Addiction
recovery
We have all been in a position somewhere in our lives where we were surrounded by temptations and had cravings. To some it is bread, to others it was alcohol. To someone else it might have been sigarettes or drugs. It could have also been sugar.
Everyone has
emotions. We can all go through feelings of frustration, anger, loneliness,
sadness, rejection or lack of acceptance. How do you deal with these emotions
when they do come up? Not everyone has learnt how to deal with these emotions
when you are confronted with them. Do you try and numb the pain by grabbing
hold of those temptations and always satisfying those cravings? And then being
left with feelings of failure and guilt when the high wears off? Almost as if
you were used and abused by the temptation itself.
Many of us
have subconsciously been trained to only love conditionally. “You will be
rewarded when…” Finish your plate of food then…” Most of us have been moulded
into a stereotype by the thought patterns of this world. To work harder means
that you will be seen, praised and accepted. We have all learnt to perform.
Imagine how different the world will be if we all learn to love unconditionally.
Without terms and conditions, being fully accepted.
Do you feel
that you are good enough to be loved and accepted? Or are you sitting with root
wounds of unworthiness, shame, humiliation and fear? Are you taking responsibility
for these feelings or are you blame shifting? Yes, I know that others hurt you and
played a big role in your emotional wound. But maybe there is something that
you can do about it.
Instead of
putting plasters on these emotions, illnesses and addictions that are manifesting
in your life, maybe it is time to identify these feelings and find out where
they are coming from. There could have been a childhood incident that opened a
door to a negative emotion and injured your heart and soul.
Once you
remove the “plaster”, you will probably feel raw, vulnerable and really angry
when it has been exposed. By working through a process of forgiveness and releasing
the different emotions, THEN you can start looking at the addiction in
itself. If the emotion or the incident
that happened is still trapped inside of you, it will take much more
self-control and will power to overcome any addiction. It is probably easier to
just swallow more pills and get on with life. But it might catch up with you
and manifest in disease etc.
Now where
does nutrition fit into this picture of addiction recovery? You have heard that
food must be your medicine. You have also learnt that many sicknesses and
diseases can be reversed through a predominantly plant-based diet.
High
carbohydrate diets that are fueled with highly processed carbs like white
bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits and vetkoek on a daily basis will leave you with
feelings of mental cloudiness, depression, fatigue, rollercoaster emotions and
blood sugar issues.
These foods
will leave you with a false sense of pleasure. It causes your brain to release
dopamine and will make you feel good for a little while. It can temporarily
numb the underlying issue. Don’t try to take away the emotions by covering it
with empty, sugar laden carbohydrates. Why do you think that it is called “comfort”
food?
A predominantly
wholefood, plant-based diet will help you to nourish, regenerate and rejuvenate
your body. Do you know that it can help to reverse damage in your body?! By
eating enough fruit and vegetables, wholegrains like brown rice, oats, lentils,
buckwheat and a variety of beans and chickpeas, nuts and seeds, it will help to
clear your mind, lift your mood, and help steer you away from depressive
feelings. Many underlying issues will diminish and you will only be left with core
issues that can be dealt with differently.
The thing
is, if the root causes and emotions aren’t dealt with, then the addiction can
then just shift to a different addiction- drugs to alcohol and sigarettes, or
alcohol to sugar, or sugar to sleeping tablets, or tv games to pain pills.
Addiction is addiction. You are just giving it a different jacket.
You need to
learn to accept and love yourself again to be able to care about yourself.
Now there is
addiction to the actual chemicals, and addiction to a numbing feeling that
causes you to “forget” about the core issues and emotions at hand.
Then there
is addiction that has been carried over through the generations. You need to
have a decent look at your family’s blood line. Do you see a pattern of
addiction? I know, it is quite an eye opener, hey!
It might not even be your fault. A certain
incident might have left you feeling rejected and afraid, and that pattern
allowed the addiction into the next generation. There is help to break free
from these patterns.
An opportunity
might come through deception with peers where you feel loved and accepted. Peer
pressure is a horrible thing. By joining the crowd, it almost takes away the
fear and changes it into an adrenaline rush. You get hooked on the feeling, and
before you know it, you are hooked to the chemical.
So what came
first? The chemical, the peer pressure, or the fear? Not any of these!
Somewhere, way before that, you might have felt rejected, lonely and were loved
conditionally. I think that you are starting to get the picture.
It is time
to start taking care of yourself by taking ownership. It is time to love and
nurture yourself. Embrace flavourful but nutritional food. You have the power
to choose what goes into your body. Not a diet with all these restrictions and
starvation. It is not about depriving yourself, but loving yourself on purpose
and moving into a life of freedom.
We at HEALTH
AMPLIFIED can help you on this journey of being set free. Be bold and
courageous and be the change for your next generation by taking the first step.
You can
contact us on our website to make an appointed. healthamplified.co.za
Many
blessings.
Lizelle
