The Dangers of Adderall

The cover story in this weeks’ Sunday New York Times is titled Drowned in a Stream of Prescriptions.  It’s a tragic story about a young man, a good student and president of his college class, who recently committed suicide after becoming addicted to Adderall, an A.D.H.D. medication.  Richard did not have A.D.H.D. but was easily able to procure prescriptions for Adderall from several different doctors.  I read the article and was shocked to learn how simple it was for Richard to get prescriptions for a medication that treated a condition he did not have. 

 

Wow!  I guess I’m pretty darn naïve.  Yesterday afternoon I spoke about this article with the Mother of two college students.  She informed me that her daughters tell her  “many kids take drugs meant for A.D.H.D.” Apparently these drugs make it easy to stay up all night to study. 

 

A clinical neuropsychologist, named DeAnsin Parker, made the following statement in reference to Adderall.  “Stimulants will help anyone focus better.  And a lot of young people like or value that feeling, especially those who are driven and ambitious.  We have to realize that these are potential addicts—drug addicts don’t look like they used to.”

 

To be ambitious is OK.  As a matter of fact, most people consider ambition and competiveness to be desirable traits.  Don’t we all feel happier if we perceive that we are reaching our potential?  It’s been said that work should be to adults what play is to children. We should enjoy our work and wish to do well at it. Parents want their kids to achieve and kids want to make their parents happy. If an ambitious and driven kid feels blocked or thwarted she is going to look for a solution.  What a tragedy that too often the solution is medications.

 

In our book Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way Sandra and I write about the incredible benefits of physiological balance.  When the mind-body-spirit is balanced potential is more easily reached.  Understanding the essence of physiological balance and suggestions on reaching this desirable state are offered in our book.  One of the interventions we suggest, and the one I wish to write about today, is the Transcendental Meditation technique.

 

Increased inner control, decreased anxiety, relief from insomnia, improved job performance and increased job satisfaction are only a few of the myriad positive benefits gleaned from practice of the TM technique.  Increased well being and improved grades are also reported after learning this meditative technique. TM is a positive solution for the competitive kid who feels thwarted.  Drugs are not!

 

Millions of people worldwide practice the TM technique but word needs to get out to millions more.  If you know of someone who is using a stimulant to stay up all night and study, someone who doesn’t have A.D.H.D., but who just simply wants to do well——-please tell her to get online and click on TM.org——–do that first and then click on Amazon and order copy of Healing Depression the Mind– Body Way.  Non-drug solutions do exist!

 

As always, Sandra and I wish you perfect health and happiness.

 

 

 

 

 

Can Addiction Be Successfully Treated?

Food, drugs or alcohol—-it matters not.  Addictions can be successfully treated.  And they need to be successfully treated because despite the feeling that they may be in some way helping, the truth is they simply get in our way and need to be pushed aside.  But how do we push them aside?

Neurochemists tell us that if the complex neuroendocrine systems of the body are balanced, a state of well-being or fulfillment will result.  If we feel fulfilled and live with a sense of well-being we will adopt behavior patterns which are in sync with this internal state.  Addictions will not get in our way and we will achieve growth.

However, if the nervous system is in disequilibrium, as it is when addictions are involved, the resulting loss of fulfillment prompts the desire to restore an experience of greater well-being or happiness.  Chemical dependency represents maladaptive behavior which may arise in a misguided effort to restore well-being.

 

In other words, we take that substance, whether it is alcohol, a drug, or an over-indulgence of food, in order to make ourselves feel better.  You knew that didn’t you?  You also know that the substance gives only a temporary feeling of well-being and happiness.  It never gives lasting fulfillment and well-being,   and, in fact, guilt and remorse often follow the addictive behavior.

In sum: the neurochemist informs that if we are in balance we will behave in accordance with our physiological state and if we are out of balance we will lean toward the addiction.  Of course, our addictive behavior serves to drive our physiology further out of balance.  How do we disrupt the vicious cycle?

The mind-body is one seamless energetic system.  Since the mind-body is a whole, any attempt to use will power alone to cure addiction can be a difficult exercise.  Because the neuroendocrine system is out of balance, cravings for the substance become exceedingly powerful and difficult to overcome.  Twelve Step programs provide strong relationship and spiritual components which are exceedingly helpful in these situations.  Add Ayurveda, with its focus on balancing the physiology, to strongly complement a Twelve Step program.  The two are frequently successfully used together.

It has been said that only a new seed can create a new crop and if you are struggling with addiction we strongly suggest that you investigate Ayurveda.  Stress and depression are the centerpieces of addiction and our book Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way will give you many helpful tips for the creation of a stress-free life and the attainment of a balanced physiology.   In our book you will learn about many different treatment strategies but you will notice that they all have one thing in common:  even though they may act in some way on your body, they are also going to be changing the way your mind and body interact.

If you wish to tackle an addiction with full force you will benefit from a consultation with a physician trained in Ayurveda or with an Ayurvedic practitioner.  The physician will be able to determine specific imbalances and make appropriate prescriptions for diet and herbal supplements.  Even though the techniques you will be learning may seem different from the programs you tried before, and even though some may seem unusual to you, research has shown that they have meaningful benefits for ending addictive behaviors.  The techniques are all simple, natural, and enjoyable.

To locate an Ayuvedic practitioner in your neck of the woods, google NAMA, the National Ayurvedic Medical Association.  You will find a list of practitioners on their website and hopefully there will be one in your zip code.

We send our best wishes that you may attain an addiction-free life with the side benefits of happiness and fulfillment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image courtesy of http://stopyouraddictionnow.net/overcoming-alcohol-addiction/