Posts tagged health

AllTreatment’s Guide to Quit Smoking – Part 2.3

Mar09
2011 3 Comments Written by S. Cody Barrus

2.3 Memory

Sun Tzu says, “Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”  So it is with nicotine.  Not only is our enemy sly, devious, and an expert at manipulation and sabotage, he takes advantage of his conquest by multiplying them in a very crafty way.  He enhances the memories of the good feelings brought about by his trickery.

First, Nicotine took advantage of the pathways in our brains which help keep us alive and used them to manipulate us (used dopamine to make the act of smoking feel necessary for survival).  Second, nicotine took things one step further.  When smoking, not only does nicotine bring about the flow of dopamine, but it prevents that dopamine from being flushed from the brain as it normally would.  Third, it presses the record button.

The memories recorded of the reward we talked about in 2.2 are some of the most concrete memories your brain is able to record, called “salient” memories.  Like a one-two punch, nicotine reinforces the false idea that it is needed for survival by recoding the dopamine overflows which can now be played again and again in your mind.

This is one reason why if you go to long without nicotine you begin to crave, your brain remembers the moments of dopamine floods, how long those floods lasted, and it knows that just one more cigarette would bring it all back.  Think of normal memories of rewards (food, sex, accomplishment) as being recorded on VHS while memories associated with nicotine are burnt on Blue Ray, HD and permanent.

These are just some of the obstacles smokers are up against.  Its a fight for your life, but your brain’s been manipulated to think that you are fighting on the wrong side.  The fight is never an easy one, often compared to the battle of quitting heroin.  The enemy does not fight fair, he slips in with false promises while he slowly whittles you down.

The battle will not be easy, but it is worth it, it is possible, and it has been accomplished by millions before you, all whom have struggled and fought just as you are struggling and fighting.  Krav Maga teaches that ferocity is just as important as are tactics, so it is with the battle against nicotine.  With the proper knowledge and determination, it is a battle that can be won, and the rewards are much greater than a momentary dopamine flood.  Better heath, clearer conscience, less worry, more energy and more money all await you on the other side.

Check back next Monday (March 14 ) for Part 3 – What To Expect While Quitting

—
S. Cody Barrus
Managing Editor
Share/Bookmark
Posted in Addiction Resources, Addiction Stories, Nicotine Addiction - Tagged ,

AllTreatment’s Guide to Quit Smoking – Part 2.2

Mar08
2011 Leave a Comment Written by S. Cody Barrus
2.2 Dopamine (For 2.1 click here)

Sun Tzu says, “Take advantage of the enemy’s unpreparedness; travel by unexpected routes and strike him where he has taken no precautions.”  Nicotine is a fierce warrior, and this is his major, most bloodthirsty tactic.  By using routs already set up in our brains to keep us alive, nicotine tricks your brain and keeps you addicted and dwindling.

In your brain is a very important chemical known as dopamine. It is the “pleasure chemical”. Essentially, when dopamine is released you feel good about yourself, pleased for whatever reason.  Dopamine is what keeps you happy and healthy, encouraging eating and drinking, friend making, reproduction, accomplishing goals, etc.

Your brain is saying “Good job buddy”, what you are doing is right, it is necessary for your survival, so keep it up and I’ll keep you feeling good.   Another way of looking at it is that your brain knows that if you stop doing these good things, you might die.  It’s saying “Don’t quit, don’t ever quit, this is necessary for survival!”

How does this relate to tobacco?  Every time tobacco is used, nicotine (along with hundreds of other chemicals)  is absorbed and transported to the brain where where the deception begins.  The nicotine triggers the release of dopamine, the chemical that makes the first morning smoke feel so good.  Your mind has been tricked, it says “good job buddy. Don’t ever quit.”

Now your brain believes that the very poison which is killing it is actually necessary for survival.  Your brain is quickly conditioned to think, “If I quit smoking I will die, smoking is necessary for survival!”

As the excellent free book “Freedom from Nicotine” explains:

“Drug addiction is about the brain’s “pay attention” dopamine reward pathways being taken hostage by an external chemical. As previously explained, these pathways were engineered to teach and reinforce species survival priorities associated with food, water, nurturing, accomplishment and reproduction. Enter nicotine, what some researchers consider the most perfectly designed drug of addiction.”

“We nicotine smokers didn’t suck tissue destroying tars that included ammonia, formaldehyde, arsenic, butane, hydrogen cyanide, lead, mercury, vinyl chloride, methane or vast quantities of carbon monoxide into our bodies because we wanted to watch each puff destroy a bit more of our capacity to receive and circulate life-giving oxygen. We did so to replenish rapidly falling nicotine reserves.”

When smoking, not only does nicotine bring about the flow of dopamine, but it prevents that dopamine from being flushed from the brain as it normally would.

Because of this, the “good job buddy” message is much more powerful than normal good behavior reinforcements.  So now, smoking is not only necessary for survival, it even supersedes other good behaviours because of its heavy handed reward.

