The Truth About Being Addicted To Chocolate

Does the thought of chocolate make you swoon? Do you feel woozy with hunger just by catching a whiff of chocolate? You might just be addicted to chocolate. Don't think you are alone. When I was young and started working my first job, I would spend the majority of my earnings on the stuff. I ate so much in fact that even my skin started to suffer. At the time, there wasn't a true diagnosis for chocolate addiction; thankfully times have changed and it is recognized right along with an addiction to internet, television and other things.

In my practice I came across a client who termed herself a chocoholic. She was regularly hypoglycemic and admitted to getting high from eating chocolate. It's hard to image that the stuff can have that effect, but it's a proven fact that chocolate contains natural ingredients the effect serotonin levels. During our sessions, it came to light that she gorged on chocolate when faced witemotih situations that caused her stress. Like many people facing addiction, her eating mass amounts of chocolate was her body's response to anxiety. Granted it's much better than smoking or drinking, but it still holds long term negative side effects. As a child, her rewards and punishments were based on food. The more extreme end of that would be when her mother would weigh her before each meal to determine if she would be allowed to eat that day.

This abuse turned her to a cycle of adult binging and purging which destroyed her self esteem. Food had become the controlling factor in her life preventing her from looking at situations in a normal way. During our sessions, we worked though a lot of these issues to help discover and limit the effect of the emotional triggers that caused her to binge on chocolate.

I am sure you are wondering how this may relate to you. Chocolate addiction, like any other addiction is more than a simple habit in most cases. Some clients are able to apply hypnotherapy to assist in removing the habit, but in cases where the issue stems from emotional pressures additional help is needed.

Another one of my clients admitting to being addicted to sugar; specifically chocolate, and he heard that I might be able to help him via hypnotherapy. After speaking with him at length I discovered a deep dissatisfaction in his home life. He and his partner though living together had not been intimate over the last five years. I told him that he most likely has an addiction to chocolate rather than simply a sugar habit. After receiving that bit of information he wanted to stop attending our sessions. Instead of dealing with the issue he requested that we not focus on that. I informed him that we could work on other parts of his life, however without working on the main issue, his habit would remain.

At the time he wasn't ready to deal with the real issues which I had to respect as a professional. My role is to suggest treatments that may help a person with their stress, but not to force a person into dealing with an issue before they are mentally ready. He wanted to work only on getting rid of his chocolate eating habit and nothing else. It's entirely possible that he has gotten rid of that habit, but more likely than not it has been replaced by another one.

If you are addicted to chocolate and the root cause is some form of emotional stress, only working to get rid of the habit won't prevent you from replacing it with another habit. The human mind is a pro at creating loopholes. This is the same reason many people who stop smoking or drinking turn to other habits such as eating. This all leads to weight gain in the end. If you want to lose weight, feel better, or just increase your self esteem treating the cause is the only way to cure the symptom.

Author: Sonia Devine

Women's continued meth use

Women are more likely to use meth than other drugs and often have a harder time getting free of the drug than men.

Why Women Continue to Use Meth

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug that forms a quick, strong dependency, even with limited use. Once a methamphetamine addiction has begun, it is a very difficult dependency to break, and women face unique challenges in this area. Many women in turn to meth to help them lose weight and have more energy to keep up with the demands of life, including child care, work, and home care.

Many women are unwilling to seek treatment for their meth addiction because they are afraid of having their children taken away from them when their problem is revealed. Many female meth addicts are single moms with no constant father figure in the lives of their children. Addiction is an isolating disease and these women have no one to care for their children while they're in treatment, leaving them with only the option of turning their kids over to the state until they can get clean. Many women feel that it would be better to try to get clean on their own in order to stay with their children.

