Addictions and Compulsions

[Cat Pillar]

In my relentless quest to understand and transcend "myself" I have come to admit that I have several problems concerning addiction. I am addicted to smoking and food. I've seen some posters here mention that following a 12-step program not only helped them with alcoholism, but had many spiritual benefits as well.

 

I'm very interested in learning more, and was wondering if anyone could provide some good resources (I'll be googling as well, but sometimes references are more efficient and higher quality than search results ). Also, any advice or insights about approaching addiction and recovery programs from a Taoist point of view would be welcome.

[sifusufi]

A lot of 12 step meetings are in hospitals.

 

If one could volunteer in a place where one could see patients with COPD on oxygen gasping for air having anxiety attacks - smoking

 

Or the bariatric patient who needs six or more staff to turn them or clean them after a bowel movement, total helplessness.

 

A hoyer lift (visualize small hydraulic crane) is necessary to move into a chair. Joint replacements will

(with a risk of infection-sepsis) are usually the reason for admission as well as bed sores.

 

Interesting observation is that most health care workers are overweight and smoke.

 

Now.. if..I ..could..just put this... laptop d d d down

 

Wishing you the success beyond that you wish for yourself

[surfingbudda]

Hey CatPillar,

 

As for smoking, I thought Ya Mu's advice was pretty good that I read here once. He said something like you should first transition to smoking natural tobacco without all the harsh chemical and toxins which add to addiction. Also with natural tobacco you would roll your own cigarette so it forces you to slow down and just relax and once you make it smoke it slowly, don't be in a rush, be in the now. Ya Mu said that the actual physical addition from cigarettes leaves your body after a day of quitting so just relax, enjoy smoking natural tobacco slowly for a week or so and then see where your at, you may be surprised at that point how easy it will be to quit . I know you can do! You just gotta believe that you can do it and you definitely can . Just take one thing at a time, maybe first tackle smoking then focus on food, you can apply the same kind of strategy to food as well. If you eat and chew your food very slowly and enjoy every bite, then by default you will eat less as the brain tells the body within 15 minutes that it is time for you to be full. Gradually just pick healthier options and listen to what your body wants and not your desires.

 

Best of luck, I know you can do it, its just a matter of taking that first step in the right direction

[Astral_Anima]

Fasting yo, it's doubles your willpower by the day. Check out my post in the "off topic" section for sum resources.

 

http://www.freedomyou.com/fasting_book/Fasting_And_Addiction.htm

[Ulises]

I could overcome a 15 year addiction to tobacco with this miracle plant. One session(10-12 hours), one follow-up (10-12 hours). No cravings at all. Great team.

http://www.awakeninginthedream.com/

 

It's a teacher plant - one of the primordial wisdom teachers of humankind - that is saving hundreds of lives now...an authentic re-birth!

Edited February 14, 2011 by Ulises

[Cat Pillar]

[Nanashi]

I enjoyed smoking manufactured cigarettes for the past 8 years, but they certainly are terrible. If the imagery alone isn't enough, think about how they are made. The cigarette companies couldn't figure out how Marlboro was outselling them in the 70s, so they used reverse engineering to figure their out the formula: freebase chemicals. They used recycled tobacco and washed it, added ammonia and flavoring. The freebasing agents causes the addiction. This isn't anit-tobacco propaganda, I was cynical at first-- before further research.

 

I recently switched to American Spirit tobacco-- it is natural and organic, and I already feel more healthy and yet stay relaxed from the tobacco smoke. They are still grown and distributed by RJ Reynolds, but the difference is worth getting off the chemical fix.

[Nanashi]

(double post.)

Edited February 14, 2011 by Nanashi

[Cat Pillar]

I enjoyed smoking manufactured cigarettes for the past 8 years, but they certainly are terrible. If the imagery alone isn't enough, think about how they are made. The cigarette companies couldn't figure out how Marlboro was outselling them in the 70s, so they used reverse engineering to figure their out the formula: freebase chemicals. They used recycled tobacco and washed it, added ammonia and flavoring. The freebasing agents causes the addiction. This isn't anit-tobacco propaganda, I was cynical at first-- before further research.

 

I recently switched to American Spirit tobacco-- it is natural and organic, and I already feel more healthy and yet stay relaxed from the tobacco smoke. They are still grown and distributed by RJ Reynolds, but the difference is worth getting off the chemical fix.

