Here is my favorite snippet from my file on Addictions…

Drugs don’t contain highs, they trigger highs in the brain’s pleasure pathways, circuits that have evolved long ago to reward and reinforce behaviors crucial to our survival. In that sense, our brains are addicted to life. …Any activity that produces rewards in the brain’s chemistry has at least the potential of addiction.

Here is my File Preview for my file on Addictions preceded by my File Preview for Cooked Food Addiction.

…File Preview for Cooked Food...
• In other words he can't stop eating them. That's the rag. He is addicted to sesame sticks, like some people are addicted to coffee and chocolate. Raw foodists are never "addicted" to anything because all raw food has a natural turnoff mechanism built into them. For instance, after eating a certain amount of dates I can't look another one in the face til the next day. This is a safety mechanism to keep from overdosing. Cooked or highly processed foods don't have this attribute built into them. Raw foodists have complete control over their emotions and desires concerning foods.
• I can assuredly say I was thinking about food MORE often when I was addicted, yes addicted, to cooked and processed foods. I can easily skip meals now. On the SAD diet, no way!!! Breakfast, lunch, dinner at the same times every day. With processed cakes, candies and cokes in between.
• Cooked and processed food is the ULTIMATE Addiction. My raw food experience: Obsession at first (mainly because it is relatively hard to find natural food in today's society).....but after a while freedom sets in. Freedom from that disgusting addiction. No one ever said it was going to be easy becoming "natural" again.
• Cooked food creates a highly stimulative effect in the body, and this of course always produces a proportionate low after the digesting is done and the body needs to recoup the loss. When we experience this low, we want the thing that created the high. The desire for it can be so strong that no amount of 'will power' can keep us from it. This is addiction, and it's the same no matter what substance you're talking about; it can even apply to certain behaviors.
• ...do I ever miss the taste of cooked food. I guess if you ask reformed drug addicts if they ever miss the high, they'd have to say 'yes' if they were honest. What they'll all tell you, tho, is that those fleeting moments of artificial stimulation and fake pleasure aren't worth the cost. It's the cost that I contemplate now when I think of the taste or smell of cooked food. The cost is so dear, the pleasure so momentary, and the benefits of doing without so huge, that it doesn't make sense to dwell of what we 'lose' by giving it up. It's really a matter of changing how we perceive it -- I used to associate cooked food with good times, being with loved ones, security, warmth, love, fun, etc. Now that I know it was a big contributor to most of the misery I ever felt in my life, and is responsible for the misery my loved ones continue to suffer (because they still indulge), I can make appropriate associations.
• Any amount of cooked food thickens the blood and quickly causes cooked food cravings. For most people, it only takes two months of 100% raw eating to lose any addictive cravings for cooked foods. Once you see the incredible waste of time it is to eat most cooked foods, you stop thinking about eating them at all.
• He's (Paul Nisson) saying, like Victoria Beutenko, that it is harder to be high % raw than it is to be 100% raw because the addiction is continually restimulated by even a small amount of cooked food. I can say that, from my own experience recently, that seems to make sense to me. I can be raw and doing great, but one bite of a piece of bread, or one potato chip, and I'm off... running... can't stop eating. That is an addiction.
• For me, cooked food is definitely "addictive" in the sense that I tend to have used it not as a way to nourish myself or assuage hunger feelings but rather to assuage emotional uneasiness, embarrassment, tension, anxiety, worry, low self-esteem, edginess, nervousness, social awkwardness, guilt, and in one way or another I guess you could say downright FEAR of something or other.
• When a bit of emotional discomfort starts to churn those natural chemicals up in the bloodstream I can get this real strong craving for some cooked food.
• Foods are stimulating according to the amount of work needed to digest them. If I were to create a scale that would include all foods, with the least stimulating at the bottom and the most at the top (which is difficult to do because there are so many different and perverse ways people have of stimulating themselves with food), naturally fruit and tender greens would be at the bottom and junk foods at the top. Not all raw foods would fall near the bottom, though, and not all cooked foods would come in at the top.
• Awhile back, I had an exchange with Shirley Johnson and she said that if she had the power to make everyone be a vegan, she would not exercise her power because everyone has free will. But do we really have free will? Yes, in a way we do, but to do so requires knowledge of choices and that we do not have. Before we are even able to walk or talk we are indoctrinated into a way of life that makes us addicted to a lot of wrong choices and addiction has nothing to do with free will or will power. The desire or craving for cooked foods, animal products, grains and processed foods for most of us is not a free choice, it’s an electro-chemical neurological brain impulse and has nothing to do with free will. How can we exercise free will without involving our brain and how can our brain function without the right food? And more importantly, how can we make the right choices without the right knowledge?
• People who are emotionally attached to cooked foods aren’t actually addicted to them since it is physiologically impossible to be addicted to something that is harmful to us. The body simply is not put together that way. It is designed to thrive and cannot become addicted to a harmful substance. The human psyche, however, can become very much addicted to the shift in perception that occurs after we ingest certain substances. A yearning for that shift in perception is the ever-present illusion that lures us to eat cooked foods.
…End of File Preview for Cooked Food...