For those women who do manage to enter a treatment program to address their addiction, the road to recovery is a particularly difficult one. Many women who are being treated for meth leave treatment early because they are worried about their kids. Even those who do finish have a very hard time staying clean at home. The demands of raising children, attending treatment, going to work, and caring for their home cause a level of exhaustion that they feel they can only relieve by returning to meth use. Out of all of the Utah women who have managed to get clean after a meth addiction, most have failed at treatment at least once and returned to using the drug. Many of these women have lost custody of their children and even been to jail, but they still continue to use the drug.

One of the answers to the increasing meth problem in Utah is to make treatment more available to those suffering from addiction, especially women. Treatment programs tailored specifically to meet the needs and address the concerns of women can encourage moms to complete their program. Sober houses where women can live with their children during recovery have been shown to increase the success rate of staying clean after inpatient treatment is completed. Making support groups for women dealing with addiction more available and visible in our communities may also help decrease the rate of relapse.

John is a professional blogger writes interesting articles about Rehabilitation and this article was researched and written with the help of Las Vegas alcohol rehab

4 Celebrity Examples Of Successful Addiction Recovery

When you think of Hollywood, there are many things that instantly come to mind. And I bet that drugs and alcohol are one of the first things that you think of. Our magazines and entertainment news shows are always headlined by stories of celebrities who have gotten yet another DUI, or landed themselves in mandatory rehab programs. When we think of celebrities, sure we think of the glitz and glamour that come along with their lifestyles. But we also think about the downsides that drug and alcohol abuse has brought into many of their lives.

But when we look to celebrities and addictive substances, all of the stories aren't as distressing as Lindsay Lohan's, or as tragic as Amy Winehouse's. In fact, there are many celebrities who have shown us great examples of overcoming addictions to drugs and alcohol. There are dozens of celebrities who have battled addictions... but have found their roads to recovery.

Let's talk about just a few of those examples. Here are 4 celebrity examples of successful addiction recovery:

 1. Betty Ford

Years clean/sober: 33
You might be surprised to see a former First Lady of the United States on this list. But yes, Betty Ford, the wife of President Gerald Ford, struggled with alcoholism and opioid addiction. Her addiction began as an addiction to pain medicines she was taking to treat a pinched nerve. That pain medication addiction turned into an addiction to opioids and alcohol, until her family staged an intervention. This happened in 1978, and after struggling through the physical and mental pain of recovery, she stayed sober until her death until 2011.
Betty founded the Betty Ford Center for substance abuse and addiction in 1982.

2. Bob Forrest

Years clean/sober: 17
Bob Forrest was the lead singer of the band Thelonious Monster, a popular band in the 1990's. Bob was known for his crazy, drug-driven antics both on and off the stage. He had numerous drug-related arrests, serving jail time numerous times. He was in and out of drug rehab. He overdosed several times.
Many people, including Dr. Drew Pinsky, thought that he wouldn't survive his level of heroin use and addiction. But he surprised everyone by eventually finding recovery. He said that he finally accepted that it was the drugs that were causing his problems. He went to rehab again, taking it seriously this time. He finally found full recovery, and has since helped many other celebrities find recovery also.
Since his recovery in 1996, Bob has become a drug counselor, he was the Chemical Dependency Program Director as Las Encinas Hospital, and he is the cofounder of Hollywood Recovery Services.

3. Drew Barrymore

Years clean/sober: 20+
I think we all know Drew's story: child star turned drug addict turned successful (sober) Hollywood A-lister. Drew is known to have one of the youngest drug addictions of all of the celebrity addiction stories. But she also has one of the most successful.
There were years of drug addiction in Drew's family, including her parents and grandfather. Drew began struggling with drug addiction when she was very young. She reportedly started drinking and smoking cigarettes when she was just 9 years old. She began using marijuana at age 10. At age 12, she started with cocaine use. Drew first entered drug rehab when she was just 13 years old, then again when she was 15. After a failed suicide attempt at age 15, she turned her life around, completely staying off of drugs. She has been completely clean ever since, and she has been able to move on to a very successful movie career.