 

I love American Spirit cigarettes! Don't always buy them though, probably because of the addiction! That's a good step though, I'll start getting those again.

 

I know about all the nasty crap they put in manufactured cigarettes, but...I don't always think about it when buying or lighting up. There's that unconscious behavior again!

[Nanashi]

I know about all the nasty crap they put in manufactured cigarettes, but...I don't always think about it when buying or lighting up. There's that unconscious behavior again!

 

Yeah, I still craved the taste of marlboro reds-- it took a couple weeks of interchanging packs before I could master imagining the manufacturing process. They literally recycle used cigarette butts' tobacco. That was gross enough to eventually allow me to overcome the compulsion.

 

Try American Spirit Blacks-- the perique blend has a unique flavor. I stuck with the regular pack (blues) after a while, though.

[Cat Pillar]

Never tried the blacks before, I'll have to give those a shot. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Nanashi]

No problem, hope it helps any.

 

As for 12-step, I've heard less than good things about them. I personally attended meetings with a friend as support, and the experience does vary by the group. But they give off an odd vibe. They claim non-denominational, but their origins are heavily Christian, with western thinking patterns.

 

"Even the most ardent true believers who will be honest about it recognize that A.A. and N.A. have at least 90% failure rates."

 

http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-effectiveness.html

 

You're almost better off trying self-mastery over your desires.

Edited February 14, 2011 by Nanashi

[Encephalon]

Of all the world's major religious and philosophical movements, only Buddhism singles out desire and craving as the root of human suffering and trains its focus on the alleviation of that suffering. There is a rich cross-fertilization of work between the western 12-step process and Buddhist wisdom, The Buddhist Recovery Network being just one of the movements. "One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps" by Kevin Griffin is considered a modern classic and treated as an alternative to AA's Big Book.

 

Addiction is the disease of self-hatred. Buddhist psychology seeks to understand the suffering beneath the storm, while orthodox AA models use the western "atonement for sin" plan. Both have their place. Good luck.

 

http://www.buddhistrecovery.org/

 

http://www.kevingriffin.net/

[surfingbudda]

SifuSufi,

 

 

Never thought about fasting as a means of facing addiction, I can see how it could be useful though. I'll look for your off-topic post.

 

 

 

Hey I was actually gonna recommend that you try going on a mini juice fast to just clear your system physically/mentally/spiritually, to kinda like reboot your system and come back being much more clear minded in every aspect.

 

Best of luck

SB

[manitou]

Cat, I think the 12 steps go right along with the Tao mindset. I came out of that gene pool as well.

 

1. Admitted we were powerless over (alcohol, drugs, food, whatever) and that our life was unmanageable.

 

As to step one, try and really talk to yourself (writing is the very best way) about how your particular addiction is getting in the way of your life. In what ways is your life unmanageable? Write it down, so you can really see it. Don't shortchange yourself on this step; it will remain in the back of your mind forever if you do it right. Look at how ridiculous it is for you to miss things, be down on yourself for overeating (or whatever the addiction is); usually the addiction is creating a level of 'comfort' within you that you may have experienced as a child, and it's not a good one. We need to change your comfort level; my comfort level, I discovered, was one where I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I would create situations in my life that enabled me to feel that constantly, usually involving the men I was involved with. Like I was just waiting for a beating.

 

2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

 

No need to spend a lot of time on this step for you - but do try and figure out by what device you will be served. The 'sanity-restoring' process doesn't happen overnight by some force reaching in to our throats and removing an unwanted tendency. Sometimes the force brings the situation to us over and over again until we actually see how insane it is. (The definition of insanity, for these purposes, being 'doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results'. Try to define what you mean when you say higher power.

 

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.

 

Understand that these steps were written back in 1935 (or close) and the language can get a bit hokey. These steps do conjure up the old traditional God thinking that we learned in church a long time ago. If you are passionate about such things as the TTC or any other tradition, this should suffice. It's all the same thing - just find an angle that works for you.

 

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Some folks here are really put off by the word 'moral' - and I agree. It's not a good or bad thing; it's eliminating undesirable personality habits that are getting in the way of your further evolution. There are a million ways that people suggest for how to do a personal character inventory.