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…Best of the File Preview......
• And you know what they say about Addicts, they want everyone to be one, which is eventually what happened.
• The new view of addiction ties together biology, chemistry, behavior, and emotions in the brain.
• The inescapable fact is that nature gave us the ability to become hooked because the brain has dearly evolved a reward system, just as it has a pain system...
• Drugs don’t contain highs, they trigger highs in the brain’s pleasure pathways, circuits that have evolved long ago to reward and reinforce behaviors crucial to our survival. In that sense, our brains are addicted to life. …Any activity that produces rewards in the brain’s chemistry has at least the potential of addiction.
• Addiction = Pain + Learned Relief
• The true cause of all addictions is anxiety....an uneasy feeling that is temporarily masked, or tranquilized, by some substance or behavior.
• The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system. Since anxiety is a negative emotion, it follows that it is caused by a disruption in the body's energy system.
• So addictive behavior is not simply a bad habit. It is an anxiety driven need that begs for relief. ...their substance or behavior only relieves their anxiety temporarily. It merely masks the problem for awhile. That's why it is a tranquilizer. When the effect of the tranquilizer wears off, the anxiety surfaces once again.
• Addicts...tend to use drugs as a substitute for coping strategies in dealing with both stress and their everyday lives in general...
• Empaths crave something, anything, to focus on rather than the huge array of chaotic emotions that flutter into or bombard our energy fields. The addiction is a form of self-protection; it is an effort to hide from someone or something else.
• The first thing you must understand about addiction is that alcohol and addictive drugs are basically painkillers. They chemically kill physical or emotional pain and alter the mind’s perception of reality. They make people numb. For drugs to be attractive to a person, there must first be some underlying unhappiness, sense of hopelessness, or physical pain.
• The life cycle of addiction begins with a problem, discomfort or some form of emotional or physical pain a person is experiencing. They find this very difficult to deal with.
• This person encounters a problem or discomfort that they do not know how to resolve or cannot confront.
• He feels his present situation is unendurable, yet sees no good solution to the problem.
• The difference between an addict and the non-addict is that the addict chooses drugs or alcohol as a solution to the unwanted problem or discomfort.
• The painkilling effects of drugs or alcohol become a solution to their discomfort. Inadvertently, the drug or alcohol now becomes valuable because it helped them feel better.
• Drug addiction, then, results from excessive or continued use of physiologically habit-forming drugs in an attempt to resolve the underlying symptoms of discomfort or unhappiness.
• People who are addicted initially take the drug because it makes them feel good, but over time they just take it to return to normalcy. ...what junkies call "straight," which is not sick, but not high either.
• Cooked food creates a highly stimulative effect in the body, and this of course always produces a proportionate low after the digesting is done and the body needs to recoup the loss. When we experience this low, we want the thing that created the high. The desire for it can be so strong that no amount of 'will power' can keep us from it. This is addiction, and it's the same no matter what substance you're talking about; it can even apply to certain behaviors.
• ...do I ever miss the taste of cooked food. I guess if you ask reformed drug addicts if they ever miss the high, they'd have to say 'yes' if they were honest. What they'll all tell you, tho, is that those fleeting moments of artificial stimulation and fake pleasure aren't worth the cost. It's the cost that I contemplate now when I think of the taste or smell of cooked food. The cost is so dear, the pleasure so momentary, and the benefits of doing without so huge, that it doesn't make sense to dwell of what we 'lose' by giving it up. It's really a matter of changing how we perceive it -- I used to associate cooked food with good times, being with loved ones, security, warmth, love, fun, etc. Now that I know it was a big contributor to most of the misery I ever felt in my life, and is responsible for the misery my loved ones continue to suffer (because they still indulge), I can make appropriate associations.
• Addiction is the search outside ourselves for something that is in actuality very deep within our own psyche. For whatever reason, we’re afraid to turn within, so we try to find our wholeness in our outer life -- in a substance, in activity, or another person.
