Rebalancing the Addictive Mind

Rebalancing the Addictive Mind PDF Author: Rochelle Ann Poerio
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781500444563
Category : Addicts
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Many books cater to the fitness and nutritional needs of the general public. But little of this advice is specifically directed toward those who have the literally life-or-death need to keep alcohol, drug, gambling, sex, internet and other addictions at bay. How exercise and diet speed up the recovery process and promote relapse prevention is a case rarely made, even by most treatment facilities! Rebalancing the Addictive Mind is an evidence-based, accessible guide that explains how and why exercise and diet produce faster physical, psychological and emotional recovery from addiction and significantly reduce the chances of relapse. And how anyone, despite almost any age or infirmity, can benefit from the principles outlined in this book. Author Shelley Poerio, a licensed addiction counselor and certified fitness trainer, describes how substance dependence and behavioral compulsions change the brain and body, provides guidance and solutions to undo the damage, and motivates change in the recovering individual. Family members gain insight into how to support their loved-one in recovery and better understand how addictive thinking and behaviors get out of control. Counseling and medical professionals will appreciate the cognitive-behavioral, solutions-focused therapeutic approach and the integration of exercise and nutritional concepts with 12-step recovery principles. Ms. Poerio bases her case on the biochemical science of addiction. In the early sections of the book, she examines the anatomy and functions of the brain, and explains the ability of substance and behavioral addictions to exploit brain chemistry and create cravings and dependence. A crucially important aspect of this story, for teenagers and their parents, is that teens are particularly susceptible to developing addictions. Fortunately, the biochemistry of addiction can be turned against itself. Many of us know the positive feelings of well-being that result from working out and eating well. Rebalancing the Addictive Mind reveals in detail why this is just what the doctor ordered to fight addictions. Exercise and diet are uniquely qualified to replace the highs produced by drugs and alcohol, and undo the damage they cause. Aerobic and strength training act as safe substitutes that stimulate the brain's neurotransmitters in much the same way that addictive substances do. Exercise promotes improved brain function and neuronal growth. Proper nutrition prevents the mood swings that can provoke a relapse, and corrects the addiction-caused deficiencies that harm major organs and bodily processes. With a bristling arsenal of therapeutic weapons, exercise and diet use restorative biology to fight the biology of addiction, and empower the brain and body to heal themselves. Ms. Poerio - a former track athlete at Stanford University - draws not only on the latest research, but on her own experience. The plans she outlines combine elements of her workouts with future pro and Olympic athletes at Stanford, and with young (and old) substance abusers as the counseling/fitness-program developer at the Phoenix House of the Mid-Atlantic in Arlington, Virginia. All of her strategies are easy to put into practice, and set realistic goals. They produce encouraging results for the average person in recovery in part because they are simple to do and likely to be used regularly. Above all, however, Rebalancing the Addictive Mind speaks to and motivates its readers on a very personal and understanding level. Ms. Poerio, an alcoholic/addict in recovery since 2001, introduces the book by describing her own substance-induced suicidal ideation that forced her on the road to rehabilitation. Her book includes simple anecdotes - about her work to help her clients and herself - that make it clear she has "been there and done that," and that anyone armed with her book and the willingness to put in some work can do it too.

Rebalancing the Addictive Mind

Rebalancing the Addictive Mind PDF Author: Rochelle Ann Poerio
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781500444563
Category : Addicts
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Many books cater to the fitness and nutritional needs of the general public. But little of this advice is specifically directed toward those who have the literally life-or-death need to keep alcohol, drug, gambling, sex, internet and other addictions at bay. How exercise and diet speed up the recovery process and promote relapse prevention is a case rarely made, even by most treatment facilities! Rebalancing the Addictive Mind is an evidence-based, accessible guide that explains how and why exercise and diet produce faster physical, psychological and emotional recovery from addiction and significantly reduce the chances of relapse. And how anyone, despite almost any age or infirmity, can benefit from the principles outlined in this book. Author Shelley Poerio, a licensed addiction counselor and certified fitness trainer, describes how substance dependence and behavioral compulsions change the brain and body, provides guidance and solutions to undo the damage, and motivates change in the recovering individual. Family members gain insight into how to support their loved-one in recovery and better understand how addictive thinking and behaviors get out of control. Counseling and medical professionals will appreciate the cognitive-behavioral, solutions-focused therapeutic approach and the integration of exercise and nutritional concepts with 12-step recovery principles. Ms. Poerio bases her case on the biochemical science of addiction. In the early sections of the book, she examines the anatomy and functions of the brain, and explains the ability of substance and behavioral addictions to exploit brain chemistry and create cravings and dependence. A crucially important aspect of this story, for teenagers and their parents, is that teens are particularly susceptible to developing addictions. Fortunately, the biochemistry of addiction can be turned against itself. Many of us know the positive feelings of well-being that result from working out and eating well. Rebalancing the Addictive Mind reveals in detail why this is just what the doctor ordered to fight addictions. Exercise and diet are uniquely qualified to replace the highs produced by drugs and alcohol, and undo the damage they cause. Aerobic and strength training act as safe substitutes that stimulate the brain's neurotransmitters in much the same way that addictive substances do. Exercise promotes improved brain function and neuronal growth. Proper nutrition prevents the mood swings that can provoke a relapse, and corrects the addiction-caused deficiencies that harm major organs and bodily processes. With a bristling arsenal of therapeutic weapons, exercise and diet use restorative biology to fight the biology of addiction, and empower the brain and body to heal themselves. Ms. Poerio - a former track athlete at Stanford University - draws not only on the latest research, but on her own experience. The plans she outlines combine elements of her workouts with future pro and Olympic athletes at Stanford, and with young (and old) substance abusers as the counseling/fitness-program developer at the Phoenix House of the Mid-Atlantic in Arlington, Virginia. All of her strategies are easy to put into practice, and set realistic goals. They produce encouraging results for the average person in recovery in part because they are simple to do and likely to be used regularly. Above all, however, Rebalancing the Addictive Mind speaks to and motivates its readers on a very personal and understanding level. Ms. Poerio, an alcoholic/addict in recovery since 2001, introduces the book by describing her own substance-induced suicidal ideation that forced her on the road to rehabilitation. Her book includes simple anecdotes - about her work to help her clients and herself - that make it clear she has "been there and done that," and that anyone armed with her book and the willingness to put in some work can do it too.