Some folks like to do a double inventory, where they not only find out their undesirable qualities, but also their good ones. This may be a good idea if you want to take the time. But it's the undesirable ones that get in the way, not the desirable ones; so when I did mine, I just focused on the undesirable ones.

The way I did it was to think up every personality defect I could come up with, and then assume I had it to some degree. I wrote about each one and how much sway they held in my life. Maybe small, maybe big. To look inside ourselves like this is to develop what some call 'the Christ consciousness', where we can look at ourselves without fear. Some personality defects: selfishness, arrogance, pushiness, know-it-all-ness, fear, judgment, laziness - the list could go on and on. I would REALLY recommend writing your inventory down, because that way our clever brains can't fool us, which they really like to do, especially if we're looking for aberrations within ourself. If you've committed a thought to writing, your clever brain can't change it around to say something less hurtful because you've already got it out there.

Really don't shortchange yourself on this one. I worked on this one for the better part of a day and a half. It was worth it.

 

5. Admitted to God, ourselves, and another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

This step hurts. Admitting it to ourselves or to 'God' is no big deal. Admitting it to another human being? Woof. If you don't have anybody that you feel comfortable doing this with, I'd be happy to assist with this, I've sponsored many over a 30 year period. This step will help to break down any arrogance you may have been carrying around. It is an onset of humility at a deeper level. This step is nasty, but none of them can be skipped if you want it to work.

 

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

If you are prone to prayer, often this is what's done. If you are evolved into more of a Taoist mindset, maybe talk to the Void. Just do something to sort of ceremonialize this step; to distinguish one moment where you 'turn yourself over' to the life force. This shouldn't be hard for you - it's what we talk about all the time in here anyway.

 

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

This is part and parcel with the step above.

 

8. Made a list of all persons we have harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. This step and the next one are the ones that nobody ever gets to. For obvious reasons. It's humiliating. This is like ripping off a big bandage, this one really hurts. the biggest amends are the ones that will do you the most good. The ones to the people closest to us - our parents, our siblings, our close friends. People we've blown off. In each and every instance, even though we may see it otherwise, we have played some part in the event. We are never totally in the clear. These two steps separate the men from the boys when it comes to 12 step recovery. The funny thing is that when you see the Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan folks going in for rehab, the last thing they tell them when they walk out the door is to keep going to meetings. They could've saved about $25,000 if they'd only walked in to a meeting to begin with. But I guess folks like this don't have the time to really work on themselves, although there are plenty of Hollywood people who do go to the meetings and work the steps and sponsor people to help them get over their humps too.

 

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

 

Sometimes people will try and cop out with this step, insisting that they themselves are one of the 'others' who will be hurt, and they'll justify not making an amend for this reason. What they mean by this, is that sometimes it's not appropriate to make an amend. When I was younger I had a penchant for sleeping around with other women's husbands. This was a long time ago. Ideally, I should have run around to each of those women and said I was sorry for sleeping with their husbands. Obviously, this wouldn't have worked out well, especially since they weren't aware of the indiscretion. But my form of amend was to determine to Never Be Involved With Someone Else's Husband Again. That did work suitably for me in this particular case. But this was the only one I 'copped out' on.

 

The hardest amend to make was to my father, who treatly me really badly as a young girl. He brought me up the same way he was brought up, with a leather belt. As a consequence, our relationship was horrible the whole time I lived at home; even though he 'started it' by being so heavyhanded when I was small, I did plenty in the ensuing years to get back at him.

 

It was knowing that he 'started it', and yet I had to make amends to him, really stuck in my craw. I tried to remember all the times I said horrible things to him, the times I ran away, the times I'd come home drunk or drugged up. I worked up the courage to say 'I'm sorry, dad' for all those times. I didn't expect anything at all from him in the way of response. The amends step can't be done with any expectation. Sometimes you'll make an amend and people won't appreciate it at all. That's okay. It's not for them, it's for you. Just do it anyway.

 

In my case with Dad, when I made the amend I was astounded. He recapitulated, much to my amazement. He cried, said he knew he'd done so many wrong things in raising me. It was the opening that we needed to have a short and sweet relationship before he died. But often it doesn't turn out that way.

 

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

 

This is a breeze once the initial inventory and amends are done. It's continued for a lifetime. Often at night I'll look back over the day and see where I was wrong in doing or saying something; sometimes it requires correction or a few words.

