

©2009 addictionblog.org. All Rights Reserved.

Why?

Daren Littlejohn combines autobiography and reference guide in this enlightened introduction to both Buddhism and the 12 steps.   I like the way that he personalizes concepts and offers suggestions throughout the book.  I also like the way that he simplifies Buddhist beliefs for an audience (addicts) who tend to complicate things.  His no-nonsense approach tells it like it is and challenges the reader to put into PRACTICE what can become highly theorized.

In fact,  The 12 Step-Buddhist passes my “direction dive” test…when I’m in need of some divine wisdom, I pick up a book, or dictionary or encyclopedia, open to a random page and read where my finger falls.  Everytime I’ve picked up the 12-Step Buddhist, I hear what I need to hear in the moment.  For whatever reason, Littlejohn’s writing has both the density and the intention that help me in moments of question.  It has become a fixture in my recovery library.

Here are some reasons why you might want to check it out:

1.  You are struggling with the concept of a “Higher Power” and looking for alternatives.

2.  You are interested in integrating Eastern spirituality to your recovert, but don’t know where to start.

3.  You would like to learn more about Buddhism.

4.  You are looking for practical suggestions for meditation.

5.  You are committed to the 12 steps and want to broaden that experience to help others .

The 12-Step Buddhist gets my highest accolades as a meaningful guide to recovery that fills a gap to alternative spirituality in addiction communities.  Thanks to Darren Littlejohn for his work.  It seems to have been a lifetime in the making!

Got any other suggestions for another good read?  Send me a lead…or send me a book!  I’ll start to regularly review books in the coming months and will give you my HONEST opinion.

©2009 addictionblog.org. All Rights Reserved.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association, about 1-5% of American binge eat. Binge-eating disorder is characterized by recurrent overeating episodes and loss of control over eating that is NOT followed by purging and can result in weight gain or obesity. People who binge eat also experience feelings of extreme distress or concern about body weight or shape, much like an alcoholic experiences regret after a night of binge drinking.

What are the signs of binge eating?

Eating in secret
Eating when not hungry
Feeling out of control over eating behavior.
Feeling ashamed or disgusted by over eating behavior.
Frequent, recurrent episodes (a pattern) of eating large quantities of food in a short period of time

How can binge eating be treated?

People who binge eat often experience co-existing psychological stresses, including anxiety, depression, and personality disorders. This is why doctors aim to treat underlying issues first. Cognitive behavioral therapy is frequently suggested to treat the underlying psychological issues associated with binge-eating, in an individual or group environment. Or medications such as antidepressants or appetite suppressants can be prescribed.

Is binge eating a food addiction?

In my opinion, YES! In fact, bingeing on food and bingeing on alcohol seem to be closely associated. In order to understand this, I suggest that you read Dr. William D. Silkworth’s “The Doctor’s Opinion” in the Big Book of A.A. … to see the similarity of the nature of cravings (for any substance) and the solution to such problems:

“On the other hand-and strange as this may seem to those who do not understand-once a psychic change has occurred, the very same person who seemed doomed, who had so many problems he despaired of ever solving them, suddenly finds himself easily able to control his desire for [substance], the only effort necessary being that required to follow a few simple rules.”

What troubles me is that binge-eating does not yet exist as a specific disorder within the DSM-Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, but is a serious problem for many people. I suggest that Binge eating is a disorder of eating more than you need NOT to satisfy hunger, but to meet and emotional, psychological and spiritual need for “fullness”. If you suspect that you or a loved one is in the grips of a food addiction, HELP IS AVAILABLE. Check in with a sensitive doctor, psychologist, or support group (like OA) … and get started towards recovery.

No matter the addiction, the recovery process is the same.

©2009 addictionblog.org. All Rights Reserved.

Eating disorders are serious behavior problems. They include:

1. Anorexia nervosa - extreme weight loss or restriction of caloric intake due to a misperception of being overweight
2. Bulimia nervosa - periods of overeating followed by purging through self-induced vomiting or laxatives
3. Eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS)

How are eating disorders related to addiction?

1. Physical causes - Researchers are currently investigate possible biochemical or biological causes of eating disorders. Certain chemicals in the brain that control hunger, appetite, and digestion have been found to be imbalanced. Current research also indicates that there are significant genetic contributions to eating disorders, as eating disorders often run in families.

2. Psychological causes - Eating disorders are often an attempt to manage overwhelmeing feelings and emotions. Behavioral control of diet can be a way to cope with painful emotions and to feel in control of one’s life,

3. Spiritual causes - Eating disorders are, at heart, the result of disconnection with a greater power that brings purpose, meaning and hope to life.

How do doctors treat eating disorder?

