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Addictions

Article Description: In this land of plenty, a conservative estimate calls 4 out of 10 Americans "addicts." Abused substances include sugar, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, prescription drugs and street drugs including pot. Addiction can serve us well once we recognize that substance abuse is a way to obscure honest, peaceful, self-discovery.
Date of Publication:4/5/2003

Addictions
Emily Kane N.D.

In this land of plenty, a conservative estimate calls 4 out of 10 Americans "addicts." Abused substances include sugar, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, prescription drugs and street drugs including pot. Addiction can serve us well once we recognize that substance abuse is a way to obscure honest, peaceful, self-discovery. Using, of any addictive substance, gives us the temporary illusion of control, excitement and perfection. In recovery we discover, often to our great relief, that we're not perfect, that we need intimacy, and that integrity is more appealing than denial. The addict is self-obsessed; living for the next "fix." The addict is crisis oriented; using panic as a way of feeling alive while avoiding meaningful contact with others. In recovery we let go of our need to control in favor of serenity and clarity.

Scientists from different schools of thought have attempted to explain addiction. Some say the culprit is a genetic lack of the feel-good, sleep-inducing neurotransmitter serotonin. Others say early brain cell damage begets lack of feedback inhibition for normal cravings, driving them out of balance. For example, non-addictive persons who eat some sugar will be satisfied (in terms of simple carbohydrates) for several hours. The addictive person, by contrast, will crave even more sugar after consuming a moderate serving. This may be due, in addicts, to a lack of endorphin stimulation when a healthy physiologic craving is satisfied. Other researchers and physicians contend that addiction is largely a response to depression. Addiction is major problem in this country, whatever the cause. Sugar addiction is perhaps the most insidious because the substance is so cheap, so available and so universally regarded as a "treat."

Addiction spells confusion. For example, street drugs are "bad" while prescription drugs are "good" despite the statistics which show that in any recent year death due to complications from prescription drug overdose is 50 times more likely than death from street drugs. Nevertheless, IV "recreational" drug addicts are the long-term reservoir for AIDS and the vast proportion of criminal activity among teenagers is due to the cocaine trade. Caffeine and alcohol and nicotine are socially condoned although they contribute to a substantial percentage of hospitalizations in the U.S.

If you ingest white sugar daily, or drink alcohol daily or have an immediate family member who is alcoholic, or feel depressed frequently you may have a problem with addiction without realizing it. Please take a good look; the crucial initiation of breaking free from addiction is recognizing the substance abuse and seeking help to maintain the commitment to quit.

Addiction results from a multifactorial network of choices; the treatment approach must address not only the physical, but the mental and emotional (spiritual) as well. One reason the 12-Step programs (Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Spenders Anonymous, Adult Children of Alcoholics, etc.) are so successful is that they are free of charge and thus require only the commitment of the participant for attendance. Sometimes people need stronger measures to kick their habit at the beginning. But quitting per se is not so difficult; the trick is staying quit. Many addicts have incurred so many physical and mental changes that they need to get their fix merely to sustain homeostasis. In other words withdrawal can be very rough. And the better prepared we are for withdrawal, whether it be from inhaled crack or chocolate, the better we will be able to handle the rocky road back to recovery.

The basic parameters for recovery are the same as for any rehabilitation; good high fiber, high fresh veggie, plenty of pure water diet; regular adequate sleep; daily exercise; heartfelt participation in group activities. Don't isolate yourself. The more people know you're trying to quit, the more help will be spontaneously offered, and the more comfortable you'll be with asking for help and taking baby-steps towards your new reality.

The cornerstone towards my own recovery has been wanting to hear that small and enormously personal inner voice that would get drowned in the substances night after night. Breaking free of addictive habits is a blessed opportunity to engage in the ultimate purpose of life -- to know Thyself. Meanwhile, there are a few natural support mechanisms that may help.

1) Good old Vitamin C, preferably the powdered form (1/4 tsp = 1 gram). Take up to 12 grams daily. Vitamin C is the single most potent free radical scavenger and will help cleanse and oxygenate the tissues. It will also help to keep the bowels moving; a very important component of getting clean and sober.

2) The amino acid Glutamine is a so-called amino radical, useful in detox, as well as acting as an excitatory neurotransmitter. Glutamine, 1 gram 4-6 times daily between meals on an empty stomach, will stimulate the body's natural opiates, the endorphins and enkephalins, to help us through the cravings.

3) Essential fatty acids (preferably Flax oil, cold, raw, 1 tablespoon daily) in combination with the sulfur proteins (foods with cysteine or methionine, such as yoghurt, eggs, codfish, sesame paste, garlic and onions) will render fat soluble toxins water soluble, allowing all the toxic wastes, which are preferentially stored in the body's fat cells, to be flushed out via the kidneys and sweat glands.

4) Anything to enhance perspiration; rigorous exercise, Turkish wet steam, or Finnish style dry heat sauna. Make sure to scrub down with a high-fat soap (such as Neutrogena) after sweating, to emulsify the fatty secretions and prevent their re-absorption.

5) Liquid aqueous chromium drops are extremely helpful in reducing sugar cravings. This is because the trivalent mineral chromium is the central molecule in the Glucose Tolerance Factor, which allows insulin to deliver glucose from the blood stream into the cells. Without chromium, the insulin cannot do its job and sugar will build up in high levels in the blood, then flood precipitously into the cells causing the dramatic rollercoaster ride of "sugar blues."