 

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

 

Again, substitute any concept of God that you may have and use it daily.

 

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to (alcoholics), and to practice these principles in our affairs.

 

This is just where we freely give away what we have obtained. You will be a different person after having done this work, and you will be even more qualified than you already are to see what others need.

[Encephalon]

this is the Buddhist spin on the steps, which just a few minor but significant changes in bold. The changes take a little of the damnation rhetoric out of the picture while still preserving the role of responsibility.

 

 

A Buddhist Version of the 12 Steps

 

Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable

Step 2 - Came to believe that spiritual practice could restore us to sanity

Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the power of the Dharma (the teaching).

Step 4 - Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves

Step 5 - Admitted to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our suffering Step 6 - Were entirely ready to let go of all these defects of character

Step 7 - Humbly asked for our shortcomings to be removed through prayer and meditation.

Step 8 - Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all

Step 9 - Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others

Step 10 - Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it

Step 11 - Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with reality and to live a life with more wisdom and compassion

Step 12 - Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs

Edited February 14, 2011 by Blasto

[windblown]

I'm also a Taoist 12 Stepper-I find the two paths intertwine and mingle quite harmoniously. I am a recovering alcoholic with 2 years sober. Yay! I never was a daily drinker, never drank hard liquor...just a beer binger but enough to change my personality when I drank; enough to affect the choices I made while drinking or even in between bouts; enough to make my life unmanageable. So in my opinion...12 Step programs are the first place to go to heal an addiction. They are There for you...lots of other folks in the same boat trying to change their lives....lots of support for whatever addiction.

 

Here's the deal with 12 step programs. They work if you are willing to do a few simple things. For me having and calling a lady in the program with lots of sober time has been incredibly easier for me to stay sober. We talk about issues we both have and how to work through them. Most people in active addiction tend to isolate so having a sponsor to walk you through the steps and 'be there for you' is very important. Also get phone numbers from other members and call them!

 

It's important to keep a close spiritual connection every day with whatever Higher Power you choose. I read lots of meditations, Tao Te Ching, and try to live Wu-wei and go with the flow of the Universal energies...all that Tao stuff works for me.

 

In the beginning lots of meetings are important-I don't go to so many now.

 

Lots of the 12 step slogans reverberate with Taoist teachings; Keep it Simple, Just for Today, Let Go and Let Tao, (God if you choose...like Wu-Wei,) Live and Let Live,(don't try to change someone else's inner nature....focus on learning Who you are.)

 

Bill W. (founder of A.A.,) was totally into Eastern Spirituality and though he cloaked the A.A. program in a loose Christian bag it is strongly underpinned with Eastern philosophy. He had to package it so people in the 30's could grasp it. It is not religious but I guess you can make anything religious if you want.

 

Here's another good saying," Take what you like and leave the rest." Meaning the programs aren't black and white...not everyone will say something you agree with but I guarantee if you go to few meetings you'll hear exactly what you need to hear. Tao flows very smoothly through the meetings and conversations with others trying to do what you are doing.

 

Thanks Manitao for your informative post and congrats on all those years. We are very fortunate to have you here!

[manitou]

The Tao and the steps are seamless, I agree. Congratulations on your 2 years! It's amazing how easy the whole thing is (and how easy it is to stay away from your addiction) once the remedy has been embraced.

 

Yes, I too was two people when I drank. I never knew if Mae West or Mohammed Ali would show up. Either way, it always usually shook the hell out of the bar I was drinking in.

 

I find it kind of wonderful that Bill W. remained a seeker until the end; more so than just his ego about his sobriety. He actually had the cajones to drop some acid after he had maybe 23 years sober, in his continual quest for enlightenment. I'm quite sure the old bird found it. What an incredible program that is.

 

Many in AA would argue with me on this one; I do use cannabis as both a relaxant (I am diagnosed w/PTSD; my nerves are shot and I do require a calmative from time to time) and as an adjunct to ceremony for shamanic purposes. But I do know that alcohol is my drug of choice and my addiction, so I don't worry too much about what the others in AA think. I don't take cakes any more because of this. My 30th will be coming up this December, actually.

