N.M.A.
Transform your life through vocational education and training.
नशे को ना कहें, जीवन को हाँ कहें!
N.M.A.
Transform your life through vocational education and training.
नशे को ना कहें, जीवन को हाँ कहें!
About Skilling and De-addiction
Addiction is giving up everything for one thing. Recovery is giving up one thing for everything
1. Recovery is not a race. You don’t have to feel guilty if it takes longer than you thought it would.
2. One day at a time. One step at a time. Progress, not perfection.
3. Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow." — Robert Kiyosaki
4. You were never meant to fight this battle alone. Reach out, rise up.
5. "Every craving you overcome is a victory over your past self.
6. Sobriety is not the absence of something — it’s the presence of everything.
7. The pain you feel today is the strength you’ll use tomorrow.
8. Fall seven times, stand up eight." — Japanese Proverb
9. Don’t count the days — make the days count." — Muhammad Ali
De-Addiction Home Remedies
Overcoming addiction is challenging and usually requires a comprehensive approach — including medical, psychological, and lifestyle support. However, there are natural/home remedies and lifestyle changes that can support de-addiction and ease withdrawal symptoms, especially when combined with professional guidance.
⚠️ Note: These remedies are supportive. not replacements for medical or therapeutic treatment.
🌿 Home Remedies & Natural Supports for De-Addiction
1. Hydration Detox
Why: Flushes out toxins from the body.
How: Drink 2–3 liters of water daily. Add lemon or cucumber slices for extra detox benefits.
2. Herbal Teas
Best options:-
Chamomile– calming, helps with anxiety and sleep.
Ginger tea– reduces nausea during withdrawal.
Peppermint tea – soothes digestion and stress.
3. Ashwagandha
Why: Adaptogenic herb that helps reduce stress, anxiety, and cravings.
How: 300–500 mg extract daily or as tea. Consult a doctor for dosage.
4. Exercise / Physical Activity
Why: Boosts endorphins (natural mood lifters), reduces cravings.
How: Start with walking, yoga, or light cardio for 30 minutes daily.
5. Meditation & Deep Breathing
Why: Calms the mind, helps with emotional control.
How: 10–20 minutes daily — apps like Headspace or Insight Timer can help.
6. Healthy Diet
Focus on:
* High-protein foods (lentils, eggs, nuts)
* Fruits & veggies (especially bananas, spinach, berries)
* Omega-3 fats (flaxseed, walnuts, fish)
Avoid: Sugar, caffeine, and junk food — they can worsen withdrawal.
7. Sleep Hygiene
Why: Lack of sleep can increase stress and cravings.
How:-
* Keep a regular sleep schedule
* Avoid screens before bed
* Use herbal sleep aids like valerian root or lavender oil
8. Lemon and Honey Warm Water
Why: Cleanses the liver and supports digestion.
How: Drink in the morning on an empty stomach.
9. Supportive Supplements (Consult a doctor first).
Vitamin B-complex– supports nervous system
Magnesium – reduces anxiety and muscle tension
L-Theanine – promotes calmness
🧘♂️ Additional Natural Practices
Yoga:- Especially Hatha or restorative yoga helps balance mood and control impulses.
Journaling: Express thoughts, triggers, and goals.
Sunlight: 15–20 minutes daily helps with Vitamin D and mood stabilization.
🚫 What to Avoid
* Isolation (seek community or support groups)
* Caffeine and sugar (can mimic addictive cycles)
* Negative environments or people tied to past us
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How to Detox From Alcohol and Cigarettes
If you want to eliminate both alcohol and cigarettes from your life at the same time, it can be difficult but it’s not impossible.
Alcohol and cigarettes are two of the most harmful addictive substances and an addiction to one often goes hand-in-hand with an addiction to another. Unfortunately, many people who make the decision to stopusing alcoholand gettreatment for this addictioncan become even more dependent on cigarettes while in rehab due to using them as a coping mechanism.
So what should you know about the relationship between alcohol and cigarettes and how to detox from alcohol and cigarettes at the same time?
Article at a Glance:
For many people, alcohol and cigarettes go hand-in-hand, yet both are highly addictive.
It can be difficult to quit both alcohol and nicotine at the same time, but it is definitely possible.
For many people, it is easier to make a complete lifestyle change when they quit alcohol and cigarettes at once.
Alcohol and nicotine each have their own withdrawal side effects and stages of detoxing.
To detox from both at the same time, you should seek professional help.
What’s It Like to Detox from Alcohol and Cigarettes?
There’s no doubt that one of the elements alcohol and cigarettes have in common is their highly addictive nature. If you are attempting to detox from alcohol and cigarettes at the same time, you will go through withdrawal symptoms from both. Alcohol detox can be particularly dangerous because it can include tremors, fear, hallucinations and seizures.
When researchinghow to detox from alcohol, you’ll see it includes different stages. The first stage primarily includesanxiety, nausea andinsomnia, and can begin around eight hours after the last drink is taken. Stage two includeshigh blood pressureand body temperature, confusion and issues with heart rate. Stage three can be the most severe for certain people and symptoms can include hallucinations, seizures and fever.
Nicotine withdrawalcan have its own side effects as well, including intense cravings, tingling, sweating, nausea, headaches, sore throat, insomnia, concentration problems, anxiety, and irritation. Quitting nicotine can also lead todepressionand weight gain.
The symptoms of withdrawal from nicotine can last for a few days up to a few weeks, and in some cases, people may experience the symptoms of withdrawal from nicotine for a few months.
There are some products that can help you taper off nicotine and reduce the severity of nicotine withdrawal symptoms such as gum and skin patches, as well as prescription nasal sprays and inhalers.
Related Topic:How to taper off alcohol
While detoxing from alcohol, whether you aredetoxing from alcohol at homeor a medical facility, can include complications and can potentially be life-threatening, nicotine withdrawal is not normally deadly, but it can be uncomfortable and lead to mood and physical changes.
So, what should you know specifically about how to detox from alcohol and cigarettes?
How to Detox From Alcohol and Cigarettes
Since the symptoms ofalcohol withdrawalcan be life-threatening, the safest way to complete detox from alcohol is under medical supervision because these professionals already knowwhat helps with alcohol withdrawal.
When someone decides to stop using alcohol, whether on their own or in a rehab facility, they may start to rely more heavily on cigarettes as a coping mechanism to manage theirstressand anxiety. Cigarettes aren’t the only way to manage the stress of quitting alcohol.
As part of relying on cigarettes for coping, people believe that they might be more likely torelapse and use alcoholif they quit using cigarettes at the same time, but there is no proof this is true. In fact, research has found that it can be quite the opposite and that therates of alcohol relapse are higherin people whosmoke during recovery. Allowing one addiction to continue allows the behavior to continue, which can make relapse more likely.
To detox from both alcohol and cigarettes, you should seek professional help and speak to the team of yourrehab programabout your desire to stop using both simultaneously. You can even find a rehab program that will help you learn how to detox from alcohol and cigarettes at the same time with a cigarette cessation program.
As with your program to stop using alcohol, when you explore how to detox from alcohol and cigarettes, your program may include different aspects of recovery including counseling, meetings and medication.
There are benefits to deciding to quit using alcohol and cigarettes at the same time, including the fact that you’ll physically feel better and you’ll be able to get on a path toward a complete recovery, rather than continuing dependence on an addictive substance even after you stop drinking. It may actually be easier for you to make a complete lifestyle change when you stop using alcohol and cigarettes at the same time.
Related Topic:How to cleanse your liver from alcohol
The Relationship Between Alcohol and Cigarettes
Also according to The National Institutes of Health, an estimated90% of alcoholics also smoke. Even people who aren’t alcoholics say they smoke when they drink. While the number of people who regularly use tobacco is going down, people who consider themselves social smokers isgoing up.
Research suggests there are several different links or relationships between alcohol and cigarettes. Both act on the dopamine system in the brain and couldreinforce both the effects and urge to useeither or both drugs. There have also been studies that show nicotine canboost the pleasurable effectsof alcohol use andincrease alcohol consumption.
Continuing research also shows the negative mental and physical effects of combining alcohol and cigarettes. For example, recent research shows the combination of excessively using alcohol and cigarettes is associated withmemory problemsand a range of othernegative health outcomes.