4. Robert Downey, Jr.

Years clean/sober: 12
Just like Drew Barrymore's, Robert Downey, Jr's story is another well-known story of success, addiction, and redemption. And just like Drew, Robert's addictions began at a very, very young age. Robert's father was also a drug addict. Robert Downey Jr was first given marijuana when he was only 6 years old... by his own father. He has said that his addictions to drugs began when he was just 8 years old.
Robert Downey, Jr was one of the most popular actors in the 80's. That was, until his addictions took over. He had numerous drug-related arrests, and went through rehab several times. Directors stopped hiring him for roles.
It was in 2001 that Robert "realized that he couldn't continue this lifestyle of drug abuse." It was then that he joined rehab one more time, and was finally able to drop his addictions for good. He has since regained his movie career, becoming even more successful than he was before, starring in some of the most popular blockbusters of the 2000's, including Tropic Thunder, Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes, and The Avengers.

www.freedomdrugrehab.com/, is the most successful treatment center in the nation. Click here to find out how they can help you with your addiction.

Meditation: A Journey Towards Peace

Meditation is soothing tool for everyone and thus it help to reduce stress, boast your physical health and helps to eradicate chronic pain which makes you feel better, sleep better and helps your concentration more stronger than earlier. Meditation is a doorway in the deeper level and helps us get the deepest understanding of the surroundings.

You mind will get unruly whenever you will start meditating. Be very quiet and you will feel sensation of silence all around you and your mind will be over the place. In the beginning, it's not easy to concentrate as you will notice that your mind will run here and there and will start calculating your daily objectives rather than concentrating on what you are going to focus on. Rehabilitation centers also provide such facilities to drug addicts to recover from the addiction

Don't beat yourself if you are starting with meditation. It's a natural situation. With the passage of time, you will become familiar with kindly working with the barrage of thoughts and you'll a few clarity as well as peacefulness.

Here are a few easy tips about how to begin meditating. Perhaps people that currently exercise deep breathing might make sure you include your own remarks associated with exactly what did for you personally.

1. Position

Regardless of whether a person take a seat on chair or even cross-legged on the ground, ensure that your own backbone is actually erect along with mind upward. If you're slumped the mind may float. Body and mind tend to be intertwined. In case you are well-balanced, the mind may also be within stability. In order to straighten upward, suppose your face is actually coming in contact with the actual skies.

2. Eyes

Try to keep your eyes open. Open eyes make you much more existing. Simply decrease your eye as well as allow your own look end up being kind. If you near your own eye you'll be prone to float aside upon ideas as well as stories. Nevertheless, it's vital that you perform what's comfy for you personally. Many people discover shutting their own eye a lot more efficient. It's great in order to test and find out exactly what seems greatest for you personally.

3. Concentration

Within regular awareness we seldom exist. For instance, For example, sometimes we drive the car on autopilot whilst becoming preoccupied along with ideas. All of a sudden all of us get to the location as well as don't keep in mind about the drive!

5. Counting your breath

If you're struggling settling, you can test keeping track of the breath -- that is an old deep breathing exercise. In your out breath, quietly depend "one", after that "two', or more in order to "four". After that it go back to "one". If you discover your ideas possess strayed far or even you are keeping track of "thirty-three", merely go back to "one". In this manner, "one" is much like arriving house to the present moment. It's great to come back with no backward look.

Author Bio: Anna is a person with a passion for writing. She has written many articles on various topics as rehabilitation centers, for more information you can check her other blogs.

Largest-ever tobacco study finds 'urgent need' for policy change

About half the men in numerous developing nations use tobacco, and women in those regions are taking up smoking at an earlier age than they used to, according to what is being called the largest-ever international study on tobacco use.

The study, which covered enough representative samples to estimate tobacco use among 3 billion people, "demonstrates an urgent need for policy change in low- and middle-income countries," said lead researcher Gary Giovino, whose report was published in the British medical journal The Lancet.