• Addictions and compulsions are the shadow-side of our passionate nature. ...It’s no accident that alcohol has been called "spirits." There is a deep, primordial connection between the spiritual quest and addiction.
• An addiction is when you need something from outside of yourself to feel good. It's a lot about "need" and not just "want". You get an addiction over time, by not staying connected with your true self. You get rid of it by getting back in touch with your true self - through meditation or some other healthy activity.
• When you have an addiction, you just want and want that thing, whatever it is. It practically takes control of you! It's uncomfortable and comfortable at the same time. The comfort is, when you get it, you feel sort of satisfied. Unfortunately, your higher self isn't comfortable even when you're getting the need met, and so it's not complete happiness.
• ...when someone kicks one addiction they somehow manage to pick up another in its place. ...the addiction is not overcome ....it is merely shifted.
• If you're an addict you need to be given tools to manage the craving, to manage the compulsion, and every once in a while you may have a crisis and need reinnoculation, perhaps another treatment.
• Introducing Bach Essences, These flower homeopathic essences help to balance some underlying emotions and habits. This may be very useful when erradicating an addiction.
• I also liked the explanation about how emotional addictions can develop, and how cells in the body can come to prefer the effect of experiencing strong emotions over getting proper nutrition.
• Addiction means always having to say you are sorry and finally, when being sorry is no longer good enough for others who have been repeatedly hurt by the addiction, addiction often means being sorry all alone.
• As the addictive process claims more of the addict's self and lifeworld his addiction becomes his primary relationship to the detriment of all others.
• ...the addict does indeed love his addiction more than he loves them.
• ...addicts don't "resolve," because that means coming to terms with the ugly realities they have created, and abandonning egocentered fantasy.
• ..."addicts don't resolve" the idea being they like to leave everything up in the air as long as they can, and entertain the notion that things can be the way they want (King Baby), or the fantasy that things haven't really gone as wrong and as badly as they have, etc. To resolve (as in conflict) means coming to terms with external realities and, among other things, what someone else wants or needs or is entitled to, not just King Baby's. Addicts like to preserve, as long as they can, their "egocentered fantasies" (my words) that things are or might yet be some more favorable way that the ugly reality that the addict persists in creating by his/her self destructive behavior. They want to protect the fantasy of NOT being in a downward spiral as long as possible, or the having of options on wife and normalcy AND whore, drug and thrill.
• "For while psychotic denial may indeed protect the addicted individual from seeing the proverbial 'elephant in the living room,' he usually will be left with a certain smell and perhaps other reminders of the presence of the elephant that must somehow be accounted for and explained away in an agreeable manner, i.e. in a manner that does not betray the presence of the elephant... The addict is frequently quite ingenious in developing personal theories of his behavior that attempt to acknowledge, even if in a minimized and diluted fashion, the destructive consequences of his addictive behavior, while linking it with a complex, often Byzantine web of justifications, excuses, complaints and explanations, the bottom line of which always seems to be that 'I don't really need to stop just yet' or 'Now is not a good time to stop... This is in most cases a gradual and insidious process which is unrecognized by the addicted individual - the "host" for the "parasite" of addiction. The end stage of this transformation is represented by the addict as puppet to the addiction's puppetmaster. The addict then exists for one purpose only: to carry out the desires and demands of the addiction. Everything human and individual has been suppressed, over-ridden, or shoved to the sidelines by the inexorable and irresistible "push" of the addictive process... Addiction thrives best in an atmosphere of unhappiness, resentment, alienation and estrangement, secrecy, mistrust and in most cases, ultimate despair of meaning. And it cannot continue for long in the opposite atmosphere, i.e. one of happiness, emotional well-being, healthy relationships and genuine honesty. Serious addiction, therefore, necessarily points in the direction of an unhappy and dissatisfied world view, and away from the opposite, happier and healthier perspective. A happy addict is a contradiction in terms."
• “It’s every alcoholic’s dream to find some way to still have it.” -Oprah
…End of the Best of the File Preview…