Appropriate and necessary treatment for an eating disorder will include a combination of medical treatment and psychiatric treatment. The first goal for the treatment of an eating disoder is to ensure physical health by restoring healthy weight. The next goal of treatment is to reduce or eliminate the person’s eating behavior. Behavioral therapy can help a person return to healthy eating habits. Supportive group therapy may follow, and self-help groups within communities may provide ongoing support.

What’s the cure for an eating disorder?

In my opinion, the only way to cure any behavioral addiction is total abstinence from the substance or behavior, which is supported by a 12 step program. The 12 steps are designed to address the psychological and spiritual causes of an addiction, and to clean up the inner life which drives a person to addiction. If there are any other opinions or experiences out there, I’m interested to hear them…can the 12 steps work for a lifetime to help stop eating disorders?

©2009 addictionblog.org. All Rights Reserved.

Kara was a true pro.  Here’s how it went:

1. 1. She sent me a Word doc. with questions about my food cravings, general health, family/personal medical history and personal habits.
   2. I completed the questionnaire and returned it to her before our phone call.
   3. During our first phone call, we talked about my major craving (COFFEE!) and both the emotional, physical and mental beliefs behind the food addiction for about 15 minutes.
   4. Kara then guided me through a series of questions and taught me to self-apply particular accupressure points.
   5. As I held acupressure points and repeated key phrases that I had chosen, the strength of former thoughts and beliefs lessened.
   6. The next day, my craving for caffeine (COFFEE!) was gone.

Kara holds food craving sessions over the phone and works out of direct experience.  She told me:

” I had food cravings for years, and studied nutrition to ‘try’ figure them out, then Chinese Medicine.  I now help others with their food cravings. I mostly use my acupressure technique with my patients…Although I have a great technique for working with cravings, I find that there is a lot shame around food cravings that make it hard to reach those that could benefit from my work.”

Each of Kara’s phone sessions take about an hour, but she recommends that you allow an extra fifteen minutes just in case you go deeper into a particular direction. Also, you’ll need privacy and you may feel tired or energized after the session, so plan the time after accordingly.

After our first session, Kara worked with me both via email and phone for another 20 minutes…to help wrap up our session.  I admire her simple, yet effective method and believe that you can really dig down deep to help resolve cravings.  But, what happened the next days after our sessions?  My initial thoughts and beliefs about my food addiction were replaced by others!  And my “need for coffee” returned.

In general, I feel that acupressure for food cravings is effective.  However, in my personal experience … there is no end to the complexity and  mystery of the mind.  Thoughts spring from a place deep, deep inside of ourselves…and dissolving the power of one thought will lead to the strengthening of another.  Anyone who has observed themselves in meditation can confer.  So, where does this leave us?

I don’t really know.

Working with Kara helped me first of all make conscious thoughts that I did not know I held about coffee.  Suprised me.   And I DID feel the effect of these thoughts losing ground.  In the end, I think that anything that helps us get to know ourselves better is valuable…worth our time and energy.  So, acupressure for food cravings might just be a “practice” instead of a one or two-timedeal.   What do you think?

Opinions welcomed.

Kara’s contacts: 415.819.8172

kara@thefoodcravingsolution.com

www.thefoodcravingsolution.com 

©2009 addictionblog.org. All Rights Reserved.

1. An increase in emotional disorder symptoms
2. An increase in and behavioral disorder symptoms
3. Declines in verbal memory performance
4. Somatic complaints
5. Attention problems such as hyperactivity, ADD or ADHD
6. Detrimental school performance (as video game usage increases, GPA and SAT scores decrease)
7. Family interaction problems such as less positive parental relations
8. Significant reduced amounts of slow-wave (REM) sleep
9. Modifications in visual selective attention
10. Playing violent video games is a significant risk factor for later physically aggressive behavior

SOURCES:

Pediatrics 2008 Nov;122(5):e1067-72
European Psychiatry 2008 Apr;23(3):212-8
Journal of Psychiatry Research 2008 Mar;42(4):253-8
Pediatrics 2007 Nov;120(5):978-85
Cyberpsychology & Behavior 2007 Aug;10(4):552-9
Psychological Science 2007 Jan;18(1):88-94
Pediatrics 2006 Oct;118(4):e1061-70

CONSIDERATIONS:

Males are more attracted to, and more likely to become “hooked” on video games than females which has been found to generalize across very different cultures. So being male significantly predicts computer gaming.  It’s also possible that aggression and narcissistic personality traits can predict game addiction, whereas self-control is negatively correlated with game addiction.

©2009 addictionblog.org. All Rights Reserved.

I want to re-visit a 2007 study sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development that focused on the relationship between time spent in video game play and other activities.  The study surveyed 1400+ teenagers and tweens aged 10-19 and found that ONLY 36% of them played video games between 1-1.5 hours a week.  But when these teens DID engage in playing video games, they tended to avoid the “distractions” of responsibilities like homework.