If you’ve decided you want to eliminate both alcohol and cigarettes from your life at the same time, it can be a difficult experience because you’re trying to stop using two highly addictive things at the same time. But it’s not impossible.
If you are struggling with alcohol abuse and co-occurring nicotine addiction we can help.ContactThe Recovery Village today to learn more about evidence-basednicotine addiction treatmentprograms.
Medical Disclaimer
The Recovery Village aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers.
Sources
Drobes, David. “Concurrent Alcohol and Tobacco Dependence.” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 1998. Accessed June 4, 2020.
Schane, Rebecca; Glantz, Stanton; Link, Pamela. “Nondaily and Social Smoking an Increasingly Prevalent Pattern .” Arch Internal Med, October 26, 2009. Accessed June 4, 2020.
Hurley, Laura; Taylor, Robert; Tizabi, Yousef. “Positive and Negative Effects of Alcohol and Nicotine and Their Interactions: A Mechanistic Review.”Neurotoxicity Research, September 20, 2011. Accessed June 4, 2020.
Marshall, Anna-Marie; Heffernan,Thomas; Hamilton, Colin. “The Synergistic Impact of Excessive Alcohol Drinking and Cigarette Smoking upon Prospective Memory.” Frontiers in Psychiatry, April, 27, 2016. Accessed June 4, 2020.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. “Alcohol and Tobacco.” January 2007. Accessed June 4, 2020.
Funk, Douglas; Marinelli, Peter; Lê, Anh. “Biological Processes Underlying Co-Use of Alcohol and Nicotine: Neuronal Mechanisms, Cross-Tolerance, and Genetic Factors.” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Accessed June 4, 2020.
Weinberger, Andrea; Platt, Jonathan; Jiang, Bianca; Goodwin, Renee. “Cigarette smoking and risk of alcohol use relapse among adults in recovery from alcohol use disorders.” Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research, September 13, 2015. Accessed June 4, 2020.
How to Stop Drinking Alcohol: Home Remedies and Complementary Treatments
Ways to Ease Withdrawl and Support Recovery
Home remedies and alternative therapies are sometimes used to stop drinking alcohol naturally. Used alongside recommended medical treatments, these remedies can include herbs like kudzu and ashwagandha, lifestyle changes to reduce stress, and online counseling and support groups.
However, if you are a daily or heavy drinker, quitting alcohol without medical supervision can be dangerous. People with alcohol use disorder (AUD) or alcoholism can experience severe withdrawal symptoms that can be deadly.
You should never replace medical treatments or counseling with alternative remedies for AUD. However, for moderate drinkers, home remedies like meditation, exercise, and herbs may help with the transition to alcohol-free living.
This article discusses home remedies that may help when you're trying to stop drinking alcohol. It explains how herbal remedies and lifestyle changes can relieve mild alcohol withdrawal symptoms and when to seek medical care for alcohol withdrawal.
Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
AUD (formerly known as alcoholism) is a medical condition in which a person has an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite consequences. If you have tried unsuccessfully to quit drinking on your own, you may meet the criteria.1
People with AUD who quit drinking abruptly may go into alcohol withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms start about 8 hours after your last drink, peak after 24 to 72 hours, and can linger for weeks or months, depending on the individual.2
Mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms can often be managed at home and may include:2
Anxiety
Brain fog
Depression
Fatigue
Headache
Insomnia
Irritability
Loss of appetite
Mood swings
Nausea and vomiting
Nervousness or jitters
Rapid heartbeat
Sweating
Tremors or shakiness
Alcohol Withdrawal Can Be Deadly
Quitting alcohol abruptly can cause seizures and even death. If you are a heavy drinker, make sure you have supervision when you stop drinking in case there is a problem.
Seek emergency medical treatment if you experience any of the following within 24 to 72 hours of stopping drinking:2
Fever
Hallucinations
Irregular heartbeats
Seizure
Severe confusion
Herbal Remedies for Quitting Drinking
Herbal supplements may help to ease withdrawal symptoms, speed liver healing, and help to relieve alcohol cravings. More research is needed to understand the efficacy of these remedies better. Before taking them, consult a healthcare provider to prevent interactions with other medications.
Kudzu Flower
Kudzu extract has shown some promise in helping people avoid binge drinking. Binge drinking is when someone has more than four or five drinks in two hours.
Kudzu may also help heavy drinkers cut the amount of alcohol they consume, even if they are not being treated for AUD.
Kudzu flower is the chief ingredient in Ge Hua Jie Cheng San TCM formula. That's the blend often used to treat intoxication and hangover.
It has several effects. One is that it raises your blood alcohol levels faster, which means you may feel intoxicated sooner.3
In one study, people who binge drink took either kudzu extract or a placebo before a 90-minute session of drinking beer.4 A placebo is a treatment with no real medication in it.
The people who received a dose of kudzu extract drank significantly less beer than they usually did. They also drank less than people who had taken the placebo. They drank more slowly, too.
A study of heavy drinkers who were not in a treatment program found that taking kudzu had no effect on their alcohol cravings. But it did reduce the number of drinks they had each week by a third to a half.
It also cut the number of heavy drinking days and increased the number of days they didn't drink at all.5
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is an herbal supplement made from the Withania somnifera plant. It is used in Ayurvedic medicine, which originated in India.
Ashwagandha is sometimes used for alcohol withdrawal and cravings. In studies with alcohol-addicted mice, ashwagandha seemed to relieve anxiety. More studies would be needed to see if it works the same way in humans.6
Milk Thistle
Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is an herb rich in the antioxidant silymarin. It is often touted as a means of restoring liver health and protecting against liver damage from too much alcohol.
Some research shows that milk thistle may help those looking to treat alcohol-related liver disease. It's important to note that more studies are needed to confirm that the herb enhances liver health.7
St. John’s Wort
St. John’s wort is believed to help people stop drinking alcohol, but its effectiveness has not been fully studied. Older studies show St. John’s wort may help to reduce alcohol intake and relieve withdrawal symptoms in animals. However, more recent research and human studies are lacking.8
St. John’s wort can help to relieve depression and mood swings that come with alcohol withdrawal and early recovery. Research shows the herb works as well as some depression medications.9
St. John’s wort works to balance serotonin and dopamine, brain chemicals responsible for a feeling of well-being.
Warning
Do not drink alcohol or take sedatives while taking St. John’s wort. The herb can increase the effects of these drugs. It can also interact with other herbs and medications. Check with your healthcare provider or pharmacist before taking St. John’s wort.10
Meditation and Mindfulness
Mindfulness therapies have been used to keep people from relapsing. Relapse is when someone resumes drinking in unhealthy ways after a period of recovery.
These programs usually include meditation. They train you to be aware of your thoughts, feelings, and cravings rather than simply reacting to them.
Some studies report that mindfulness led to better outcomes than 12-step programs only.11
Bowen S, Witkiewitz K, Clifasefi SL, et al. Relative efficacy of mindfulness-based relapse prevention, standard relapse prevention, and treatment as usual for substance use disorders: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2014;71(5):547–556. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.4546
Not all studies had the same results, however. A 2017 research review did not find that this therapy was more effective than other forms of relapse prevention.12
Lifestyle Changes
Making changes to your daily routine can be helpful when quitting drinking. Replacing unhealthy habits with a healthier lifestyle can ease withdrawal symptoms and help keep cravings at bay.
Lifestyle changes you can make to feel better when you quit drinking include:13
Eat better: Reach for foods with higher vitamin and mineral contents to help restore nutrients lost when drinking.
Exercise: Moving your body can help to improve your mood, relieve stress, and boost pain-relieving endorphins, all of which can help when you quit drinking.
Get enough sleep: Getting at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep at night can help your mind and body feel better when you quit drinking. However, insomnia is a common problem when you first quit drinking. If you are unable to sleep, talk to your healthcare provider.
Keep hydrated: Drinking at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day may help reduce withdrawal symptoms and keep you feeling better.
Reduce stress: If you used alcohol to cope with stress, you will want to find new strategies. Exercise, meditation, yoga, journaling, creative outlets like music and art, or other hobbies can help lower stress naturally.
