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Addiction can defined as someone compulsively committing the same action over and over because it stimulates their pleasure centers, despite have negative and dangerous consequences it can have to the mental or physical well being of the person and other aspects of their lives. There are all types of addiction and there are many things that people are addicted to. People can become addicted to tanning, sexual activity, working out, eating, drugs, shopping and many other things. The reason that a person participates in these activities in the first place is because whatever it is that they are doing is causing the reward centers in their brains to be stimulated. It is their way of fighting negative feelings such as sadness, loneliness, fear, rejection or anger. When the person does whatever activity that they are addicted to, the chemicals that are released in their brain cover up the feelings that they are running from.

Narconon usually helps people who are suffering from drug addiction, and although the nature of the program has the potential to help someone who is suffering from any type of addiction, not enough research has been done by the Narconon program to guarantee success for helping other addictions.

Substituting one Addiction for Another

There have been many people who have gotten off of drugs only to become addicted to some other activity or pleasure. Many people have gained large amounts of weight when they quit using drugs because they are used to triggering their reward system that is in their brain. The pleasure center that is activated by drug use is also activated by exercise, sex, and eating large amounts of food. There is a study that was done that showed that people who had an addiction to alcohol usually were not overweight and the people who were addicted to eating usually stayed away from the overconsumption of alcohol. One of the reasons for this may be a hormone called leptin. Leptin is the hormone that the body releases to signal to a person that they are full and they do not need to eat anymore at that time. This hormone effects in people who are morbidly obese is lowered and studies have shown that alcohol has a lesser effect on those people who are not as effected by leptin. The reason that people who are addicted to food may not drink is because they may not be able to get the pleasurable effects from alcohol that other thinner people get.

The other reason that there are fewer cases of morbidly obese people that are suffering from alcoholism is because they are getting their fix from food. When a person is addicted to food it is the same type of situation as a person who is addicted to drugs. When a person overeats there is often a surge of endorphins that are released in their brain. The brain rewards a persons act of eating because physical survival is dependent upon a person consuming food. When a person overeats their brain will release endorphins even if the person is full because it is a system that was developed in times where human did not always have constant access to food.

When a person becomes addicted to food, there are many treatments available to help them. There are also many diets that are available and nutritionists and books that can provide information to a person who is trying to overcome their eating habits. However, eating can become like any other addiction and a person can lose control over the situation. When this happens, often drastic measures need to be taken so that the person can maintain their health. There are many health risks that person becomes prone to when they suffer from obesity. The more obese a person becomes the more dangerous the risks. In certain situations drastic measures are taken to help a person lose weight, especially when they have lost control over their ability to do so.

Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery is a surgery that is designed to help a morbidly obese person lose weight. There are many risks associated with this surgery. It is usually done for people who extremely overweight have tried all other means to control their weight and their food intake. When a person undergoes gastric by-pass surgery, the surgeon will usually staple off part of the stomach and reroutes path that food travels to bypass most of the stomach and part of the small intestine. The result of this is the reduction of the amount of food that able to be consumed and absorbed by the body.

Although this decreases the amounts of food and nutrients that the body absorbs, it actually has the opposite effect on the amount of alcohol that is absorbed by the body. When a person who has undergone gastric bypass surgery drinks, the alcohol goes directly to the intestines, which are much more efficient in their absorption of alcohol. This may be why gastric bypass surgery linked to alcoholism studies have been getting so much attention recently. Around thirty percent of people who underwent this procedure later became alcoholics. When the person drinks, the effects are much stronger and much more immediate than they would be in person who did not have this procedure done. Although studies have linked this surgery to an increased risk of alcoholism, no definitive answer as to why this is happening has been reached.

Some say that it is because when a person has gastric bypass surgery done, they are unable to absorb all the needed nutrients and vitamins that the body is dependent upon to make the person feel well and healthy. The person then starts to feel terrible all the time and the person may self medicate with alcohol just to feel good.

Others say that it is because the effects of the alcohol and the feelings of reward that it gives are intensified. This causes the person to wish to drink more often because it makes them feel so good. Others say that this happens because the person is substituting their addiction to food for alcohol. They still desire to obtain that rush and instead of getting it from food, they get it from drink.

Whatever the reason, alcoholism is known to be a very deadly state to suffer from. If you or someone you love is suffering from alcoholism please contact your local Narconon Center for help. There are Narconon centers located all over the world from Narconon Vista Bay to Narconon’s in Italy. Counselors are available twenty-four hours a day and will be happy to help.