When your children are little you teach them not to touch a hot stove. You teach them not to run out into traffic. But often we don't teach them to be careful of addictions. In fact, our Society is fairly tolerant of them and certain addictions are socially acceptable and "normal" such as drinking and overeating.
Our inability or resistance to regulating ourselves harms our health and our relationships. Below are a list of statistics taken from http://www.preventdisease.com/worksite_wellness/health_stats.shtml.
1. Preventable illness makes up approximately 80% of the burden of illness and 90% of all healthcare costs.
2. Preventable illnesses account for eight of the nine leading categories of death.
3. The United States spends more on health care than any other industrialized nation in the world and yet, in many respects, it's citizens are not the healthiest. (2)
4. More than one-quarter of children without health insurance coverage had no usual source of health care in 1997, compared with 4 percent of children with health insurance. (4)
5. Uninsured children were nearly three times as likely as those with health insurance to be without a recent doctor's visit in 1997. (4)
6. The US healthcare system is the most expensive of systems, outstripping by over half again the health care expenditures of any other country. (2)
Thanks to Prevent Disease.com for these statistics and please visit their site to see their sources.
So if most of our disease, misery and suffering in the US is self inflicted, it's time we all took a look at it. The choice to change our behavior is always there.
FOOD
Why is it socially acceptable to binge, overeat, and go crazy with junk food? Why do we tell our kids that they deserve a "treat" for being good. When I work with eating problems I usually see emotional holes that are begging to be filled. In fact, most of the time I treat overeating with an addiction protocol known as the NADA protocol.
ALCOHOL
It soothes us, it takes off the edges after a hard day. If we go out with our friends and they don't drink, we think it's weird and a problem. There are many people who would prefer not to drink at times, but are pressured to get one too.
Here is some data from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alcoholism.html:
For most adults, moderate alcohol use is not harmful. However, nearly 17.6 million adults in the United States are alcoholics or have alcohol problems. Alcoholism is a disease with four main features:
* Craving - a strong need to drink
* Loss of control - not being able to stop drinking once you've begun
* Physical dependence – withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating or shakiness after stopping drinking
* Tolerance - the need to drink greater amounts of alcohol in order to get “high”
Alcoholism carries many serious dangers. Heavy drinking can increase the risk of certain cancers. It can cause damage to the liver, brain and other organs. It can cause birth defects. It increases the risk of death from car crashes and other injuries as well as the risk of homicide and suicide.
NIH: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
With tougher economic times, more stress at work, we are all paying a heavy toll and we aren't thinking that hard about it. "Drinking at home became more popular last year after liquor sales posted an increase for the twelfth straight year." (Read more: http://technorati.com/business/article/spirits-in-the-house-sales-of/#ixzz16yWSJ4Cm).
What Can You Do?
1. If you engage in pressuring people to have more food or to drink, stop it.
2. If you are drinking or eating too much due to emotions or stress, start to learn what else you can do for stress or being upset. Take a walk, a yoga class, a meditation class, do deep breathing, talk to someone. These lists go on and on.
3. Develop self awareness. Know why you are making choices and what your emotional state is.
4. Learn alternative ways to help stop stress.
5. Don't go down the slippery slope of one beer becomes two or three or once a week becomes every night. Don't let 2 cookies become a bag.
6. Obviously we don't want to poke into our friends, families and co-workers lives too deeply. However, that being said, if you see someone who is hurting, invite them to a yoga class or for a walk. A caring comment may be appropriate. Don't ignore others suffering. We are all connected and we all affect each other.
THE SOONER WE ALL LEARN THAT ALCOHOL, POT, FOOD, OR STUFFING EMOTIONS IS NOT A SOLUTION, THE BETTER!
I welcome your comments and feedback. If this article touched you, let me know!! As an Acupuncturist who works with the emotions and personal growth, please know that there is help out there for you or your loved one if there is willingness to grow beyond your addictions. And for those of us who live at the mild end of them, remember that it is never too early to cultivate healthier solutions to our problems!
Wishing you exceptional health,
Tina Laue, L.Ac.
303-881-1971
www.goodneedles.com
Tina's practice is in Wheat Ridge, CO and serves the greater Denver area. She works with families, emotional health and personal development while taking good care of the physical body. She is accepting new clients.