Stay away from alcohol: When trying to quit drinking, it can be wise to avoid people you drank with, places where alcohol is served, and activities you associate with drinking.14
Online Support to Stop Drinking Alcohol
If you are struggling to stop drinking alcohol on your own, you can find support online with peer-to-peer meetings, virtual therapy, and online outpatient treatment.
Support Groups
The online recovery community expanded dramatically during the COVID-19 lockdown. Support groups and meetings can be found 24 hours a day from the comfort of your home with a variety of recovery programs to choose from.
Recovery fellowships with online meetings that can help you quit drinking include:
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA): The original support group for people with a desire to stop drinking, AA uses a 12-step program to achieve abstinence from alcohol.
Celebrate Recovery: A Bible-based program of recovery that helps people with alcoholism, substance abuse, gambling, eating disorders, and other issues.
Green Recovery and Sobriety Support (GRASS): A cannabis-friendly recovery community that offers online support meetings for people in recovery from alcohol and other harmful substances and behaviors.
Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS): A network of non-religious peer-to-peer support groups for recovery from alcohol and other substance use disorders.
SMART Recovery: Peer support meetings that use a self-directed, analytic approach to harm reduction from alcohol and substance misuse disorders.
Therapy
Behavioral health therapies are widely used for helping people stop drinking. Thanks to virtual healthcare, you can see a therapist from the comfort of your home.
Therapeutic methods that have been proven effective in helping people with alcohol use disorder include:15
Brief interventions
Cognitive-behavioral therapy
Family counseling
Motivational enhancement therapy
Intensive Outpatient Treatment
If you are unable to quit drinking with support groups and therapy alone, you may benefit from intensive outpatient treatment. Many rehabs and treatment centers now offer virtual programs that treat alcohol use disorder.
Intensive outpatient programs (IOP) involve individual and group therapy and education to give you tools to help you stop drinking.
Consider seeking treatment for AUD if you experience the following:
A strong urge to drink
An inability to limit how much alcohol you drink
Cravings
Loss of control
Physical dependence, including nausea and sweating when you don't drink
Tolerance, or a need to drink more alcohol to feel the same effects1
Without treatment, excessive alcohol use can lead to complications, such as:
Alcoholic hepatitis (inflammation of the liver)
Cirrhosis (scarring of the liver)
Gastritis (inflammation of the lining of the stomach)
Pancreatitis
High blood pressure
Bone loss
Alcoholic fatty liver disease
Alcohol use disorder has also been linked to a higher risk of several cancers, including colon, breast, oral, liver, and throat cancers.16
If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture uses tiny, sterile needles placed in targeted spots on your body. It's used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to help reduce alcohol cravings and ease withdrawal symptoms.
Some people also use it to treat the anxiety and depression that go along with alcohol addiction and withdrawal. Research on how best to use this treatment is ongoing.
A 2017 research review found that acupuncture helped with alcohol cravings and withdrawal.17
In one of the studies in the review, researchers compared a real acupuncture treatment to a fake one. In the real treatment, researchers placed needles into zones linked to alcohol-related behaviors. In the sham treatment, they placed needles into other areas of the body.
The results? The alcohol-targeted acupuncture cut down on cravings and withdrawal symptoms better than the sham treatment.17 However, the effect was weak.
The National Acupuncture Detoxification Program (NADA) focuses on treating addiction. It includes ear acupuncture.
Acupuncture should be used along with medical care, counseling, and other kinds of support.
Summary
Home remedies and complementary therapies are often used to help people quit drinking.
Herbal supplements like Ashwagandha, kudzu, milk thistle, and St. John’s wort may reduce alcohol withdrawal symptoms and prevent cravings.
Lifestyle changes, better nutrition, exercise, meditation, mindfulness, and relaxing hobbies can also help you feel better while living alcohol-free.
You can also find support for quitting drinking online. Multiple recovery fellowships offer support group meetings online throughout the day.
Online therapy and intensive outpatient treatment programs are widely available and can be accessed from the comfort and privacy of your home.
Heavy drinkers who stop drinking alcohol abruptly can experience serious withdrawal symptoms that could be deadly. If you have a drinking problem, talk to your healthcare provider about how to quit safely.
The Hidden Dangers of Fast and Processed Food
The fundamental concern as we look to reform health in America is the known reality that most chronic diseases that afflict Americans are predominantly lifestyle induced; and the belief is that the vast majority of heart attacks and strokes could be prevented if people were willing to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors. In addition, healthy lifestyles would impact a significant number of cancers which are also believed to be related to lifestyle exposures, especially to obesity, cigarettes, and other toxins.
Over the past 50 years, the health of Americans has gotten worse, and now 71% of Americans are overweight or obese—not 66%, which was reported 5 years ago.1 That means a staggering 100 million people in America are obese. Today, eating processed foods and fast foods may kill more people prematurely than cigarette smoking.2
Authorities determined the 71% figure by classifying people with a body mass index (BMI) over 25 kg/m2 as overweight or obese. Yet in long-lived societies such as in the “Blue Zones” (Ikaria, Greece; Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica; and Loma, Linda California) and wherever we find groups of centenarians, we observe a healthy BMI below 23 kg/m2, not 25 kg/m2. If we use above 23 kg/m2 as the demarcation for overweight or obesity, then we find that 88% of Americans are overweight. And out of the approximately 10% that are of normal weight, the majority of those so-called “normal weight individuals” are either cigarette smokers, or suffer from alcoholism, drug addiction or dependency, autoimmune disease, occult cancers, inflammatory disorders, autoimmune conditions, digestive disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, and other illnesses that lower their body weight. Therefore, perhaps that only about 5% of the American population is at a normal weight as a result of eating healthy and living a healthy life. A recent study documented that only 2.7% of Americans adopt a relatively healthy lifestyle by combining exercise with healthy eating.3 The Standard American Diet (SAD) is clearly not a healthy diet.
I use the term “Fast Food Genocide” because most don’t understand the depth and breadth of the harm as a large segment of our society eats a diet worse than the dangerous SAD. Many people recognize that junk food, fast food, processed food, white flour, sugar, maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, and all the junk people are eating contribute to in obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, dementia and cancer, but many don’t realize the strong causative role an unhealthy diet may have in mental illness. Currently, 1 in 5 Americans suffers from a psychiatric disorder. And many people don’t realize the harm that processed foods have on Americans living in urban areas where they don’t have easy access to whole, fresh foods.
These unfortunate folks live in what we call “food deserts,” with reduced availability to fresh fruits and vegetables. Because of the limited access to supermarkets, they eat more unhealthy fast and processed foods and end up having 7 times the risk of early-life stroke (before age 45), putting people in nursing homes in their 30s, 40s, and 50s.4-7
The vulnerable poor in these areas also have double the risk of heart attack, double the risk of diabetes, and 4 times the risk of renal failure8-10; Unfortunately, the decrease in life span due to food inequality is shocking but rarely discussed. A substantial proportion of people in these urban environments are overweight, prediabetic, or fully diabetic. Researchers determined that compared with other areas in America with easy access to supermarket food, that the YPLL (Years of Potential Life Lost) for an overweight diabetic living in a zone classified as a food desert was a shocking 45 years!11,12
A link may even exist between fast food, processed food, commercial baked goods, and sweets and destruction of brain cell and a lowering of intelligence. Candy and sweetened baked goods may even stimulate the brain in an addictive fashion, which can lead to more serious illnesses.
The nutritional fundamentals accepted by the World Health Organization and most nutritional authorities today include vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and fruit as healthy foods; and salt, saturated fat, and excess sugar as disease causing. Excessive amounts of animal products may lead to premature aging, increased risk of chronic disease and higher all-cause mortality. Multiple studies have been published on hundreds of thousands of people, followed for decades showing that the objective endpoint of death is increased with higher amounts of animal product consumption.13-17 Furthermore, refined carbohydrates may not just lead to being overweight and diabetic but also contribute to dementia, mental illness, and cancer.18-21 There is considerable evidence today that heart disease is not only promoted by saturated fat and increased animal products but also by refined carbohydrates, including white rice, white bread, sugar, honey, maple syrup, and agave nectar.22-25
Research has shown that excess calories shorten lifespan, whereas moderate caloric restriction slows the aging process and protects the body and brain. Americans consume more calories than any other population; and they consume foods, many of which have minimal or no nutritional value (soda and alcohol as examples). So let’s consider the individual who is consuming 50 excess calories per day. What will be the short- and long-term result? Fifty excess calories per day, over and above your basic metabolic needs, over a 10-year period, adds about 50 pounds of extra body weight. The excess weight increases the risk of multiple chronic illnesses, cancers, and also takes many years of life away from the individual simply as a result of consuming only 50 calories a day too many.
