"Never again," is the claim that many of us make after a bout of over-indulgence.  Our heads hurt, stomachs ache, body weakens and wallets are vacant.  Too often, some of us take in seemingly harmless substances over long periods or binge over short periods.  The results are often accumulative and painful.  You probably know that I am talking about the three most common, yet bank-draining, health-destroying poisons:

• Alcohol
• Tobacco
• Sugar. 

ALCOHOL

When I first heard the term "duty gorilla", it was hilarious.  You know.  It is the imaginary gorilla that attacks you when you have had a few drinks.  He is the hairy monster who beats you up, tears apart your room, steals all of your money and craps in your mouth. 

 Many of us have suffered this during the "morning after".  It is funny the first few times.  But, the experience wears thin after losing time, money, relationships and whole weekends.  "Never again", becomes an empty promise.

Of course the humor really stops when jobs are lost, marriages crumble, wealth vanishes and health is crippled.  I have seen good soldiers, students, athletes and professionals hit the bottle too many times.  It was frustrating always covering for the same co-workers or making excuses for friends and relatives.  Some of the people recovered, while others turned to crime, drugs or even suicide. 

Now to quit or control your drinking can take several strategies.  Some involve joining a group, therapy or finding another hobby.  Sometimes methods sometimes work.  A better solution is to find the biological causes of alcohol craving.  Namely:

• Thyroid problems;
• Vitamin and mineral deficiencies;
• Allergic reactions;
• Hypoglycemia; and/or
• Candida Yeast complex.

After pinpointing why your body physically craves alcohol, you can use proven methods to:

1. Counter the alcohol craving based on your unique body chemistry.
2. Reduce your alcohol addiction.
3. Decrease or eliminate hangovers.
4. Think more clearly and get stronger.
5. Recover and rebuild your health.
6. Repair the alcohol damage before it is too late. 
7. Learn about the Crave-Less Formula

You can find this out in my book, Reduce Your Alcohol Craving.

The crave-less formula is based on the biochemical reactions that most drinkers have towards alcohol.  From the quiz in the book: Reduce Your Alcohol Craving, you might find that your reactions are from low blood sugar, allergies or vitamin deficiencies.  Since alcohol destroys certain nutrients, the crave-less formula contains the nutrients needed quickly and on a regular basis to protect and rebuild the body from excessive alcohol use.  The B Vitamins, in particular are needed for brain, nerve and muscle function.  High quality nutrients will give you faster and better results than many mainstream supplements on the market. 

BREAKFAST
          Two eggs (or egg whites), bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon, bowl of blueberries.
BREAK
            Herbal tea, cheese and rye crackers, apple
LUNCH         
            Chicken soup, salmon salad, water
SUPPER
            Turkey breast, steamed vegetables, yam. 
SNACK
            Oat biscuit.  (No sugar 1.5 hours before bedtime)

Other strategies can be found in the Stomach Flattening book. 

Also learn the subtle effects of:

• Environments
• Industrial pollutants
• Light and darkness
• Time of day
• Heredity
• Diet

Stop the self-blame and regain your health, self-respect and income.

Order Reduce Your Alcohol Craving Now.

For the crave-Less formula, visit: http://www.totalclinic.ca/doug.html

Tobacco Cravings

TOBACCO

Smoking still remains one of the most difficult habits to change.  Socially, it has been ingrained into our culture for over a century.  "Smoke breaks," "Smoking areas" and "Smoking Lounges" were as popular as the smoking paraphernalia: lighters, ashtrays, cigarette holders.  Even total strangers could break the ice with the offer of cigarettes or lights for the cigarettes.

Psychologically, cigarettes are addictive as they are often coupled with a pleasurable activity.  Psychologists often refer to this as the "Premack Principle."  That is, when an activity is performed with an enjoyable activity, then there will be a tendency to repeat that activity.  For instance, my mother used to always grab a coffee and cigarette before talking on the telephone.  All three activities reinforced each other.

Cigarettes’ chemical addiction is no mystery.  The active ingredient, acts as a stimulus barrier for the brain.  This helps the brain shut out outside noises and distractions.ⁱ  Obviously, this assists some people’s concentration and mental focus.  This is also why smokers feel irritated when they suddenly stop smoking.  They suddenly become very aware and hypersensitive to the sounds around them.  It is kind of like suddenly turning up the volume on a radio.

When tobacco companies were required to lower the amount of nicotine in their products to make them less addictive, some companies found ways around the regulation.  Namely, they reduced the nicotine, but added an ammonia compound that increased the speed of nicotine absorption into the blood stream.  This is kind of like free basing certain drugs. So, the smoker gets a stronger nicotine sensation for a shorter period of time.  The companies also added substances like theobromine to increase chemical craving and open bronchial passage waysⁱⁱ.  Theobromine is one of the natural ingredients that make chocolate addictive. 

To overcome each of these cigarette influences: social, psychological and chemical, the smoker has to use a host of strategies.  Socially, the smoker should avoid heavy smokers or areas of heavy smoking.   In most North American cities today, smoking is not allowed in hotels, bars, restaurants, movie theatres, malls, airplanes or buses.  This makes it easier to de-socialize smoking.