Peace and Love..........John

Interesting read. Thanks JR!

Not all cooked foods are bad for you. For example, lightly steaming broccoli or cauliflower is still very healthy.

<< Addiction is the search outside ourselves for something that is in actuality very deep within our own psyche>>

and what is that "something" that is to be found deep within our psyche ?

does it have a name?

<<< and what is that "something" that is to be found deep within our psyche ? does it have a name?>>>

Hey V,

It’s the Connection to the Divine - it’s the Warm Fuzzy Feeling that everyone is searching for when they turn to the Wrong Food or Sex or Drugs or Money or Relationships - it’s the Missing Nutrient in our lives - it’s the Coherent Sunlight Energy that we store in the nucleus of our Cells and use to Communicate to everything else and Sense we’re all one and it’s called a Biophoton!

In case you are interested, here’s the entire article…

"Science Of Mind", December 1992

An Interview With Jacquelyn Small by Penny Tupes Jennings

"Science Of Mind: There are many theories regarding the origin of addiction in an individual -- biological, environment, medical disorder, moral weakness, etc. In your opinion what is the main cause of addiction and compulsive behavior?

Small: Addiction is the search outside ourselves for something that is in actuality very deep within our own psyche. For whatever reason, we’re afraid to turn within, so we try to find our wholeness in our outer life -- in a substance, in activity, or another person. I’ve known hundreds of people in recovery who’ve told me that, as addicts, they were searching for a transcendent experience they believed could not have sober. In their debilitating search for a spiritual high, they were shown the gap between where they are and where they really want to be. And unfortunately, many people get caught in this vicious cycle.

Addiction is very similar to the process of "attachment" in Eastern philosophy. And frankly, the process addictions such as codependence, sex and romance, work, gambling, eating, spending, the need to always be right and perfect, are just as dangerous as chemical addictions and, in fact, are harder to heal. With chemical addictions you can remove the chemical and assist people in turning inward to find the parts of themselves which are lost and confused, whereas some of the process addictions are very hard to get hold of. It’s difficult to determine what is healthy behavior and what isn’t in some of these areas. And each of us must do this for ourselves. There truly are no outside "experts."