Conversely, if an individual consumed 50 calories a day less that their metabolic requirements what would happen then? Would he or she become too thin, anorexic, and unhealthy? Would their bones fall apart? Obviously not! When you moderately caloric-restrict, even a small amount such as 50 to 100 calories a day, weight remains about the same, the person is slim, not too thin, and healthy. He or she will have a lower body fat percentage, and the skeletal mass, bones, and muscle mass are strong. In this scenario, the metabolic rate would slow down accordingly. The respiratory quotient, (the number of calories lost through respiration) would decrease, the body temperature would lower, and thyroid function would decrease slightly, all lowering the metabolic rate, which overall may result in a slowing of the aging process. The secret to a long life and freedom from chronic disease may be simply to moderately reduce calories in order to slow down our metabolic rate. The only behavior proven scientifically to dramatically increase life span in every species of animals, including primates, is to lower caloric intake while maintaining an environment of micronutrient adequacy, assuring that we have exposure to every micronutrient humans need. The American diet is also deficient in antioxidants and phytochemicals that are needed for normal immune function, for maximizing brain health, protecting against dementia, chronic illness, cancer, and premature aging.
A nutritarian diet is designed to establish excellent micronutrient intake without excess calories. A nutritarian diet is designed to help prolong human life span, decrease the risk of cancer, and keep the brain functioning well for many years. This principle is represented by the equation I use: H = N /C, which means your healthy life expectancy (H) is proportional to the micronutrient (N) per calorie intake (C) over your life span. This means that we are encouraged to seek out foods that are rich in nutrients. We should try to limit or exclude empty-calorie foods and drinks. We should also limit or avoid calorically dense foods, and not eat for recreation or when we are not hungry.
A nutritarian diet is rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants. It is a vegetable-based, utilizing a wide assortment of colorful vegetables, root vegetables, green vegetables, peas, beans, mushrooms, onions, nuts, seeds, and some intact whole grains. While the standard American diet and most traditional diets are grain-based and lack sufficient exposure to the broad spectrum of antioxidants and phytochemicals (with their anticancer effects), it is important to note that not all plant-based diets are equally cancer-protective. As an example, a rice-heavy, macrobiotic diet limits phytochemical diversity, and brown rice produced in this country is contaminated with arsenic, extensively documented by Consumer Reports and white rice is refined, high glycemic food, and therefore not a healthy starch.
In comparison, the SAD is almost the opposite of a nutritarian diet. Over 55% of the SAD’s calories are processed foods, and about 33% of calories come from animal products. If we are looking at the amount of fresh produce (fruits and vegetables) consumed in America, the food consumption data reports about 10%; but in actuality, it is less than 5%, because they include French fries and ketchup in the definition of “produce!” The point here is that processed foods such as bread, pasta, salad oil, mayonnaise, doughnuts, cookies, rice cakes, breakfast bars, chips, soda, candy, and popcorn do not contain a significant micronutrient benefit. A piece of chicken is like a bagel, because they are both rich sources of macronutrients (calories), but neither one contains the necessary amounts of micronutrients, especially the antioxidants and phytochemicals only found in plants.
The high glycemic white flour products with added sweetening agents, flood the bloodstream with glucose without fiber, nutrients, or phytochemicals; and these baked goods are also high in acrylamides and advanced glycation end-products, further increasing the glycoproteins in our tissues. The resulting spike in glucose leads to abnormally high amounts of insulin, which will also promote angiogenesis, which fuels the growth of fat cells, increases cellular replication and tumor growth. The liberal amount of animal protein (including chicken which many incorrectly believe is the more healthy meat) consumed by most Americans promotes excessive insulin-like growth factor–1 (IGF-1), making a synergistic “sandwich” of insulin and IGF-1, which may accelerate aging of the brain, interfere with cellular detoxification and repair, and promote cancer.26 The SAD has created a nutritional disaster and a significant health crisis that will not be solved by governmental “health care reform.”
Now when we think about “fast food” we’re not just referring to the food in fast food restaurants. Fast foods include chips, soda, cookies, candy, breakfast cereals, bars, French fries, burgers, pizza, white flour baked goods, and all other high-calorie, low-nutrient foods that people often eat multiple times per day. These are processed foods and for many, are the primary source of calories. These fast foods have certain characteristics: They can be accessed easily and quickly; they don’t need to be prepared; they come out of a bag or box ready to go right into your mouth. You can eat them rapidly and they’re absorbed very quickly into the bloodstream. These fast foods typically contain multiple chemicals and synthetic ingredients. They are calorically dense, highly flavored, and nutritionally barren. Fast foods typically contain extra corn syrup, sugar, artificial sweeteners, salt, coloring agents, and other potentially disease promoting chemicals.
When calories flood the bloodstream rapidly they have dramatic biological effects. Let’s compare 200 calories of white bread to 200 calories of beans. The white bread would be metabolized into simple sugars (glucose) which enters the bloodstream in 5 to 10 minutes. This requires a rapid increase in insulin; and the rapid insulin response will remain for hours. On the other hand, the carbohydrates from beans will take much more time to be digested and, as a result these calories enter the bloodstream slowly. Essentially, the calories will trickle in over hours. When eating beans, a small amount of glucose enters the blood each minute and therefore you won’t need much of an insulin response to deal with this amount of sugar. As mentioned above, the buildup of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) accelerates aging and chronic disease.27,28 When a diabetic suffers from kidney failure, blindness, or a leg amputation, a major causative factor is the buildup of AGEs in the tissues. Interestingly, these same glycated end-products and glycoproteins build up in the tissues of people who are not diabetic but who continually expose themselves to excess sugar and white flour products.
Next, it is important to understand that oils are also processed foods. When consumed, oil enters the bloodstream rapidly similar to high glycemic carbohydrates. Anything cooked in oil should be considered a fast food. Beans, nuts, and seeds are whole foods whose calories are absorbed gradually over hours. In contrast, the calories from oil are absorbed rapidly, and are largely empty calories (with insignificant micronutrients and no fiber)—a combination that leads to obesity, disease, and premature aging.
If I set up a buffet dinner and I asked all the guests to form 2 lines and then gave everyone on the right side a tablespoon of olive oil, and each of those on the left side an apple to consume while they were waiting in line, those who ate the 65-calorie apple will generally eat 65 less calories from the buffet. But those who had the 120-calorie tablespoon of oil will not usually consume 120 calories less. The oil contains neither fiber, nor micronutrients and contains nothing to decrease the appestat. A matter of fact, if you put oil on food, it may actually increase one’s appetite. Not only will these individuals not eat fewer calories—they will eat even more than the 120 calories from the oil.29 When added or mixed into food, oil drives overeating behavior.
Nutrients and fiber are needed to control the appestat, so you consume a healthy amount of calories. My experience has demonstrated with thousands of patients, the more nutrient and fiber dense your diet becomes the lower your drive to overeat.30 This is extremely important, because even a moderate amount of extra fat on the body induces more rapid aging and increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer. A mild degree of caloric restriction becomes comfortable and achievable when the diet is high in micronutrients and fiber. When you have enough micronutrients and fiber in your diet, you don’t feel driven to overeat. But when you don’t have enough micronutrients and fiber in your diet, you become a food-craving, overeating machine.
Even worse is what happens when you eat food fried in oil because fried food may create carcinogenic and mutagenic aldehydes.31 Food that is fried such as in a fast food restaurant is usually cooked in oil that has been heated and used multiple times. One serving of French fries or fried chicken that is cooked in a fast food restaurant has 100 times the level of aldehydes designated as safe by the World Health Organization. Even the fumes are so toxic they increase the risk of cancer. People working in restaurants that fry the food, or those working in a movie theater making popcorn, have a heighted risk of lung and other cancers, even if they don’t eat any of the fried foods.32
The explosion of fast food restaurants has significantly increased the intake of fried foods, and people are now eating 1000 times the amount of soybean oil compared with the early 1900s.33 Humans never ate 400 calories of oil a day the way people do in America, especially in the Southern states—which are known for the highest stroke and heart attack rates in the world.34 When you use nuts and seeds as your source of fat as opposed to oil, we see the opposite effect.