To lose the psychological craving for cigarettes, smoking needs to be associated with an unpleasant sensation.  This is no easy task as smoking brings an immediate reward of feeling good versus the delayed punishment of damaged health.   Check out a few photographs of lung-damaged patients and let the image settle.

To remove or at least reduce the nicotine craving requires at least two biochemical changes: Replacing the nicotine sensation and changing the body's blood acid-alkaline levels.

To replace nicotine sensation, the smoker can try certain homeopathic and herbal formulae.  Products like Nicotinex have had some success.  The herb, lobelia  has also had reported success.

The other approach is to lower the acidity and raise the alkalinity of the smoker’s blood.  Interestingly, nicotine also raises the alkalinity of the user’s blood.  So, the smoker’s body readily accepts the nicotine action to bring the blood to a PH of 7.4. 
Therefore, if the person’s blood is already slightly alkaline, then there is a reported lower craving for nicotine.  Interestingly, nicotine also raises the alkalinity of the user’s blood.  So, the smoker’s body readily accepts the nicotine action to bring the blood to a PH of 7.4. 

People whom I have worked with almost always get good results by eating better.  Since tobacco has an alkalizing action on the blood, some ex-smokers claim that a more alkaline diet lowers their tobacco craving.  Alkaline foods are: green vegetables, sweet fruits, sprouted grains, almonds and coconuts.

Meanwhile acid foods are beef, chicken, pork, fish, dairy products, grains, pickled olives, lentils, peanuts and blueberries.  Most smokers tend to eat greasy pub food (acid) and drink alcohol and coffee, which are all very acidic.  Maybe it is the awareness of  food habits or the alkaline quality of the blood that lessens the craving.  Either way, it is worth ordering a salad with your meals at the pub and keeping fresh vegetables and fruits around the home for snacking on.  Just eating the fresh foods alone will raise your energy levels so that you do not need the tobacco boost.

Supplement-wise, you can get some protection by taking Vitamins A, C and E, zinc, selenium and the amino acid cysteine often in the form of NAC .

The other thing that alkalizes the blood is exercise.  Especially, enjoyable exercise, in the fresh air.  That is to say a day of skiing beats out a day of cleaning the garage or boring indoor routines.

If you still smoke, you should protect yourself against the poisonous by-products, such as acetaldehyde and formaldehyde.  The protective nutrients are very similar to those used for heavy drinkers.  Namely, Vitamin A, C, E and NAC.  Check out the same protective nutrients found in the reduce alcohol pack

SUGAR

Often referred to as “white death” by the health-fanatic crowd, sugar has been touted as the great poison in the food industry.  As kids, we knocked back pounds and pounds of the stuff.  Chocolate bars, Koolade drinks, pop, processed cereals, pastries, ice cream, etc.  Heck, we used to eat sugar right out of the sugar bowl. No wonder my teeth were always bad and I had had bouts of hyperactivity.  Fortunately, we did something with our hyperactive mood swings and ran around outside.   Nowadays, there are armies of counsellors to deal with moody kids.  I guess eating better and more physical activity is too crazy of an idea for some “experts.”
           
            So, if we, as kids were a bit wound tight back in the 60’s, I can only imagine the mood swings of kids living past 2010.  During the time of this writing (2010) the average American is consuming over 100 pounds of sugar a year.  That is over an entire bodyweight of most children or even teens.   This heavy consumption of the white death cuts three ways against health.  First, it causes a rapid rise in blood glucose which causes insulin to pour into the blood stream.  The insulin causes a rapid drop in the blood sugar, which lowers the energy level and makes us susceptible to illness.  The second cut against health is that refined sugar requires extra vitamins and minerals to be processed.  Therefore, table sugar draws nutrients out of the body.  The third problem with excessive sugar is that it takes the place of good nutrition.

            Some nutrients, like  chromium picolinate and B complex vitamins can help stabilize blood sugar.  I also like the green power food for building and repairing healthy digestion.

            So, how do you lower the craving for something that often tastes too darn good to pass up?  Answer: You head it off at the pass, partner.  Eat something good BEFORE the sugar snack. 

            Now, how can that be? 
            Well, a piece of fruit for starters can quell the sugar craving and still give a person some nutrition.  Better yet, eat some protein first.  This way, your body gets nourishment and can slow down the spike in your blood sugar.  
           
Take a look at a typical North American eating routine:

BREAKFAST
            Coffee, juice, processed cereal, toast
BREAK
            Coffee, Danish
LUNCH
            Pop, peanut butter and jam sandwich, yogurt, muffin.
SNACK
            Coffee, muffin.

DINNER
            Spaghetti with tomato sauce, salad, garlic toast

BEDTIME SNACK
            Chocolate brownie, water

Now with a bit of planning, you can reduce the sugar and get a whole more bang for your buck in food value.

BREAKFAST
Two eggs (or egg whites), bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon, bowl of blueberries.

BREAK
            Herbal tea, cheese and rye crackers, apple
LUNCH         
            Chicken soup, salmon salad, water
SUPPER
            Turkey breast, steamed vegetables, yam. 

SNACK
            Oat biscuit.  (No sugar 1.5 hours before bedtime)

            Other strategies can be found in the Stomach Flattening book.

Sugar cravings