The figures bolster statements by the World Health Organization that while much of the industrialized world, including the United States, has seen a substantial reduction in smoking in recent years, the opposite trend is under way in parts of the developing world.

Australian tobacco packaging laws misguided
This week, Australia's high court upheld a rule that tobacco products must be in plain packaging without logos and bear graphic health warnings.

Other success stories include New Zealand, Ireland, and Britain, said Tusan D'Espaignet. Two of the countries in the new GATS study Turkey and Uruguay are also showing improvement due to such measures, he said.

The study got some of its funding from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's philanthropy, as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.

Bloomberg Philanthropies says that in 2007, it supported the WHO's efforts "to package and promote six proven policies to reduce tobacco use worldwide. These strategies including protecting people from tobacco smoke, offering help to quit, raising awareness about the dangers of tobacco through warning labels and public education campaigns, enforcing tobacco advertising bans, and raising the price of tobacco products are proven to reduce smoking rates. "

Since that initiative began in 2007, "21 countries have passed 100% smoke-free laws, the percentage of people protected from second-hand smoke has increased 400%, and almost four billion people worldwide are now protected by at least one of the six proven tobacco control policies," the group said.

By Josh Levs, CNN

Fun In Recovery

I was thinking about how to have fun in recovery. Just for kicks out wanted to make a list of things to do that could be fun, or simply occupy some time. a lot of folks say there is nothing to do so simply to be contrary I decided to make a list of some fun things to do. I hope you will add your comments and list the things that you like to do most.

• Go to the zoo.
• Read your favorite magazine.
• Go to a play.
• Tryout for play.
• Go to the movies and have some popcorn.
• Go to the park and watch the kids play.
• Go skydiving.
• Go for a glider ride.
• Take a walk at night and look at the stars and moon.
• Get dressed up for no reason.
• Walk around your house backward.
• Read a silly book.
• Use the blender to make a homemade milkshake.
• Make ice cream.
• Skip to my loo.
• Jump rope.
• Take some dance lessons.
• Go bird watching.
• Sing a silly song.
• Go bowling.
• Go shoot some pool.
• Call an old friend you haven't spoken to in a while.
• Play Frisbee.
• Go to the nature center.
• Treat yourself to some flowers.
• Go look at new cars and pretend you have all the money in the world.
• Drive exactly 20 mi. due north and see where you end up.
• Go buy a candy cane in the middle of summer.
• Buy a scented candle.
• Meditate.
• Bake cake.
• Go to the library.
• Check out of volunteer opportunities.
• Go to the mall and sit and just watch people.
• Start a new project.
• Finish an old project.
• Smile at everyone you see today.
• Make an apology owed.
• By some houseplants.
• Make someone laugh.
• Plan a vacation.
• Go on a vacation.
• Make caramel apples.
• Go to McDonald's and order a hamburger without the bun.
• Make a campfire in your back yard.
• Look at yourself in the mirror and say something nice.

Well, there are a just a few ideas and my fingers are cramped from typing. So I will turn over the task of thinking of new fun things to do over to you. Please add some things to do that would be fun in recovery.

How To Raise Your Self-Esteem

Things You Can Do Right Away Every Day to Raise Your Self-esteem

Often in both addiction and in recovery or self-esteem can be low. It really is hard to feel good about yourself when you are active in your addiction or testing the waters of beginning recovery. Here are some sobriety tips an helping your self esteem.

Pay attention to your own needs and wants. Listen to what your body, your mind, and your heart are telling you. For instance, if your body is telling you that you have been sitting down too long, stand up and stretch. If your heart is longing to spend more time with a special friend, do it. If your mind is telling you to clean up your basement, listen to your favorite music, or stop thinking bad thoughts about yourself, take those thoughts seriously.