The Physician’s Health Study, the Nurses’ Health Study, Iowa Women’s Health Study, the Adventist Health Study—any study with large numbers of people followed for decades—demonstrates the relationship between nut and seed consumption and longer life span. We always have to give more credence to clinical research studies that involve large numbers of people followed over decades using objective endpoints such as mortality. When you do that, you find that people who consume nuts and seeds regularly have lower cancer rates, lower cardiovascular death rates, lower sudden cardiac death, less irregular heartbeats, and an increase in life span.
A 2015 meta-analysis that included over 44 000 deaths demonstrated an almost 40% decrease in cardiovascular mortality for people eating nuts and seeds regularly (one serving a day). The European PreviMed study, which randomized 7216 individuals to nuts or olive oil as part of a Mediterranean diet showed a 39% decrease in all-cause mortality in the nut eaters.35
When we look at the health implications of animal protein we should compare this type of nutrition with plant-based proteins, especially when an individual has cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, or even cancer. When your protein comes from beans, nuts, seeds, and greens, the body more gradually assimilates a complete array of amino acids to make functional proteins and hormones, keeping IGF-1 production much lower. Adequate amounts of plant protein keep IGF-1 in that moderate range, between 100 and 175, which is where it should be. The average American’s IGF-1 level is around 225, which is a level which has been linked to cancer promotion. When we eat a variety of plants, we get a full balance of amino acids, which slowly enter the blood—and we also digest some of the bacteria in the digestive track and some of the cells that slough off of the villi endothelium, enabling the utilization of partially incomplete plant proteins, now made complete. Conversely, when you eat large portions of meat, eggs, or cheese, the amino acid mix enters the bloodstream faster and because it is already biologically complete, it stimulates excessive amounts of IGF-1, again increasing the risk of cancer.36-43
The average American consumes 10 to 20 ounces a day of animal products, whereas the safe level of consumption is likely less than 10 ounces per week. My estimate of 10% of calories as an upper limit of safe consumption is for a person with favorable genetics and is still likely more animal products than ideal for the nonelderly adults. It may be the case that under 5% of calories from animal products would be more ideal for life span and for facilitating disease reversal. Of course, any diet designed to optimize health should include a broad array of colorful plants with phytochemicals and antioxidants, which have been shown to increase life span and prevent cancer.
The animal products served at fast food restaurants are making the health of the population much worse, creating dangerous carcinogens from the food being grilled, barbecued, and fried at high temperatures. The World Health Organization has classified processed meats (hot dogs, sausage, bacon, and lunch meats) a class 1 carcinogen. AGEs are also highest in barbecued and fried animal products which also contain cancer-causing chemicals such as heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and lipid peroxidases, which are mutagenic.
There are 2 phases of the digestive cycle: the anabolic phase, when you are eating and digesting, and the catabolic phase, when digestion has ceased. When you are eating and digesting food, the body turns those calories into stored glycogen, increasing fat storage and the storage of waste. During this phase of the digestive cycle, growth hormones and fat storage hormones are activated.
When your body is finished digesting, you enter the catabolic phase, where the stored glycogen and fat are utilized for energy. This is the phase when your body can most effectively detoxify and enhance cellular repair. It is the time when the liver and kidneys work together to remove aldehydes, AGEs, and other toxic metabolites. Repair and healing is enhanced during the catabolic phase when you are not eating food.
Most Americans have made their bodies so toxic, that when they enter the catabolic phase of the digestive cycle, they feel uncomfortable. That means they feel fatigue, headache, stomach cramping or fluttering, anxiety, or other uncomfortable symptoms when they stop digesting food and the body starts to mobilize waste and repair the damage. They typically interpret these symptoms as hunger or low blood sugar, because they feel better if they eat again—even though there is no biological need for calories at this time; and so they just get fatter and sicker. Every addiction has a “high” during the caloric rush and a “low” during withdrawal and repair from the disease-causing diet and resultant metabolic wastes and toxins that accrue from it. The American diet results in withdrawal symptoms and discomfort which promotes overeating and too-frequent eating. The lower the quality of the food consumed, the more discomfort felt when not eating and digesting, which makes it very difficult to maintain a healthy body weight.
If you’re healthy and eating nutritious food, you feel nothing when you enter the catabolic phase, with no desire to eat again until glycogen stores are nearly exhausted. True hunger is a mild sensation felt in the throat and base of the neck. True hunger heightens taste sensitivity too, making eating more pleasurable. True hunger directs when you should eat and therefore it’s more difficult to become overweight if you pay attention to the signs your body sends to your brain. Being overweight requires eating outside of the demands of true hunger, either recreationally or because of withdrawal symptoms from improper eating, stimulating the overconsumption of calories.
Enhanced detoxification—reduction of metabolic waste, aldehydes, and AGEs—occurs most effectively in the catabolic phase. That means the longer you live in the catabolic phase of the digestive cycle, the longer you live. If you finish dinner earlier or have a lighter dinner, and you have a 13-hour window between the end of dinner and the start of breakfast, you are going to live longer. A recent study had women with breast cancer followed for 10 years and found that those who finished dinner earlier and had a 13-hour window before the start of breakfast had a 26% reduction in the risk of death or recurrence from breast cancer.44,45 The increased nighttime window was also linked to improved glycemic control and a lower HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin). They had no better diet, no different number of calories, no better food; they just finished dinner earlier.
The goal for excellent health is to eat as infrequently as possible. Many people believe just the opposite and eat frequent small meals that increase endothelial dysfunction leading to an increased risk for arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. In addition, all the fad diets encourage people to make the wrong choices about what and when to eat. Many suggest the use of frequent high-protein meals so as not to feel the effects of normal detoxification. When the digestive track is continually busy, it results in accelerated aging.
Processed and fast foods are also high in salt. The fast and processed food manufacturers don’t just put salt on the French fries and on the meat, they also put salt in the French fry batter and inside the chopped meat. They also include high fructose corn syrup in most foods. The added fat, sugar, and salt create a taste that makes people crave these foods, a sensation that many describe as an addiction. Both sugar and salt intake increase stroke risk, especially when consumed daily for years. Additionally, what is generally not appreciated is that the regular consumption of artificially sweetened soda creates more of a stroke risk.46 High salt does not merely raise blood pressure; it also causes microvascular hemorrhaging, which damages the interior walls of the blood vessels in the brain and increases permeability and the propensity for hemorrhagic stroke.47,48
Over the past 30 years, we’ve also seen an explosion of diabetes in Japan, Korea, and China, occurring at a lower body weight than we typically see in America, likely because the cumulative effects of eating more fast food, more oil and sugar, along with all of the white rice (a refined, high glycemic food), which they already had in their diet.
We know that people have the power to change when significant effort and attention is directed to the problems at hand. With good information, emotional support, increased food availability and food preparation instruction, we have found people enthused and willing to work together for change. They don’t have to be convinced of the tragic dangers of fast food; they see the obesity, diabetes, leg amputations, strokes, and blindness all around them. But if people don’t have good information, then they don’t have a choice. If they don’t have access to healthy, affordable food, and they don’t know how to make it taste good, then they are not given a chance to change.
The goal for physicians and other health care professionals is to work to transform America’s inner cities into zones of nutritional excellence. Our nation’s pride and heritage are based on the equal opportunity to achieve the American dream of prosperity and happiness. This critical information needs to be spread and put into action by community activists, teachers, educators, celebrities, health professionals, athletes, and politicians. The more people who know the critical importance of eating healthfully, and the more they take a stand, the greater the effect will be on transforming the health of all in America. By working together, we can save millions of lives.
Footnotes
Authors’ Note: The opinions presented in this article are those of the author and may not represent those of the Guest Editor, Editor, or the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding: The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Ethical Approval: Not applicable, because this article does not contain anystudies with human or animal subjects.
Informed Consent: Not applicable, because this article does not contain anystudies with human or animal subjects.
Trial Registration: Not applicable, because this article does not contain anyclinical trials.
