Healing From Addiction: A Brief Summary
There are a lot of myths and misunderstandings floating around about the reasons why people get addicted to something.
Some people hold the view that drugs, in and of themselves, are not addictive; rather, they think that an individual’s addiction stems from a physiological response in their body to the substance. When one considers their propensity for gambling or shopping, this assertion might very well seem to be realistic.
There is no foreign chemical that enters the body; rather, the body creates its own chemical reaction (excitement/adrenaline) in response to the external stimulation of gambling or shopping, and it is the emotion that the person is hooked on, not the act itself, which causes the addiction.
It should also not come as a surprise that chemical reactions take place inside the body whenever foreign substances are introduced. Some of these responses stimulate reward areas inside the brain, which are activated when a person exercises, falls in love, or is complimented or recognized. Other responses, such as being commended or acknowledged, also stimulate reward centers.
When someone tries to relieve their stress and worries by turning to substances like drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, or even food, they may end up developing an addiction. To be able to effectively cure various forms of addiction, the individual must place a primary emphasis on raising their levels of self-esteem, which will allow them to generate positive sentiments about themselves without the need for external stimulation to initiate such feelings.
It is impossible to determine in advance if one individual is more prone to struggle with addiction than another. Once again, it has been said that certain people have a personality type that makes them prone to addiction. It is most likely more prudent to take into consideration the social situations of addicts.
For instance, if both of your parents are smokers, you have a greater chance of picking up the habit yourself. If one of your friends is a drug user, you can expect to be impacted by their behavior. There are a variety of additional aspects to consider. The use of drugs may be a means of escape and separation from a life that is perhaps not totally gratifying for a person who either does not have a structured existence or has lived a life that has been too structured.
Most of the time, the intensity of an addiction will rise as time passes. This is due to the fact that the body eventually gets regulated and used to the presence of the addictive substance in the body. More of the chemical that causes addiction is required in the body in order to attain the same amount of excitement.
The results may be catastrophic when addictive chemicals are raised in an atmosphere where they are not controlled, as is the case with many addictions that are known to cause major health, social, physical, and mental difficulties.
The good news is that adjustments can be made. People who struggle with addiction may not always have to continue to struggle with addiction for the rest of their lives. There are techniques to lessen, and in some instances, totally eliminate, the adverse effects of withdrawal from an addictive drug if the addict is ready and motivated to change. These approaches include the addict taking part in the change process.
The client may be assisted via the application of NLP in the process of gaining fresh insights into the ways in which the addiction has influenced their life. There are strategies that can be employed to desensitize any bad connections from the past, and positive triggers can be placed for use during the times when the cravings would typically arise.
Hypnosis is a technique that may be used to break habits and bring about modifications in the subconscious, which is the area of the mind that is accountable for the formation and upkeep of habits.
Posthypnotic suggestions may be utilized to link significant negative sensations with the addictive act or drug. This allows the patient to experience these tremendous negative feelings in the future if they ever contemplate engaging in the addictive act or substance again.
Beating an Addiction
The four phases of addiction come into play most prominently when an individual attempts to alter a self-medicating behavior or routine, such as their eating habits. Bread, beverages, desserts, and other types of food are among the most common substances that people get addicted to.
Other forms of addiction include eating unhealthy fast food, which is considered a high level of addiction. People often eat enormous portions of steak, burgers, and chips (fries), as well as large salads, which are healthy as long as they do not have tremendous, giant mountains of dressing on them. In addition to that, chunks of cheese have a propensity to be consumed on a regular basis as meals.
Because calories are units of energy, you want to ensure that you have enough of them after supper so that you don’t end up feeling exhausted.
When you eat more than your body requires, you begin to experience feelings that are similar to those you have when you are in a slightly drugged state. As a result, when you are eating, you don’t give much thought to anything else, which is why it is commonly believed that people who are unhappy comfort eat.
Stage One – Resistance To Change
A particular program recommends that you attempt to avoid drinking anything other than water during breakfast on a daily basis. Make soup your supper instead of something heavier, like pizza, and weigh yourself every day. These three things will help you lose weight.
This might be quite terrifying information. You are probably thinking that the old technique suits you just fine and that the new way won’t be able to provide the same benefits to you. You are nervous about doing something new and different that won’t be as simple as the way you normally handle situations, but you are also aware that the way things are now going will lead to unfavorable outcomes if you do nothing to change them.
The narrow-minded notion that the result of what you are doing will end poorly, even if you don’t know or haven’t even experienced the probable conclusion yet, is what is referred to as “the narrow-minded perspective.”
Your mentality has been warped to the point that you feel justified in giving up because of an addiction to the old methods of doing things, and this addiction is to blame.
Stage Two – Begrudging Attempts
You have made the decision to participate in a weight loss program and have gathered knowledge on how to diet; despite your resistance, you will give it a go. You tell yourself, “I don’t want to do this; I’ll just select one or two days a week where I won’t have coffee and a bun on my break.” You also tell yourself, “I don’t want to weigh myself twice a day.”
I don’t want to keep a record of everything that I put in my mouth. Instead of cereal, I’d rather start the day with french fries or a donut. Even if I’m not hungry in the morning, I will force myself to eat breakfast since I want to gain X pounds.
Stage Three – Surprise, I Enjoyed It
In the morning, I decided to give a bowl of hot cereal a try, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. I was rather shocked by how much I loved the soup that I had for lunch, so I decided to take a stroll down to the deli. Once I got there, I ordered the most amazing soup. Instead of my normal cup of coffee in the evening, I decided to have a cup of hot water instead, and I found that it was oddly pleasant.
Stage Four – The New Way Becomes The Comfortable and Preferred Way
It is of the utmost importance to discriminate between the meals that are familiar and the foods that you love; yet, you should make an effort not to overindulge in food in order to dull your senses. You have made your efforts to get the food and to eat it an essential component of the process of self-medication that you are putting yourself through.
You start to feel anxious just at the notion of not being able to satisfy your hunger for food, and this makes you somewhat irritable. The phrase “comfort eating” comes from the fact that you would just eat whatever it takes to feel at ease.
It’s like a horse pursuing a carrot on a stick when you consider that if you don’t drink coffee and have a painful head, then you drink coffee to ease the agony caused by not having it.
If you are familiar with the four phases of addiction, you will be able to be more proactive in overcoming any resistance to making the changes outlined in stages 2 and 3, and you will also be able to recognize that a new approach is the most comfortable and preferable way to go.
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