6) There are a number of natural substances to help with sleep and depression, including the amino acids tyrosine, phenylalanine, tryptophan (the precursor to serotonin) and the vitamin niacinamide. From the botanical pharmacy we have Valerian, Scutellaria (Skullcap), Passiflora (Passion lower), Chamomile and many others.

7) Many people are help enormously by acupuncture, especially for getting off  nicotine and street drugs. Acupuncture detox clinics using a simple "5 needle protocol" in specific acupoints (Spirit Gate, Lung, Liver, Kidney and Parasympathetic) in both ears are so successful that state governments have become involved. Seattle King County medical insurance will now re-imburse for acupuncture treatments for addicts. In Oregon, heroin addicts MUST try acupuncture before getting methadone.

Whether you go the route of stimulate the natural endorphins or 12-step meetings, the bottom line is commitment to self. Cold turkey off anything is usually the least painful in the long run -- but please prepare yourself. Prepare for the demons who will emerge. Prepare to negotiate with them and bring them around to your best interest. Set a date; tell your friends; locate support groups in your area; stock up the pantry with fresh healthy snacks; invest in a consultation or two with your local holistic health practitioner to get some high quality supplements. Ask your doctor or therapist to help guide you through a visualization of a shiny clean new you. No one is pretending it's easy; but it's certainly worth it.

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If You Smoke Don't Cut Back

Smokers who try to break their habit by smoking half the cigarettes they would normally smoke might be unknowingly increasing their exposure to smoke, carbon monoxide (CO) and other cancer-causing agents. Studies have shown that smokers who cut back on half of their cigarette use make quick alterations to the way they smoke in order to make up for less nicotine exposure.

Characteristics of the study:

• 25 women were evaluated over the course of six days and were exposed to three different situations.
• The three situations were: smoking the amount they normally smoked, smoking 50 percent less than they normally smoked and smoking an increased amount.
• Participants of the study included 13 black women and 12 white women.
• The women were given their regular brands of cigarettes to smoke.
• Researchers paid close attention to the way women smoked, which they referred to as "smoking topography." They particularly focused on the number and size of puffs per cigarette; the amount of time lapsed between puffs and to what extent the cigarette was smoked before it was put out.

Results of the study include:

• In restricted environments women tended to take longer drags and smoked more of the cigarette before extinguishing it. When the women smoked fewer cigarettes, they exhaled more CO per cigarette, compared to when they smoked their normal number of cigarettes or increased the number of cigarettes they smoked.
• Efficient smokers had higher levels of CO and nicotine.
• Black women were shown to have greater traces of carbon monoxide levels than the white women in all three of the smoking scenarios.

Various patches, gums and other prescription items were noted as the best alternatives to satisfying cravings. Based on the study, researchers concluded that the people who smoke half a pack a day might be just as addicted to cigarettes as the person who smokes many more cigarettes a day.

Pharmacolgical Biochemisty Behavior April, 2004;77(4):685-93

Cutting Down on Cigarettes No Cure for Cancer

In order to reduce the risk of lung cancer and other related cancers that are caused by smoking, smokers need to stop the habit completely, a study found. Researchers found that the amount of carcinogens inhaled by smokers remains high even when they attempt to cut down on the number of cigarettes they smoke. They also found that this applies when smokers supplement their nicotine fix with nicotine patches.

Researchers studied 100 smokers who cut back on smoking 75 percentover a six-month period of time, and were allowed to use as many nicotine patches as they wanted. Researchers analyzed the participants’ urine to measure a chemical marker for a particular cancer-causing agent found in cigarette smoke.

The urine tests showed that the decrease in the cancer compound was less than half of the drop in smoking. Researchers believe this is due to smokers inhaling more deeply on a few cigarettes to subconsciously feed their addiction.

They also found that the nicotine patches made little difference to how long and hard the smokers inhaled the cigarette smoke. The results from the study showed that participants still inhaled an unequal amount of carcinogens, regardless of how many patches they used. Researchers came up with three possibilities as to why the patch didn’t help smokers decrease the risk of cancer. They are:

• Patches don’t create the same high as cigarettes
• Smokers may be addicted to the physical act of smoking
• There are other addictive compounds found in cigarette smoke that aren’t in the patches.

Researchers advise that the best way to cut cancer risks is to quit smoking completely.

Nature January 22, 2004

Breeding Nicotine Addiction To Conquer It

Nicotine addiction leads to over 4 million smoking-related deaths a year, making it the number one cause of preventable death in the world. In light of this overwhelming statistic, researchers have attempted to discover what it is about nicotine that makes it so addicting.

To study nicotine addiction and its associated behaviors, researchers created a strain of mice that were extremely sensitive to the drug. In order to do this, researchers used a "knock-in" technology to alter one amino acid within the mice. Instead of eliminating the response gene to nicotine (as they have in past studies), researchers accentuated it, emphasizing the pleasure pathway of the drug.

Researchers were then able to study the behavior that results from nicotine abuse and addiction. They observed that the mice demonstrated addiction-related behaviors, even with the lowest doses of nicotine. Such behaviors to the drug include:

• Reward
• Tolerance
• Sensitization

Because nicotine bears a molecular resemblance to acetylcholine, a nerve chemical, it has the ability to bind to nicotinic receptors on nerve cells. This binding process causes the nerve cells that are holding the receptors to release a chemical (dopamine) involved in the brain's pleasure/reward system.

Based on the findings from these studies, doctors agreed that the best way to treat drug abuse and addiction is through prevention.

Science Blog November 11, 2004

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