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Research shows you’re not alone. Certain foods — particularly processed foods that are high in sugar, salt and fat — don’t just taste good, they also can be addictive, said scientists at a UC San Francisco symposium on food and addiction.
Food addiction is still a controversial concept in the scientific community. But researchers find strong evidence that certain foods can trigger binging, craving and withdrawal, responses that are similar to those produced by addictive substances like alcohol, cocaine and tobacco.
“I don’t think sugar is more addicting than cocaine, but I do think sugar is addicting,” said addiction expert Mark Gold, co-editor of the book “Food and Addiction” and keynote speaker at UCSF’s Oct. 27 Sugar, Stress, Environment, and Weight Symposium.
Take heart, consumers. As with other addictive substances, you can break free of your cravings. Follow these tips from experts to cut down on sugar and break your junk food habit:
Identify your triggers: Awareness is an important first step. Pay attention to those moments when your cravings start so you can figure out what unleashed them. “You have to work to control the triggers as soon as possible,” said Kerri Boutelle, a UC San Diego professor of pediatrics and psychology who conducts clinical trials with kids and adults who are overweight and obese and have eating disorders.
Teach yourself to tolerate cravings: “Sugar cravings are a learned response,” Boutelle said. People can be trained to extinguish that response and ride out their cravings, once they realize that those urges diminish over time. Cravings might last 10 minutes, she said. Her research has found that people can gain more control over their favorite foods by looking at, smelling and only taking a small taste of them.
Plan your meals: If you already have a healthy meal prepared, that will help you avoid unhealthy choices. Try to follow the new federal dietary guidelines, which recommend a “healthy eating pattern” with limited added sugar and saturated fat, less salt, and more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. “Not all foods are created equally,” said Ashley Gearhardt, assistant professor of clinical psychology at the University of Michigan, who co-developed the Yale Food Addiction Scale to help identify people at high risk for food addiction. “You don’t see people binging on apples.”
Replace addictive foods with foods you like but don’t struggle with: “We need food to survive,” Gearhardt said. “You should enjoy eating. You’re not going to stick to a diet of gruel and broccoli.”
Limit children’s early exposure: Kids may be more prone to addiction than adults, so parents should limit their exposure to products with added sugar in their first years of life. Gearhardt, who developed a Yale Food Addiction Scale for children, found that 7 percent of kids meet the diagnosis for food addiction. This might be setting them up for lifelong problems with eating, Gearhardt said.
Reduce your intake of added sugar: Starting in 2018, the new Nutrition Facts label for packaged foods in the U.S. will help consumers by listing how much added sugar is in a product. “The average amount of added sugar in the American diet is more than 20 teaspoons per day,said Pat Crawford, senior director of research for UC’s Nutrition Policy Institute. “Since about half of this sugar comes in the form of beverages, we have to rethink our beverage choices. Water should be the beverage of choice.
Manage your stress: Under stress, people commonly turn to comfort foods high in sugar and fat. Highly stressed people who eat a lot of high-sugar, high-fat food also are more prone to health risks than low-stress people who eat the same amount of unhealthy food. “Stress changes how we metabolize food,” said Elissa Epel, director of the UCSF Center for Obesity Assessment, Study, and Treatment and co-organizer of the food and addiction symposium. To counter those effects, eat mindfully, meditate and exercise, she said. “Exercise is a huge stressbuster,” Epel said.
Give yourself a break: Don’t judge yourself too harshly for occasional junk food lapses. If you take an all-or-nothing approach, you can feel even more hopeless after giving in to your cravings. Food cues are strong and can be difficult to avoid, and it takes time to learn your triggers and get better at making healthy choices. If you have a “learning lapse,” try to do better next time. “You put chocolate chip cookies in the office at 3 p.m. and nobody can resist them,” said Kimber Stanhope, associate research nutritional biologist at UC Davis.
The good news is that the growing spotlight on sugar and food addiction is helping drive changes in public policy that could make it easier for everyone to make healthy food choices. The new nutrition labels are a good example. And with diabetes and obesity reaching epidemic levels in the U.S. and around the world, more changes are likely:
Taxes: Berkeley passed the nation’s first soda tax in 2014 and three other Bay Area cities have soda tax measures on the November ballot. A new UC Berkeley study shows a 21 percent drop in the drinking of soda and other sugary beverages in Berkeley’s low-income neighborhoods after the city levied a penny-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages.
Law: As food addiction science advances, changes in law could follow, said Michael Roberts, executive director of the UCLA Resnick Program for Food Law and Policy and a UC Global Food Initiative subcommittee member. So many food-related lawsuits already have been filed in California that it is known as “The Food Court,” he said.
Regulation: Sugar is toxic in current doses and should be regulated by the federal government, said UCSF professor of pediatrics Robert Lustig, whose video Sugar: The Bitter Truth” has more than 6 million views.
Public perception: It’s not just about regulation,said UCSF professor of pediatrics David Kessler, who pushed to regulate tobacco while commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. “It’s how we perceive things. It’s much more effective than any regulation.” As with tobacco, the public perception could change on sugar. You used to think smoking was very glamorous, Kessler said.
Industry: Manufacturers are under pressure to create products with lower levels of added sugar. “We’re going to see some big shifts in the marketplace with products lower in sugars such as cereals, yogurts, spaghetti sauces and beverages,” Crawford said.
Research: Scientists want to find out more about the relationship between food and addiction, from causes to treatments. “We’re still in the midst of this obesity and diabetes epidemic,Epel said. “We cannot ignore food addiction if we want to understand this epidemic.
Environment: The food environment has changed over the past 40 years, with the rise in processed foods. Alternatives are emerging. Informed by its SugarScience research and education initiative, UCSF has phased out the sale of sugar-sweetened beverages across its campus, and other institutions are following suit. “We need to work together,” said Laura Schmidt, UCSF professor of health policy, lead SugarScience investigator and UC Global Food Initiative subcommittee member. “The stakes are high.”
Drugs is pain & Death
Drug Side Effects Explained, :- Written by Jim Morelli, MPHMedically Reviewed by Nayana Ambardekar, MD
From the homely aspirin to the most sophisticated prescription medicine on the market, all drugs come with side effects. Many are minor, some are just an inconvenience, a few are serious, and some are just plain strange.
Perhaps the most common set of side effects for drugs that work inside your body involves the gastrointestinal system. N
From the homely aspirin to the most sophisticated prescription medicine on the market, all drugs come with side effects. Many are minor, some are just an inconvenience, a few are serious, and some are just plain strange.
Perhaps the most common set of side effects for drugs that work inside your body involves the gastrointestinal system. Nearly any drug can cause nausea or an upset stomach, though it may only happen to a small number of people. For drugs used on the outside, skin irritation is a common complaint.
To find more about a drug's side effects, look on the label of over-the-counter (OTC) products or on package inserts or printed materials that you get with prescription drugs. Because the inserts often include a long list of possibilities, you may want to also talk to your pharmacist or doctor about what to expect and watch out for.
Types of Side Effects
An allergic reaction could happen with any drug. That can range from itching and rash all the way to a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction.
Some drugs can’t help but trigger side effects because of their chemical structure. The common allergy drug diphenhydramine (also known by the brand name Benadryl) is one. Though it eases allergy symptoms, it also blocks the chemical acetylcholine, and that leads to drowsiness and a host of other side effects, including dry mouth.
Some drugs have barely noticeable side effects at the right dose. Typically, warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven), used to prevent blood clots, usually works well and isn't bothersome, but serious internal bleeding can happen in the wrong situation.
Side effects may show up only when a drug is mixed with certain other things. This might be called a drug interaction. For example, drinking alcohol while you're taking narcotic painkillers can cause an accidental overdose. This has led to many deaths. Another example is grapefruit juice, which can affect the blood levels of several drugs, including some blood pressure and cholesterol medicines.
The FDA's Role
Before a drug can come on the market, the FDA must approve it. The New Drug Applications (NDAs) submitted by pharmaceutical companies have, first and foremost, evidence that the drug has the effect it’s supposed to have and is safe. This proof comes from testing the drug, first in animals and then in humans. Once the basic questions of safety and efficacy are settled, the FDA will approve the drug if it deems that its benefits outweigh its risks.
