Substance abuse and alcoholism has a history in my immediate family. People have suffered cirrhosis induced by alcoholism and severe drug addiction. During my studies I learned that there are five key addictions:

1. Drugs
2. Alcohol
3. Gambling
4. Sex
5. Food

People are most familiar with numbers one and two. While growing familiarity with number 3 comes from our now ubiquitous casinos all over America; four and five are largely neglected by our society. In general one can get addicted to anything which produces pleasure inducing endorphins. Thus, one can find exercise addicts and adrenaline junkies as well.

Why I mention these addictions, is that when you create food that has no nutritional value, like diet soda, you are creating a form of drug. The imbiber gains endorphins from the consumption, with no nutritional or caloric gain. Imagine what this does to the body which thinks it is getting food?

It usually tries to digest this synthetic sugar or fat. These artificial substances have no record in DNA of how to digest them or what to do with them. So the body naturally uses its normal processes. In the long run, I am sure that we will find that much synthetic protein is dangerous to your health. Notice the rise in digestive problems throughout America.

Yet this piece focuses on food addiction. People in America overeat. It is not a question of will per se, that is the old argument given to alcoholics. “You are weak willed,” they were told. Then came Bill and Alcoholics Anonymous, and a mass of studies which show that alcoholics cells act different towards certain substances then the mass of the population.

Regardless, there is one addiction humans cannot quit. I often joke that it is sex, but it is actually food. We must eat food to survive. Hence, our dilemma in advanced industrialized nations. How do we deal with this “obesity epidemic” as it is being called?

I am not suggesting regulation, or anything of this sort, as it does not change consumption for long periods of time. Note the changes in Driving Under the Influence (DUI, DWI) and drug abuse. When harsh penalties are enacted a temporary slump ensues, only to dissipate in a short number of years. In other words, people go back to business as usual.

What I suggest is education about the dangers of food addiction, and the acceptance and understanding that it is normal to get into this cycle. Our children’s chemistry is being changed at a young age through barely tested synthetic foods and inundation with processed junk of poor nutritional value.

Again, I do not want regulation of food, or a return to eating nuts and berries. I suggest that people are shown that food is addictive and can be managed through emotional work and structure. We are often fearful and stressed in the modern world. In response to this, we eat because it is easily and cheaply available.

But these are the exact foods that one wants to avoid while stressed. They encourage a person to store more fat and slow metabolism for the coming stresses, whether real or imagined. Ironically, the more stressed one becomes, the more important the diet is. There are ways to eat food and to think about it that change one’s metabolism and habits.

It is not easy, but many of my clients, including myself at one time, have changed the way they think about food, the way they eat, the way they feel about it, and the way their body feels. These clients have cut their fat and weight to levels nearing or exceeding the quality of their body when in the best shape of their lives.

Your thinking has been shown to affect your entire chemistry and healing. Imagine that just changing what you eat will not produce success. We are coming to a time where human consciousness will reign supreme where it belongs, at the center of your existence.

This is not mind control.
Think about it.