Take very good care of yourself. As you were growing up you may not have learned how to take good care of yourself. In fact, much of your attention may have been on taking care of others, on just getting by, or on "behaving well." Begin today to take good care of yourself. Treat yourself as a wonderful parent would treat a small child or as one very best friend might treat another. If you work at taking good care of yourself, you will find that you feel better about yourself. Here are some ways to take good care of yourself

Eat healthy foods and avoid junk foods (foods containing a lot of sugar, salt, or fat). A healthy daily diet is usually:
1. Five or six servings of vegetables and fruit
2. Six servings of whole grain foods like bread, pasta, cereal, and rice
3. Two servings of protein foods like beef, chicken, fish, cheese, cottage cheese, or yogurt

• Exercise. Moving your body helps you to feel better and improves your self-esteem. Arrange a time every day or as often as possible when you can get some exercise, preferably outdoors. You can do many different things. Taking a walk is the most common. You could run, ride a bicycle, play a sport, climb up and down stairs several times, put on a tape, or play the radio and dance to the music-anything that feels good to you. If you have a health problem that may restrict your ability to exercise, check with your doctor before beginning or changing your exercise habits.

1. Do personal hygiene tasks that make you feel better about yourself-things like taking a regular shower or bath, washing and styling your hair, trimming your nails, brushing and flossing your teeth.
2. Have a physical examination every year to make sure you are in good health.
3. Plan fun activities for yourself. Learn new things every day.

• Take time to do things you enjoy. You may be so busy, or feel so badly about yourself, that you spend little or no time doing things you enjoy-things like playing a musical instrument, doing a craft project, flying a kite, or going fishing. Make a list of things you enjoy doing. Then do something from that list every day. Add to the list anything new that you discover you enjoy doing.
• Get something done that you have been putting off. Clean out that drawer. Wash that window. Write that letter. Pay that bill.
• Do things that make use of your own special talents and abilities. For instance, if you are good with your hands, then make things for yourself, family, and friends. If you like animals, consider having a pet or at least playing with friends' pets.
• Dress in clothes that make you feel good about yourself. If you have little money to spend on new clothes, check out thrift stores in your area.
• Give yourself rewards you are a great person. Listen to a CD or tape.
• Spend time with people who make you feel good about yoursel people who treat you well. Avoid people who treat you badly.
• Make your living space a place that honors the person you are. Whether you live in a single room, a small apartment, or a large home, make that space comfortable and attractive for you. If you share your living space with others, have some space that is just for you-a place where you can keep your things and know that they will not be disturbed and that you can decorate any way you choose.
• Display items that you find attractive or that remind you of your achievements or of special times or people in your life. If cost is a factor, use your creativity to think of inexpensive or free ways that you can add to the comfort and enjoyment of your space.
• Make your meals a special time. Turn off the television, radio, and stereo. Set the table, even if you are eating alone. Light a candle or put some flowers or an attractive object in the center of the table. Arrange your food in an attractive way on your plate. If you eat with others, encourage discussion of pleasant topics. Avoid discussing difficult issues at meals.
• Take advantage of opportunities to learn something new or improve your skills. Take a class or go to a seminar. Many adult education programs are free or very inexpensive. For those that are more costly, ask about a possible scholarship or fee reduction.
• Begin doing those things that you know will make you feel better about yourself like going on a diet, beginning an exercise program or keeping your living space clean.
• Do something nice for another person. Smile at someone who looks sad. Say a few kind words to the check-out cashier. Help your spouse with an unpleasant chore. Take a meal to a friend who is sick. Send a card to an acquaintance. Volunteer for a worthy organization.
• Make it a point to treat yourself well every day. Before you go to bed each night, write about how you treated yourself well during the day.

You may be doing some of these things now. There will be others you need to work on. You will find that you will continue to learn new and better ways to take care of yourself. As you incorporate these changes into your life, your self esteem will continue to improve. You should now have some new sobriey tools in your arsenal.