Related:
Ways to Keep Your Kidneys Healthy
Still, sometimes testing doesn't reveal everything about a drug’s side effects, and they don't show up until after the medication enters the marketplace and more people start using it. That’s where MedWatch comes in. The FDA’s post-marketing surveillance program seeks voluntary input, mainly from health care professionals, on unwanted effects they see in ''the real world.'' Sometimes these reports are numerous or serious enough for the FDA to take regulatory action, such as adding warnings to a drug’s label.
This happened with the psoriasis drug Raptiva. The FDA required that the drug carry the agency's strongest warning, known as a black box warning, after it received reports of brain infections and meningitis in patients taking the drug. The drug was later taken off the market.
The FDA also wants input from consumers when it comes to side effects. All prescription drugs, and many OTC products, must be labeled with a toll-free number the agency has for letting it know about side effects with drugs, called "adverse events." You can report possible new but severe side effects through MedWatch at 1-800-FDA-1088 or through the FDA website.
Sometimes, the post-marketing information coming in to the FDA is so disturbing that a drug is discontinued. Baycol, which lowers cholesterol, was strongly linked to a breakdown of muscle tissue that could be deadly. The drug was approved in 1997, and the manufacturer stopped selling it 4 years later. The anti-inflammatory drug Duract spent just 1 year on the market. It was approved only as a short-term use product, and the FDA found serious liver problems when people took the drug for longer than recommended.
Drug companies are also required to report adverse events to the FDA. Failure to do so can lead to prosecution. In 1985, employees of two drug companies were fined or sentenced to community service for not reporting adverse events involving the blood pressure drug Selacryn and arthritis drug Oraflex. Both products were pulled from the market.
Surprising Results
Not every side effect is a bad one. Some are downright welcome.
Take finasteride. Introduced in 1992 to treat noncancerous enlargement of the prostate gland, it was found to regrow hair. Now it's marketed for that purpose under the name Propecia. Today, millions of men use a low dose of finasteride to treat male pattern baldness. Similarly, minoxidil was originally marketed as a pill for high blood pressure and found to grow hair by people who used it. Today, as a cream or foam, it's a popular OTC remedy for baldness.
Drug addiction (substance use disorder) - Symptoms & Treatment. Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Substance use disorder (SUD) is a problematic pattern of substance use that affects your health and well-being. Some of the most common substances include alcohol, opioids and marijuana. It can range from mild to severe (addiction). SUD is a treatable mental health condition. Help is available when you’re ready.
Overview
What is substance use disorder?
Substance use disorder (SUD), formerly known as drug addiction, is a mental health condition where you experience a problematic pattern of substance use that affects your health and quality of life.
Substances change how your brain functions over time. They release dopamine, a chemical in your bra
Overview
What is substance use disorder?
Substance use disorder (SUD), formerly known as drug addiction, is a mental health condition where you experience a problematic pattern of substance use that affects your health and quality of life.
Substances change how your brain functions over time. They release dopamine, a chemical in your brain that makes you feel good — until the substance wears off. Your brain and body want to continue this good feeling, even if it’s unhealthy. It can significantly impact your emotional well-being, relationships, education and career. And in many cases, it’s life-threatening.
SUD exists on a spectrum and may be mild, moderate or severe. No matter where you are, know that this condition is treatable and help is available when you’re ready.
What are the types of substance use disorder?
Some of the most common types include:
Alcohol use disorder.
Cocaine use disorder.
Cannabis use disorder.
Tobacco use disorder.
Methamphetamine use disorder.
Opioid use disorder.
It’s common to have more than one SUD at a time, like alcohol use disorder and tobacco use disorder. This is known as a polysubstance use disorder.
What is the most common type of substance use disorder?
Alcohol use disorder is the most common type of SUD in the U.S.
Symptoms and Causes
What are the symptoms of substance use disorder?
The symptoms and effects of substance use disorder vary based on the type of substance you use. There are two groups of symptoms based on when or if the substance is in your body. These include:
Intoxication: This is the immediate and short-term effect of a substance in your body. Symptoms include feeling sleepy, calm, excited, intense emotions, etc. The substance can also affect your judgment and decision-making or physical and mental functioning.
Withdrawal: These are symptoms that happen when the short-term effects of a substance wear off and the substance starts to leave your body. Symptoms are unpleasant and could include nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, difficulty sleeping, muscle cramping and mood changes.
What are the signs of a substance use disorder?
According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the signs of substance use disorder include:
Taking the substance in larger amounts and for a longer amount of time than you’re meant to if it’s a prescription.
Having a strong desire or urge to use the substance.
Having unsuccessful efforts to cut down on or manage substance use.
Spending a lot of time obtaining or using the substance or recovering from its effects.
Having issues fulfilling responsibilities at work, school or home due to substance use.
Continuing to use the substance, even when it causes problems in relationships.
Giving up social, occupational or recreational activities because of substance use.
Using substances again and again, even when it puts you in danger.
Continuing substance use despite an ongoing physical or psychological problem that’s likely caused or worsened by the substance.
Developing tolerance (need for increased amounts to get the same effect).
Experiencing withdrawal symptoms, which can be relieved by taking more of the substance.
Seeking medical care as soon as you have signs of substance use disorder is essential.
What causes substance use disorder?
The exact cause of a substance use disorder isn’t well understood. However, research shows that the changes to your brain’s reward system due to a substance’s addictive potential may cause the condition.
How does a substance use disorder develop?
Studies found that many factors may be involved in the development of an SUD. These could include:
Social pressure.
Curiosity of substance effects.
Performance enhancement (to do better at work or school).
Emotional escape (like relief from stress, anxiety, fear or depression).
The progression to a substance use disorder often follows this pattern:
Experimental use (or prescription use): Trying a substance once or using the substance as directed.
Occasional use: Taking a substance socially or using prescriptions not as directed.
Heavy use: Taking a substance routinely, with few to no days off of the substance.
Substance use disorder: You take the substance daily or multiple times daily. There are rarely times when you’re not using a substance.
This is just an example, as this condition looks very different and ranges in severity from person to person.
What are the risk factors for a substance use disorder?
Substance use disorder can affect anyone.
You may be more at risk of developing it if you:
Have an underlying mental health condition.
Have a biological relative with a SUD.
Have a history of adverse childhood experiences.
Have a genetic susceptibility (a genetic variant makes SUDs more common).
Have exposure or easy access to substances.
What are the complications of substance use disorder?
One of the more common and most deadly complications of substance use disorder is overdose. An overdose happens when you take too much of a substance. This is a medical emergency.
Different substances affect different parts of your body. For example, if you overdose on opioids, it targets the part of your brain that regulates your breathing. If not treated quickly, your breathing slows or stops completely, leading to death.
SUD complications are extensive and vary based on severity and type. Common complications may include:
Cancer.
Depression.
Infections (hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV).
Memory loss.
Academic or career challenges.
Interpersonal relationship difficulties.
Unsafe, illegal or at-risk behaviors.
Diagnosis and Tests
How is substance use disorder diagnosed?
There isn’t a single test available to diagnose substance use disorder. Instead, healthcare providers rely on a thorough evaluation of your medical history and behaviors surrounding substance use. They may order drug tests to see how much and how many types of substances are in your body at a time. They may also evaluate prescription drug monitoring program reports (a database of distributed controlled substances).
A provider will also ask about your mental health history, as it’s common to have an SUD and a mental health condition.
According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), a person must have at least two signs in the symptoms section over 12 months to be diagnosed with substance use disorder.
It’s important to remember that this condition exists on a spectrum of severity:
Two to three signs indicate a mild substance use disorder.
Four or five signs indicate a moderate substance use disorder.
Six or more symptoms indicate a severe substance use disorder.
Management and Treatment
Learn the steps of preventing relapse of substance use disorder.
How is substance use disorder treated?
The first step of substance use disorder treatment is withdrawal management. This is where you stop taking the substance, allowing it to leave your body. Depending on the severity, a healthcare provider may offer medications to lessen the effects of withdrawal symptoms, as they can be rough physically and mentally.
After detox, you may continue a course of treatment with:
Therapy.
Medication.
SUD treatment is highly individualized. You might need different types of treatment at different times during your recovery. Several types of treatment settings, including inpatient and outpatient settings, as well as short-term care and long-term therapeutic communities, are available.
