Cravings
Research suggests that there may be a gene that makes certain individuals more sensitive to sugar and alcohol cravings.
Is addiction a disease or a choice?
Is addiction a disease or a choice? While one may not be responsible for getting the illness, it doesn’t abdicate one’s responsibility for making different choices to manage or eradicate it.
Resentment
“Resentment is like taking poison and hoping the other person dies” (Author unknown)
Social Interactions
Like hunger or thirst, our need for acceptance is rooted in our mechanism for survival. Positive social interactions release opioids for a natural mood boost (APA Monitor, April 2012).
Depression
Research suggests that people who work too much (11 hours or more during the day) are twice as likely to become depressed.
Compulsive Overeating
“Foods high in sugar, fat, and salt, and the cues that signal them, promote more of everything: more arousal…more thoughts of food…more urges to pursue food…more dopamine stimulated approach behavior…more consumption…more opioid-drive reward…more overeating to feel better…more delay in feeling full…more loss of control….more preoccupation with food…more habit driven behavior…and ultimately more weight gain.” (Kessler, 2009)
Anorexia – Genetic disorder
40-50% of the risk of developing Anorexia is genetic, it is as inheritable as Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, etc.
Drug Addiction
One in four adults, at some stage in their lifetime, will suffer from drug or alcohol addiction (Harris, 2006)
Amino Acid Based Supplements vs Psychotropic Medication
While psychotropic medications, such as antidepressants and mood stabilizers, are a huge asset to many struggling with various mental disorders, some people do not experience symptom relief . This could result from many different factors, but one possibility is that the person simply does not have enough raw material (ie serotonin, dopamine, norephinephrine, etc.) for the medication to act upon. This is due to the fact that psychotropic medications do not assist the body in making more neurotransmitters, rather they recycle or inhibit the actions of the neurotransmitters already present. It is speculated that the long-term use of psychotropic medications may lead to depletion of certain neurotransmitter stores. Specific amino acid based supplements, however, assist in the creation and synthesis of new neurotransmitters, making them a viable option for most and especially for those who are deriving little to no benefit from their psychotropic medication.
Dopamine
Did you know that some dopamine releasing behaviors include not only food, sex, relationships, and quenching thirst, but also bingeing, purging, gambling, and self-injurious behaviors? Some dopamine releasing chemicals include alcohol, drugs, caffeine and nicotine.