 

We are fortunate, Windblown, to have done inner work. At least a recovery mode launches us into the introspection process which continues throughout our lives. It would be wonderful if you'd participate in the Tao Te Ching study, up in the pinned topics; we're trying to get more involvement. The discussions about the Sage are wonderful. Your voice is much needed, you communicate so well.

 

And thanks for your kind words.

[windblown]

My husband has anxiety ad panic disorder to an extreme. He has used every pharmaceutical to allieve his symptoms but they make him groggy and sleepy; so he can't operate his computer at work. He has always done well with marijuana and is now in the medical marijuana program in our state. He has 2 and a half years sober in A.A.

 

When he told his sponsor about his medical treatment with herb, his sponsor 'fired' him. It was very disheartening so I know where you're coming about the stance of some A.A. members and mj.

 

I'm in A.A. for drinking and so is he. Pot is his medicine-he doesn't abuse it at all and has never had a problem with it. I think it is a very effective medicine for him. I can't even tell when he's smoked. So I hear ya on that, Manitou.

 

I'll certainly check out the Tao Te Ching forum.

 

Happy Valentines everyone!

[3L3VAT3]

12 step programs CAN be helpful...

but there are some weirdos and nazis there... yea, pot is bad, but it's okay to smoke 2 packs of cigarettes and drink a pot of coffee in 8 minutes... lol

They are dicks when it comes to methadone too...

anyway...

 

WHen it comes to smoking, try switching to cigars! You'll get that nicotine fix, but in a different manner. Smoking cigarettes is like a rush, but puffing on a stogie is a relaxing, chill event... totally different, and it can help you transition. You won't be smoking a stogie every five minutes like a cigarette...

 

have it at the end of the day... you're lungs wont be as tore up (but your mouth and throat will still be at risk, obviously)

[Nanashi]

I've noticed the excessive coffee and cigarettes at AA meetings, too. That kind of ties into the title of this thread, maybe something which would be explored further. If people are just trading down addictions (eating, caffeine, alcohol, spiritualism, nicotine, THC, pharmaceuticals, etc), at what point should one recognize the chain of dependency to stimulate their mood? Not criticizing there, just curious.

[KCHooligan]

Ask your employer if they provide benefits for smoking sensation aids. A lot of employers do these days, and included with the patch/lozenge/gum is information on support groups (internet and phone) that are part of the purchase.

 

Of course, having studied this from the medical side (I'm a smoker as well), the most success comes from a 'cold-turkey' quit.

 

I know this sounds dumb, but don't quit taking outdoor breaks if your used to smoking outdoors. Your mind is addicted to this as well, yet there's no reason to refrain from giving it these 5 minute nature breaks.

 

Also, carrying a cut straw to suck on will feed the craving for a few minutes until it passes (doesn't take but a few- just happens quite often at first!)

[Cat Pillar]

Nanashi,

 

Yeah, I've read some things that were less than favorable about the 12-step programs, but it does seem that a number of bums here have had good success with it.

 

--------------------------

 

Blasto,

 

Thanks for the info on the Buddhism-based 12 step program! I'll dig into that more when I have some more time. Just got handed some new responsibilities at work, it's cutting down on my Tao Bums time. That's one area I'm blessed in, it's that my job allows me to browse when it's not busy.

 

--------------------------

 

surfingbuddha,

 

Hey I was actually gonna recommend that you try going on a mini juice fast to just clear your system physically/mentally/spiritually, to kinda like reboot your system and come back being much more clear minded in every aspect.

 

Best of luck

SB

 

That sounds like a pretty neat idea, have any recipes or plans you can recommend?

 

---------------------------

 

manitou,

 

Wow, great breakdown of the 12-step process, thanks much! There's a lot to take in there, but I think I could pull it off if I dedicated myself to it. As far as the personal character inventory, I'm not afraid of digging up the undesirable stuff...I'm already used to a certain extent of that as a result of self-inquiry.

 

Also, thank you for sharing your personal experiences with this process involving your Dad...I'm glad that you got to repair your relationship before he died.

 

I would have to use Tao or a similar concept as my "higher power," I wouldn't be comfortable working with any other paradigm.

 

I'll definitely be needing to revisit your post a few times. That first step alone I think could lead to a goldmine of insight. It's already revealing things I need to examine in the light, things which evoke reluctance and resistance...a good sign that there is substantial potential for growth.

 

--------------------------

 

windblown,

 

Congrats on your 2 years!