SUD therapy
Many different types of therapy can help treat SUD and any other co-occurring mental health conditions. Some examples of effective therapies for adults with SUDs include:
Assertive community treatment (ACT): ACT provides mental health services in a community setting rather than a residential or hospital setting. ACT is highly individualized. Your treatment plan will focus on your strengths, needs and goals for the future.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT helps you identify problematic patterns of behavior and thinking. You’ll set goals to find healthier ways to cope.
Contingency management: This type of therapy encourages you to set personal goals. When you reach a goal, it’s reinforced with a reward.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): DBT is a type of talk therapy similar to CBT. It’s designed to help you manage intense emotions and understand how your thoughts influence your behaviors.
Family therapy: Family therapy helps you improve relationships and behaviors within a family or group setting.
Motivational enhancement therapy: This type of therapy encourages you to set attainable goals. A mental health professional will encourage you to take steps to reach these goals.
Therapeutic communities (TCs): A TC is a long-term residential treatment that focuses on helping you develop new, healthier values and behaviors related to substance use and other co-occurring mental health conditions.
Participating in self-help programs, like Narcotics Anonymous, can also play a significant role in SUD treatment. These programs support behavioral modification through self-help and peer support. Group therapy supports people with SUD in maintaining abstinence and restraint.
Healthcare providers may recommend therapies alone or in combination with medications.
SUD medications
Medications can help modify your brain chemistry to help treat certain SUDs. They can also relieve cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
The following U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medication-assisted treatments are available:
Opioids: Methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone.
Alcohol: Naltrexone, acamprosate and disulfiram.
Tobacco: A nicotine patch, nasal spray, gum or lozenge; bupropion or varenicline.
Outlook / Prognosis
What’s the outlook for substance use disorder?
The prognosis (outlook) for this condition varies based on several factors, including:
The type and severity of the SUD.
The level of commitment to treatment and recovery.
Genetics.
How you cope during stressful situations.
Substance use disorder is a lifelong disease. But recovery is possible. Different tools work for different people. Many find success through support groups (like Narcotics Anonymous) and ongoing therapy.
Relapses are common with SUD. A relapse is returning to a substance after stopping it for a period of time. You’ll need to detox again and restart your treatment cycle from the beginning. This can be a frustrating process. Relapses can happen years after you last took a substance. It helps to have a strong support system to rely on if you may be at risk of relapse.
Your healthcare provider should review your treatment plan regularly. It’s normal for your goals or lifestyle to change. This may mean you try a different type of therapy or a new medication. A provider can help you make adjustments throughout your life as needed.
Prevention
Can substance use disorder be prevented?
You can’t prevent all cases of substance use disorder because there are a lot of factors (many of which are outside of your control) that could play a role in how the condition develops. However, you can take steps to reduce your risk.
Education in schools, communities and families may reduce your risk of using a substance or misusing a prescription medication for the first time. Other ways to prevent SUD include:
Following instructions for prescription medications. Don’t take more than instructed. Opioid use disorder, for instance, can start after just five days of misuse.
Never sharing your prescription medication with someone else or selling your medication. Always store it in a safe place away from children.
If you have leftover prescription medications (like opioids) at the end of your treatment, find a community drug take-back program or pharmacy mail-back program to safely dispose of them.
The risk of substance use increases during times of stress and change. For an adult, a divorce, loss of a job or death of a loved one may increase the risk of substance use. For a teenager, moving, family divorce or changing schools can increase their risk. It’s important to turn to healthy coping mechanisms during these times of change, like exercising, meditating or learning a new hobby. Consider seeing a mental health professional if you’re having difficulty managing stress.
Living With
When should I see a healthcare provider?
If you’re currently using a substance regularly and are concerned it’s turning into a habit you’re unable to stop on your own, talk to a healthcare provider. A provider can also give you guidance on how to have a conversation with your children about SUD and get them help if you think they’re at risk.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Substance use disorder (SUD) is a complex mental health condition. Substances change the way your brain works, which makes it hard to stop taking a substance, even if you want to. While it may be one of the most difficult things to do, it’s OK to ask for help when you need it.
Treatment is challenging. Detoxing is unpleasant. Therapy is emotionally exhausting. But recovery is rewarding. You may want to reach out to a friend or loved one for support as you start your treatment journey. Their encouragement could be the motivation you need to talk to a healthcare provider.
You may need continuing care throughout your life, as SUD is a chronic condition. Know that your care team will be with you every step of the way.
Care at Cleveland Clinic
A substance use disorder can turn your life upside down. Cleveland Clinic has the hope and treatment you need.
नशा मुक्त भारत
नशा मुक्त भारत
The road to recovery is challenging and not always easy to navigate. For this reason, it’s vital to stay motivated and remind oneself of the purpose of this journey. One way to garner inspiration is to read and share inspirational quotes that can help you stay on the right track.
When a person experiences mostly positive thoughts, this can
The road to recovery is challenging and not always easy to navigate. For this reason, it’s vital to stay motivated and remind oneself of the purpose of this journey. One way to garner inspiration is to read and share inspirational quotes that can help you stay on the right track.
When a person experiences mostly positive thoughts, this can help them eschew thoughts related to depression and negativity. Reading quotes, such as the following, can foster the realization that others out there have had similar feelings and lived through many of the same struggles. And sharing these quotes can help others and elicit discussion that can further serve to keep people in recovery feeling strong, motivated, and hopeful.
Drug Addiction Quotes For Reading and Sharing
“If you can quit for a day, you can quit for a lifetime.”
~ Benjamin Alire Sáenz
“One of the hardest things was learning that I was worth recovery.”
~ Benjamin Alire Sáenz
“You can’t defeat the darkness by keeping it caged inside of you.”
~ Seth Adam Smith
“Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving; we get stronger and more resilient.”
~ Steve Maraboli
“I avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward.”
~ Charlotte Brontë
“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”
~ Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche
“Rising from the ashes, I am born again, powerful, exultant, majestic through all the pain.”
~ Shannon Perry
“Anyone can give up; it is the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone would expect you to fall apart, now that is true strengtrain
~ Chris Bradford
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.”
~ Mark Twain
“Your best days are ahead of you. The movie starts when the guy gets sober and puts his life back together; it doesn’t end there.”
~ Bucky Sinister
“An over-indulgence of anything, even something as pure as water, can intoxicate.”
~ Criss Jami
“No matter how dark the night may get, your light will never burn out.”
~ Jeanette LeBlanc
“In the end, some of your greatest pains become your greatest strengths.”
~ Drew Barrymore
“Sometimes, you can only find Heaven by slowly backing away from Hell.”
~ Carrie Fisher
“Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.”
~ Theodore Roosevelt
“If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.”
~ Zen proverb
“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”
~ Carl Bard
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising up every time we fail.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
~ Henry Ford
“Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine or idealism.”
~ Carl Jung
“Fall six times, stand up seven.”
~ Japanese Proverb
Japanese Proverb
“Addiction begins with the hope that something ‘out there’ can instantly fill up the emptiness inside.”
~ Jean Kilbourne
“At first, addiction is maintained by pleasure, but the intensity of this pleasure gradually diminishes and the addiction is then maintained by the avoidance of pain.”
~ Frank Tallis
“The initial journey towards sobriety is a delicate balance between insight into one’s desire for escape and abstinence from one’s addiction.”
~ Debra L. Kaplan
“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.”
~ Vincent Van Gogh
“If you know someone who tries to drown their sorrows, you might tell them sorrows know how to swim.”
~ Ann Landers
“First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.”
~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
“Nobody stays recovered unless the life they have created is more rewarding and satisfying than the one they left behind.”
~ Anne Fletcher
“All the suffering, stress and addiction comes from not realizing you already are what you are looking for.”
~ Jon Kabat-Zinn
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Getting Help for Addiction
If you are struggling with drug addiction or alcoholism, we urge you to seek professional help as soon as possible. Harmony Treatment and Wellness is a specialized addiction treatment center that offers customized, comprehensive programs designed to treat all aspects of our clients’ health and well-being.
Our programs feature evidence-based therapies and services that are beneficial for the process of recovery, such as psychotherapy, counseling, group support, and much, much more.
If you are ready to take the next step and overcome addiction once and for all, contact us today! We are dedicated to helping those who need it most free themselves from the chains of addiction and reclaim the satisfying lives they deserve!