OVERCOMING ADDICTION STARTS WITH DISCOVERING HOW TO DEFEAT CRAVINGS
No one wants to be an addict. Anyone who has an alcoholic or drug addict close to them may find this impossible to believe but it’s true. Until that addict finds a way out of the trap of compelling drug or alcohol cravings, he or she may find it impossible to quit using drugs, no matter how much he knows he must, no matter how hard she may wish for relief from her addiction.
Someone who has never been addicted may have difficulty comprehending the iron grip of drug or alcohol cravings. An alcoholic or drug addict will commonly feel that life itself depends on getting and using the substance to which they are addicted. Nothing is more important, not one’s job, family, home, or any other obligation.
Whether the addictive substance is alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, illicitly-obtained prescription drugs or methamphetamine, when drug cravings are in full swing, lying or stealing are insignificant compared to the overwhelming need to satisfy the intense cravings and to prevent the sickness and pain of withdrawal.
Without eliminating cravings, one’s chances of permanent recovery from addiction are very slim. The good news is that cravings can be eliminated. The key to elimination is first understanding the cause.
When drugs are filtered by the liver, they leave metabolites, protein-based byproducts of the filtration. Each drug has its own metabolite, like a fingerprint. This is why drug tests work—they identify the metabolites left behind after drug use. Marijuana leaves a marijuana metabolite; alcohol produces an alcohol metabolite, and so on. While some of these metabolites leave the body through sweat and urine, some remains in the body and bonds with fat cells.
When a person consumes drugs or alcohol, they retain a complete recorded memory of that experience, good or bad. Any addict accumulates a series of memories that contain the pain and discomfort associated with the torture of withdrawal.
When a person experiences stress, physical exertion or intense emotion that increases the heart rate, the body burns fat cells, activating drug metabolites. These activated metabolites trigger the memories and discomfort of past drug use. A person is likely to use drugs again at these times, even if they have not used drugs in years.
The secret to eliminating these cravings lies in a thorough detoxification process that enables the body to flush out stored metabolites and toxins. With exercise to stimulate circulation, time spent in a dry sauna, and a specific regimen of nutritional supplements, drug metabolites can be eliminated, resulting in a person who can think more clearly and whose drug cravings have been alleviated. The rehabilitation program at Narconon Arrowhead, one of the country’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation and education centers, includes such a detoxification, referred to as the Narconon New Life Detoxification Program.
Peter H. is a graduate of the Narconon Arrowhead program. He said, “I first started drinking alcohol and using pot when I was fourteen. By sixteen, I was using LSD, speed and cocaine. At forty, I was hopelessly strung out on heroin. My addiction destroyed everything. I ended up homeless, penniless and almost dead. I found Narconon and started their program. After I completed the detoxification portion of the program, I was clear-headed and had no drug cravings whatsoever. After more than two years of being clean, I know without a doubt I can live my life without drugs. Thank you for saving my life.”
To help citizens in your area understand how addiction can be overcome, Narconon is making the Healing Addicted Lives booklet available for free. Indispensable for anyone faced with drug abuse in their community, this informative booklet fully explains how addiction starts, the three barriers to recovery and how these barriers can be overcome.