Drugs, Brains, and Behavior

Drugs, Brains, and Behavior PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Brain
Languages : en
Pages : 76

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Book Description


The Biology of Desire

The Biology of Desire PDF Author: Marc Lewis
Publisher: PublicAffairs
ISBN: 1610394380
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 175

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Book Description
Through the vivid, true stories of five people who journeyed into and out of addiction, a renowned neuroscientist explains why the "disease model" of addiction is wrong and illuminates the path to recovery. The psychiatric establishment and rehab industry in the Western world have branded addiction a brain disease. But in The Biology of Desire, cognitive neuroscientist and former addict Marc Lewis makes a convincing case that addiction is not a disease, and shows why the disease model has become an obstacle to healing. Lewis reveals addiction as an unintended consequence of the brain doing what it's supposed to do-seek pleasure and relief-in a world that's not cooperating. As a result, most treatment based on the disease model fails. Lewis shows how treatment can be retooled to achieve lasting recovery. This is enlightening and optimistic reading for anyone who has wrestled with addiction either personally or professionally.

Memoirs of an Addicted Brain

Memoirs of an Addicted Brain PDF Author: Marc Lewis
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
ISBN: 0385669267
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
A gripping, ultimately triumphant memoir that's also the most comprehensive and comprehensible study of the neuroscience of addiction written for the general public. FROM THE INTRODUCTION: "We are prone to a cycle of craving what we don't have, finding it, using it up or losing it, and then craving it all the more. This cycle is at the root of all addictions, addictions to drugs, sex, love, cigarettes, soap operas, wealth, and wisdom itself. But why should this be so? Why are we desperate for what we don't have, or can't have, often at great cost to what we do have, thereby risking our peace and contentment, our safety, and even our lives?" The answer, says Dr. Marc Lewis, lies in the structure and function of the human brain. Marc Lewis is a distinguished neuroscientist. And, for many years, he was a drug addict himself, dependent on a series of dangerous substances, from LSD to heroin. His narrative moves back and forth between the often dark, compellingly recounted story of his relationship with drugs and a revelatory analysis of what was going on in his brain. He shows how drugs speak to the brain - which is designed to seek rewards and soothe pain - in its own language. He shows in detail the neural mechanics of a variety of powerful drugs and of the onset of addiction, itself a distortion of normal perception. Dr. Lewis freed himself from addiction and ended up studying it. At the age of 30 he traded in his pharmaceutical supplies for the life of a graduate student, eventually becoming a professor of developmental psychology, and then of neuroscience - his field for the last 12 years. This is the story of his journey, seen from the inside out.

The Selfish Brain

The Selfish Brain PDF Author: Robert L DuPont
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1592859534
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 648

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Book Description
The Selfish Brain explains how individuals and communities are affected by drugs such as alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, and heroin, and how treatment can lead to whole healthy, lives. Why is the brain so vulnerable to the effects of alcohol and other drugs? How does addiction echo through families, cultures, and history? What is it that families and communities do to promote or prevent addiction?These are some of the questions that this thorough, thoughtful, and well-reasoned book answers--in clear, comprehensible terms. From the basics of brain chemistry to the workings of particular drugs such as alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, and heroin, The Selfish Brain explains how individuals and communities become trapped in destructive habits--and how various treatments and approaches lead to recovery and whole, healthy lives.

