Beating Addiction Naturally

When ever we talk about addictions, our recall is drawn to what we have heard in the past, namely drug addicts or alcoholics. However, this is only a small part of addictions. Often compulsive behavior over shadows the events of daily living. An addiction is such a compelling force that few people escape it’s destructive forces. However, we are the temporary stewards of our body and the keepers of our own healing. We are keepers of an intuitive intelligence so powerful it can tell us how to heal. The time has come for each of us to claim it again. Never forget: God wants you to heal. He has given you the tools in the form of nutrients and He wants you to look inside yourself for the answers.

We are on a health care revolution as profound as civil rights or feminism. All over, I see an uprising fueled by courageous people, demanding that their spiritual and intuitive voices be honored in the healing process. Attitudes are shifting. I meet people everywhere who rail against the icy sterility of technological advances alone, no matter how miraculous the "cure" when simple kindness, love, and awe for our inner spirituality is sacrificed healing can only temporary.

Our passion here at Alternatives- A Health Resource® and Helping Hands Ministry® is to bring spirituality and intuition into mainstream medicine. From here we can choose from the best of both worlds. A clear connection with a compassionate God, can help us heal. Intuition is the spiritual language that links our head with our hearts, and thus to the potential of wellness. It is essential that we develop positive beliefs about healing in addition to a love for the body, an appreciation of the body's subtle energy system (Chinese medical practitioners call it "chi"), and also learn to access inner guidance by listening to the Spirit who is our constant companion and our comfort. With these tools, we can maintain optimal health and better face any health challenges that may arise.

In the following pages we hope to bring you closer to the essence of alleviating compulsive behavior by using the tools that God has given us. In GENESIS 1:29, God says, "Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."

THE PATTERN: Most addictions begin with people wanting to feel good; to feel at peace, but almost anything we do can become an addiction, especially when it serves our purpose. It doesn't matter whether it's drugs, alcohol, exercise, sex, movies, eating, not eating, people, knitting, or chewing your nails. When it becomes something you feel compelled to do, it's a pattern. The key is to notice how you feel if you stop the behavior. Can you stopl? If you can't, then you know you've got an addictive pattern running. If you can stop for brief periods, how do you feel? What's the first feeling that surfaces? Generally the first thing that surfaces is a fear of feeling. It's the fear that says "If I stop doing XYZ and feel my pain, something bad will happen." The "something bad" might be repercussions you actually suffered at the hands of your parents, etc. Or it may be just that your pain will surface, and for some of us, that's bad enough. The things we've avoided for so long are sometimes horrifying to face.

GETTING WHAT YOU NEED: Eat well, and enough. Take Herbal formulas, vitamin supplements, amino acids, especially if your addiction is to drugs or alcohol. Drink plenty of water. If you can't stand the taste of plain water, put a little lemon in it. Water can help flush toxins out of your system.