Addiction recovery

 

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