Hijacking the Brain

Hijacking the Brain PDF Author: Louis Teresi, MD
Publisher: Author House
ISBN: 1463444842
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 311

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Book Description
Hijacking the Brain provides the first-ever scientific explanation for the success of Twelve-Step programs. Hijacking the Brain examines data provided by recent rapid growth in the fields of neuroscience, neuroimaging, psychology, sociobiology and interpersonal neurobiology that have given us new, dramatic insights into the neural and hormonal correlates of stress and addiction, cognitive decline with addiction, as well as for the relative success of Twelve-Step Programs of recovery. Addiction is recognized by experts as an organic brain disease, and most experts promote Twelve-Step programs (AA, NA, CA, etc.) which invoke a 'spiritual solution' for recovery. To date, no one has described why these programs work. 'Hijack' tells us why. In 'Hijack, ' the role of 'working The Steps' for reducing stress and becoming emotionally centered is discussed in depth. A full chapter is devoted to the rewarding and comforting physiology of meditation and the spiritual experience. The author uses examples from animal sociobiology, as well as sophisticated human brain-imaging studies, to demonstrate that empathic socialization and altruism are instinctive and 'naturally rewarding' and, along with Step Work, act as a substitute for the 'synthetic rewards' of drugs of abuse. 'Hijack' does not challenge the Steps or the Traditions of Twelve-Step programs. The sole intention of Hijacking the Brain is to 'connect the dots' between an 'organic brain disease' and a 'spiritual solution' with sound physical, scientific evidence. Avoiding strict scientific language as much as possible, 'Hijack' is written for the layperson and abundantly illustrated.

Seven Weeks to Sobriety

Seven Weeks to Sobriety PDF Author: Joan Mathews Larson, PhD
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0307788369
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 366

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Book Description
"Comprehensive, rational and personal. It suppplies much of what is missing in traditional approaches to alcoholic rehabilitation. I believe that this book can save lives." Leo Galland, M.D. Open this book and you will embark on a groundbreaking seven-week journey that will change your life. You will learn how to break your addiction to alcohol and end your cravings--and do it under your own power. Here, step-by-step, is a proven, seven-week program developed by Dr. Joan Matthews Larson at the innovative Health Recovery Center in Minneapolis, that subdues your body's addictive chemistry and puts you on the path to full recovery.

Rewire

Rewire PDF Author: Richard O'Connor
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0147516323
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
The bestselling author of Undoing Depression offers a brain-based guide to permanently ending bad habits Richard O’Connor’s bestselling book Undoing Depression has become a touchstone in the field, helping thousands of therapists and patients overcome depressive patterns. In Rewire, O’Connor expands those ideas, showing how we actually have two brains—a conscious deliberate self and an automatic self that makes most of our decisions—and how we can train the latter to ignore distractions, withstand temptations, and interrupt reflexive, self-sabotaging responses. Rewire gives readers a road–map to overcoming the most common self-destructive habits, including procrastination, excessive worrying, internet addiction, overeating, risk-taking, and self-medication, among others. By learning valuable skills and habits—including mindfulness, self-control, confronting fear, and freeing yourself from mindless guilt—we can open ourselves to vastly more successful, productive, and happy lives.

Unbroken Brain

Unbroken Brain PDF Author: Maia Szalavitz
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 1466859563
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 349

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Book Description
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER More people than ever before see themselves as addicted to, or recovering from, addiction, whether it be alcohol or drugs, prescription meds, sex, gambling, porn, or the internet. But despite the unprecedented attention, our understanding of addiction is trapped in unfounded 20th century ideas, addiction as a crime or as brain disease, and in equally outdated treatment. Challenging both the idea of the addict's "broken brain" and the notion of a simple "addictive personality," The New York Times Bestseller, Unbroken Brain, offers a radical and groundbreaking new perspective, arguing that addictions are learning disorders and shows how seeing the condition this way can untangle our current debates over treatment, prevention and policy. Like autistic traits, addictive behaviors fall on a spectrum -- and they can be a normal response to an extreme situation. By illustrating what addiction is, and is not, the book illustrates how timing, history, family, peers, culture and chemicals come together to create both illness and recovery- and why there is no "addictive personality" or single treatment that works for all. Combining Maia Szalavitz's personal story with a distillation of more than 25 years of science and research,Unbroken Brain provides a paradigm-shifting approach to thinking about addiction. Her writings on radical addiction therapies have been featured in The Washington Post, Vice Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times, in addition to multiple other publications. She has been interviewed about her book on many radio shows including Fresh Air with Terry Gross and The Brian Lehrer show.

Dopamine Nation

Dopamine Nation PDF Author: Dr. Anna Lembke
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1524746746
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES and LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER “Brilliant . . . riveting, scary, cogent, and cleverly argued.”—Beth Macy, author of Dopesick This book is about pleasure. It’s also about pain. Most important, it’s about how to find the delicate balance between the two, and why now more than ever finding balance is essential. We’re living in a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, sexting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting . . . The increased numbers, variety, and potency is staggering. The smartphone is the modern-day hypodermic needle, delivering digital dopamine 24/7 for a wired generation. As such we’ve all become vulnerable to compulsive overconsumption. In Dopamine Nation, Dr. Anna Lembke, psychiatrist and author, explores the exciting new scientific discoveries that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain . . . and what to do about it. Condensing complex neuroscience into easy-to-understand metaphors, Lembke illustrates how finding contentment and connectedness means keeping dopamine in check. The lived experiences of her patients are the gripping fabric of her narrative. Their riveting stories of suffering and redemption give us all hope for managing our consumption and transforming our lives. In essence, Dopamine Nation shows that the secret to finding balance is combining the science of desire with the wisdom of recovery.