Furthermore, although gamers surveyed DID NOT spend less time than non-gamers with parents and friends, and seem to not be socially isolated…if they game without friends on the weekends, they also spend less time  with their friends in other activities. So, gamers seems to attract gamers. Sound like an addict model to you?

By far the most conclusive point of the study is concern regarding gamers’ neglect of school responsibilities (reading and homework). “Among gamers, on school days in particular, female gamers spent 34% less time doing homework and male gamers spent 30% less time reading. ” - Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 2007;161(7):684-689.

It seems to me that video gaming, although not endemic, has the power to pull and attract teenagers into a certain way of relating with one another.  The same way my husband relates to his cousin when they battle it out on the FIFA football field.  And that, although manageable, video gaming does have consequences even when a teen is not “addicted” to the activity.  I’m interested in learning more about the academic and social outcomes of gaming as interactive media and technology become more and more a part our modern lives.

How do you think video games play do or do not influence adolescent development?  Or adult development, come to think of it … ?

©2009 addictionblog.org. All Rights Reserved.

1. excessive use of the internet or staying online longer than intended (frequently associated with a loss of sense of time or a neglect of basic needs)
2. withdrawal accompanied by anger, tension, and/or depression when a computer is inaccessible
3. the need for better computer equipment, more software, or more hours of use in order to achieve the same effect
4. negative consequences of use, including arguments, lying, poor achievement, social isolation, and fatigue

So, how can you screen for internet addiction?  Basically, here are seven questions to ask yourself or a loved one.  If you answer yes to at least three of these questions, you might consider asking for help.  Or then again, maybe even one “yes” would constitute a look at your internet use.

• Are you spending more and more time on the Internet just to get the same level of satisfaction?
• Do you experience withdrawal symptoms (depression, agitation, moodiness) when not on line?
• Do your Internet sessions last longer than planned?
• Do you spend a great deal of time on other Net-related activities,such as buying related books, talking about the Net and trying new software?
• Despite adverse effects (family problems, failure to complete work) do you continue to use the Internet?
• Have your attempts to cut down or stop met with failure?
• Are you giving up important social or occupational activities in order to spend time online?

©2009 addictionblog.org. All Rights Reserved.

So what can you do to make up for the imbalance caused by drinking too much alcohol?

1. Water, water and more water.  Avoid coffee, tea and sodas that will dehydrate you further.

2. Take an electrolyte supplement such as a potassium - magnesium tablet.

3. Drink an electrolyte sports drink to replenish the salt and sugar lost when your body processes alcohol.

4. Take a multivitamin and with special attention to increased doses of C and B complex vitamins.

5. Eat some eggs.  They contain cysteine which breaks down the hangover-causing toxins.

6. Take N-acetyl-cysteine, an amino acid, for the same reason.

7. Take aspirin that is free of caffeine or acetaminophen.

8. Try plant extracts like prickly pear cactus supplements before drinking to prevent hangovers.

9. Allow time to help you recover. Your body needs to process alcohol intake as it was designed to.  So, suck it up and wait.

10. Abstinence.  Need we say more?

BONUS: Banana smoothie cure for a hangover

• 1 frozen banana
• 6 strawberries
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 can V-8 tomato juice
• 1-2 cups  soy milk
• 2 spoons honey
• nutmeg or cinnamon to taste

©2009 addictionblog.org. All Rights Reserved.

Title: Acamprosate in the Treatment of Pathological Gambling
Conditions: Pathological Gambling Disorder
Link: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00571103
_______________________________________________________________

2

Title: Descriptive Study of a French Sample of “at Risk” and Pathological Gamblers
Conditions: Pathological Gambling
Link: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00360321
_______________________________________________________________

3

Title: Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Studies in
Pathological Gambling (PG) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Conditions: Pathological Gambling; Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Link: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00211822
_______________________________________________________________

4

Title: A Pilot SMART Design for Pathological Gamblers
Conditions: Pathological Gambling
Link: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00685724

________________________________________________________________

5
Title: Effectiveness of Sertraline in Treating Pathological
Gamblers With a Diagnosis of Alcohol Dependence - 1
Conditions: Alcoholism; Gambling
Link: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00249431
__________________________________________________________________

6

Title: Brief Therapies for Problem Gambling Substance Abusers
Conditions: Gambling
Link: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00685048

__________________________________________________________________

7

Title: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Pathological Gambling
Conditions: Pathological Gambling
Link: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00337753

__________________________________________________________________

8

Title: Impulsivity in Pathological Gambling
Conditions: Pathological Gambling
Link: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00580567

___________________________________________________________________

9

Title: Memantine Treatment Study of Pathological Gambling
Conditions: Pathological Gambling
Link: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00585169
___________________________________________________________________

10

Title: Detecting a Reward Signal in the Motor Cortex
Conditions: Healthy
Link: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00422071
___________________________________________________________________

©2009 addictionblog.org. All Rights Reserved.