I no longer see compulsions as "bad," though they are certainly addictive behavior. They are more like signposts pointing to an area of our lives where we are "tape looping." That is, our obsessions are a way that our Higher Power has of focusing us on our unfinished business, which is keeping us from experiencing our wholeness. Addictions and compulsions are the shadow-side of our passionate nature. We’re expressing our spiritual fire in erroneous or irrelevant pursuits. They show us those areas that we have not fully brought to Light. It’s no accident that alcohol has been called "spirits." There is a deep, primordial connection between the spiritual quest and addiction. Love always moves into the place that is lacking and wants to fill it up. Our addictions point out that something we feel is lacking is hidden in the shadows, crying out for love and acceptance to fulfill us, and make us whole. So, often, I’ve had to honor an addiction as my Teacher. pp. 27-28

Peace and Love..........John

Here is a snippet from an article by Dr. Gabriel Cousens called Impact of Economic Globalization on our Diet where he refers to Losing our Connection with the Divine:

What can we do about this greed economics that is causing so much poverty, pain, and malnutrition? The first question we need to ask is, “How did this come about?” In the Kabbalistic tradition we go back to the Adam and Eve story. One oral tradition tells us that Adam and Eve were really one soul and they very much wanted to grow spiritually and follow God’s way, and they were told by the serpent that the forbidden fruit tree would actually help them grow spiritually because their eyes would be open and they would become like God. With the first bite they just had an attraction, enough of awareness that they were losing their connection with the divine.

But one oral tradition of the Kabbalah, reports that they took a second bite. With the second bite they switched into the consciousness of receiving for self alone, which we call greed and selfishness, and moved away from the consciousness of the Tree of Life which is to receive in order to share for the healing of the world. This, in essence, is the original sin and is really the foundation of Economic Globalism, as we know it today.

By the way, I interviewed Gabriel back in 2003 and asked him about this article and whether he was referring to Biohotons relative to losing our connection with the divine and the original sin and he said YES!!!

Peace and Love..........John





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/14/2013 04:19AM by John Rose.

<<One oral tradition tells us that Adam and Eve were really one soul and they very much wanted to grow spiritually and follow God’s way,>>

could someone elucidate how they were "ONE" soul?

<<It’s the Connection to the Divine - it’s the Warm Fuzzy Feeling that everyone is searching for when they turn to the Wrong Food or Sex or Drugs or Money or Relationships - it’s the Missing Nutrient in our lives - it’s the Coherent Sunlight Energy that we store in the nucleus of our Cells and use to Communicate to everything else and Sense we’re all one and it’s called a Biophoton!>>

a filament that vibrates
is capable of emitting light
and connecting to a larger Light

in order for that filament to vibrate
it must be stripped of everything that
prevents it from vibrating hence
incandescing

addictions are a converse attempt to
incandesce
while adding more dust to the filament

hence the filament burns out
and the lightbulb must be replaced

the art of incandescing
steadily
is the Art of Joy

Air is addictive. I just love cold winter days when I take a brisk walk and that pure, cold air fills my lungs with oxygen!

THeSt0rm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> banana who Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Air is addictive. I just love cold winter days
> > when I take a brisk walk and that pure, cold
> air
> > fills my lungs with oxygen!
>
> It is what it is about that is addictive.


??????

Powerlifer--Cooked foods arent inherently addictive, junk food however full of its chemical and flavour enhancements certainly is.


I think Powerlifer has a point. When I eat boiled plantains,root vegetables, or steamed veggies, or boiled legumes or rice I don't get cravings for them the next day. However, if I add salt or spices to those same foods I, without fail, start to crave them the next day. Sometimes the same day.

banana who

<<Air is addictive. I just love cold winter days when I take a brisk walk and that pure, cold air fills my lungs with oxygen!>>

hmmm... that's interesting

i like spring weather myself
and autumn too

air feels so good when you are running or dancing

I like this quote in the article

Raw foodists are never "addicted" to anything because all raw food has a natural turnoff mechanism built into them.

the positive feedback loop thing is , i believe, far more powerful than the negative feedback loop

its cuz when one is in a positive feedback loop, there are simply no conflicts

one WANTS to do something AND it is "good" for them

that's an unbelievably powerful and great combo

and the road is clear ( no conflicts)