Chemical Dependency

There are definite phases of recovery from chemical dependency, and several different models that have been put forward. In my never ending quest to simplify things let's look at these three phases of recovery: early recovery, middle recovery and late stage recovery.

Each stage of recovery has certain tasks and signs of growth that are appropriate to that particular stage. Chemical dependency is a disease that causes a person to lose control over their use of mood altering drugs or alcohol. This loss of control not only affects their use of the substance, but affects the user holistically causing physical, psychological, spiritual and relationship problems. Let's take a look at the three stages of recovery:

Early Recovery: The necessary task to be accomplished in early recovery is abstinence. It is only after we have stopped taking the substance that Sobriety is abstinence in addition to a return to a healthy physical, psychological, spiritual and social lifestyle. In early recovery we want to learn the skills needed to become comfortable abstaining, not just hanging on by our fingernails.

Middle Recovery Stage: We have become comfortable in abstinence, now our task is to continue to change our lives for the better. We want to adjust our thinking and feeling so that a return to using is simply not an option. We also want to examine and start to repair damages caused by our addiction and attain a balanced lifestyle. We want to make it a priority to get relationships with ourselves, family, spiritual and our social environment in order. If something needs to be done we admit it and take some action to make it right. Middle recovery ends when we achieve "balance". We move on to the next stage when a good degree of stability and peace has returned.

Late Stage Recovery: Having a stable and secure recovery foundation under us here we may want to look at and resolve long standing issues or obstacles to health and happiness. These may be childhood issues such as abandonment or the development of low self esteem. Perhaps we came from a "dysfunctional" family system and got very mixed messages growing up that need to be addressed. This stage is marked by growth and challenge to become more than we had limited ourselves to previously.

Movement through these stages is not so much a function of how long you may have been abstinent, but rather what you accomplish in the phases of recovery.

By BILL URELL

Types Of Drug And Alcohol Treatment

There are several levels of drug and alcohol treatment. Before we look for a drug rehab or alcohol treatmentalcohol treatment program, we have to look at the level of care needed for the severity of the problem. Just as there are various levels of use of mood altering drugs, there are various levels of treatment. Here are some levels of care and examples of what may be appropriate for a situation.

Brief Therapy/Intervention - This is usually a very short duration program, but can be very effective. Perhaps a person who really is not involved with alcohol over does it one time on a birthday or New Years and is caught on their first DUI. They may be mandated to attend alcohol classes where education is provided for a few weeks.

Detoxification - The idea that this is treatment is a common misconception. The purpose of a 'Detox' is to safely monitor and de-escalate an incident of intoxification. Generally, as soon as you are medically stable (which is not recovery treatment) you are dismissed from the hospital or facility. Supervised detox is recommended for long term alcohol or benzodiazepine (Xanax, Ambien etc) users as the risk of seizures exists. This may be a required first step before entering treatment.

Outpatient Program - This is non-residential treatment usually consisting of attending a therapy group and/or individual counseling once or twice/week. This may be appropriate for a person' whose use is starting to cause problems, but is not yet dependent

Intensive Outpatient Program - This is non residential but generally consists of 16-20 hours of group and individual therapy per week. Insurance is more likely to cover this form of treatment rather than inpatient treatment. This is less costly than residential, but is appropriate for a person with full dependency. Outpatient programs may be used as a 'step down' after completing residential treatment

Inpatient Treatment - This is your classic drug rehab. It is residential and the programs generally consist of a full day of activities and may last from 4 weeks to a year. It is the most intense form of treatment and these facilities are usually equipped to handle additional global problems associated with addiction such as mental health, physical, emotional and spiritual areas.

I am definitely biased. That being said, I would recommend inpatient treatment for anyone with addiction and chemical dependency. One disadvantage is that it can be costly and insurance generally does not cover it. The reality is that insurance companies will pay out as little as possible for addiction treatment.

The important thing is to get a proper assessment so you can be matched with an appropriate type of drug and alcohol treatment.

By BILL URELL