 

Unfortunately, my schedule is so crazy I don't think I could make time for going to meetings. I've had to fight and get crafty just to make room for my spiritual pursuits! I'm pretty sure if it weren't for meditating and cannabis (with the emphasis on meditating), I'd already have a nervous breakdown or two under my belt. I've certainly come very close in the past. And a note; I don't feel I'm addicted to pot, as I don't really get cravings for it, even when I've been without for awhile.

 

I recognize that in pursuing a 12-step approach, not going to meetings may be a significant handicap...but I gotta work with what I've got.

 

It's important to keep a close spiritual connection every day with whatever Higher Power you choose. I read lots of meditations, Tao Te Ching, and try to live Wu-wei and go with the flow of the Universal energies...all that Tao stuff works for me.

 

This is something I'm trying to build on. I wish there were more hours in the day, I don't get to study the TTC or other Taoist texts nearly as much as I would like.

 

Lots of the 12 step slogans reverberate with Taoist teachings; Keep it Simple, Just for Today, Let Go and Let Tao, (God if you choose...like Wu-Wei,) Live and Let Live,(don't try to change someone else's inner nature....focus on learning Who you are.)

 

It would definitely be Wu-Wei for me...I'm generally not comfortable with the usual context of "God." I feel a much higher affinity for Taoist approaches than any other.

 

------------------------------

 

12 step programs CAN be helpful...

but there are some weirdos and nazis there... yea, pot is bad, but it's okay to smoke 2 packs of cigarettes and drink a pot of coffee in 8 minutes... lol

They are dicks when it comes to methadone too...

anyway...

 

WHen it comes to smoking, try switching to cigars! You'll get that nicotine fix, but in a different manner. Smoking cigarettes is like a rush, but puffing on a stogie is a relaxing, chill event... totally different, and it can help you transition. You won't be smoking a stogie every five minutes like a cigarette...

 

have it at the end of the day... you're lungs wont be as tore up (but your mouth and throat will still be at risk, obviously)

 

I've never gotten the hang of smoking cigars...I always want to inhale =\

 

------------------------------

 

KCHooligan,

 

I already know my employer has smoking cessation programs, but I'm not interested in patches or gums or anything like that. The support aspect might be worth looking into, although again I don't have the spare time for meetings unfortunately.

 

That's good advice about still taking the time to go outside for a few minutes! That's half the joy of cigarette breaks anyways.

[surfingbudda]

 

 

 

That sounds like a pretty neat idea, have any recipes or plans you can recommend?

 

 

 

Heres a good book that I personally own which is chalk full of different cleanses, My link. This book has one day to whole week cleanses to purify the body.

If you don't want to spend any money you can just do you own cleanse. If you own a juicer you can just juice up your favorite fruit and or vegetables and just eat that for a day, you can also eat vegetable soup something similar. If you don't own a juicer or anything you could just eat fruit for your meals and you could also eat a meal of salad. My dad has a friend who actually was an avid smoker and had some kind of cancer. Well now a few years later he is beaming with health and energy. You wanna know his secret, he only eats raw food. His breakfast is usually 4 glasses of juiced oranges or grapefruit, then for lunch he eats a bunch of fruit of his choosing, then for dinner he eats a big salad, and for dressing he juices up an avocado, tomato and bell pepper. I've almost never seen someone in better health than he is and he is 75! He said that he gets SO much energy from his diet that he has to spend it somewhere so he is usually playing basketball with his neighborhood kids, he said that the teenagers have trouble keeping up with him! I swear I couldn't believe it when he said that he was 75, he looks like at most late 50's. The reason his raw diet is so good is because the body digests the fruit juice and salad so fast that it hardly wastes any of its own energy for digestion. I'm actually gonna start doing a regular juice fast myself to help keep me cleansed and clear minded. Just let me know if you have any more questions, glad to be of help

[Stevekare]

Fasting yo, it's doubles your willpower by the day. Check out my post in the "off topic" section for sum resources.

 

http://www.freedomyou.com/fasting_book/Fasting_And_Addiction.htm

Fasting is great. also consider Steam and Sauna to help detoxify. Do check out some 12 step meetings if you find a good one you will find good friends. All of us that have addictions tend to have more then one. When I quit smoking I took up compulsive eating.