Check back tomorrow (March 9 ) for 2.3 – Memories
—
S. Cody Barrus
Managing Editor

Share/Bookmark
Posted in Addiction Resources, Addiction Stories, Nicotine Addiction - Tagged ,

Soda pop consumption closely related to high blood pressure, hypertention

Mar01
2011 1 Comment Written by S. Cody Barrus

According to a study published in “Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association”, the more sugary drinks consumed by adults, such as soda’s, the greater your chances of having higher blood pressure.

The study found that each beverage, wherein sugar was added, drank per day increased systolic blood pressure by 1.6 mm Hg, and increased diastolic blood pressure by 0.8 mm Hg.

“This points to another possible intervention to lower blood pressure,” said senior author of the study, entitled International Study of Macro/Micronutrients and Blood Pressure, Paul Elliot. “These findings lend support for recommendations to reduce the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, as well as added sugars and sodium in an effort to reduce blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health.”

The study also noted the extra caloric intake of 397 calories per day, another notch on the belt against soda and related drinks.

The study followed 2,696 participants, ages 40 to 59, across the U.S. and U.K.

Share/Bookmark
Posted in Drug News, Research

Blame it on the al-al-al-al-al-alcohol

Jun18
2010 2 Comments Written by Steven Lo

Drinking insane amounts with the intention of getting “retarded” is nothing new, particularly in a college atmosphere.  It’s about as commonplace as breathing in air.  As a college student, I find myself taking part in a plethora of non-stimulating (to say the least) conversations in which alcohol is the pressing topic at hand.  People will list, rather excitedly (and with a hint of braggadocios in tone), the amount of alcohol they consumed the night before, or the weekend before, or two weekends before, or three weekends before, or the Friday before and after their midterm, or on Thirsty Thursday, or on the Sunday following that crazy party that Andy and co. threw on Saturday night (the one where Simon blacked out and went streaking throughout campus by himself), etc.  You get the picture.

“Last night was ridiculous.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Oh my god.  It was insane.”
“What happened?”
“Well, basically, I killed my liver.  I pre-funked at Joe’s house and drank like 3 beers and took like 5 shots of Jack’s (Jack Daniels).  Then we went to Nate’s and I shotgunned 3 more beers, beer bonged another beer, and took, like, I think it was 4 shots of Smirnoff.  I’m pretty sure I blacked out at Nate’s in the first 10 minutes.”

To black out – to intake copious amounts of alcohol in one outing to the point in which events from the specified outing can neither be recalled nor identified.

This phenomenon of blacking out is, in my opinion, esteemed within a college setting.  It’s the cool thing to do, to drink yourself to the point in which you can’t remember a thing from the night before, while at the same time causing extreme detriment to your liver and brain.  And although there are tons of people who drink with the intention of not blacking out, oppositely there is a handful of people who drink excitedly anticipating having no recall of the night’s events.

Ever heard of a “21 Run?”

This is probably one of the best ways to destroy your body and mind for a night, and it only takes 2 hours to do so. Here’s how a 21 Run works: the birthday boy or girl, upon becoming of legal drinking age, embarks upon a most epic journey that entails going to the bar with of-age friends and acquaintances and attempting to intake 21 shots in a span of 120 minutes.  The predictable end result: whether or not the birthday boy or girl reaches the magic number, a black out almost always ensues.  The night involves much vomiting (many times at the bar, and if this is the case, the birthday boy or girl usually gets thrown out for the night), passing out and often times, friends teaming up to carry the motionless body back home as if he or she is a wounded soldier being carried off the battlefield in war.  The battlefield: the bar, the street, the pavement, etc.  The war: fighting to stay conscious.  To say this is not a very pretty sight is a gross understatement.  And to even say that it’s a gross understatement is, in itself, a gross understatement.

Fortunately, your own 21 Run takes place only once in your life (that is, if you choose to partake in it).  Unfortunately, blacking out, vomiting, passing out and needing to be taken care of as if you’re a child is a weekly occurrence (especially among college students).  Essentially, we’re looking at the problem of binge drinking.

I’ll spare listing all the adverse effects alcohol has on the body and brain.  We all have at least a basic idea of how harmful alcohol can be, especially in copious amounts.  I just wonder, why do people binge drink knowing how awful it is for their well-being?  And it’s not just once or twice a quarter or semester; many college students treat “binging” with the same regularity as they do attending lecture every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  In other words, that’s a lot of alcohol consumed on a frequented basis.

We all know alcohol is bad for your health; my intent is not to prove that or persuade you not to drink ever.  Instead, I hope you read this questioning the insanity of drinking with the intention of blacking out.  In using the aforementioned analogy, yes, there must be honor in fighting a war for your country, but I’m betting the same can’t be said for fighting to remember what you did last night.

Share/Bookmark
Posted in Alcohol Addiction - Tagged , , , , , ,
join our mailing list
* indicates required

Sobriety Calculator



Copyright AllTreatment.com 2011