Best of the week from Choose Help The Neurological Model for Food Addiction – How the Overconsumption of Food Causes Addiction-Like Changes to the Brain NIDA researchers explain food addiction by showing how overeating can lead to changes in the dopamine pathways of the brain, and showing how these changes alter our ability to regulate impulses to eat From the perspective of an MRI scanner, food addiction and drug addiction look similar. Numerous brain imaging experiments have shown that drug addiction and food addiction lead to very similar changes to the functioning of the brain’s dopaminesystems. Based on this, researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have developed a neurological model to explain how brain changes can lead to very unhealthy eating (food addiction). Beyond eating from hunger, people eat to feel pleasure – and when we look at things at the neural level, we can see that eating highly palatable foods leads to activation of the brain’s reward circuitry, similar to the activation that is seen with the use of drugs and alcohol, along mesolimbic dopamine pathways. Drug users who repeatedly stimulate these dopamine reward systems cause changes to the functioning and structure of the brain and these changes lead to behaviors and experiences which characterize addiction, such as compulsive drug taking, an exacerbated emotional response to drug cues (triggers and cravings) and a lessened ability to inhibit behaviors (an inability to resist urges to use). Addiction is considered a brain disease because of these neural changes which lead to compulsive negative behaviors. In the NIDA food addiction model, vulnerable* people who repeatedly consume large amounts of highly palatable sugar or fat laden foods also over-stimulate dopamine reward systems and  cause structural and functional changes to the brain which lead to a heightened response to food cues, compulsive eating and an inability to regulate intake. *As some people experience food as more rewarding than others, are less able to resist temptation to eat appealing foods even in the face of potential weight gain and develop greater conditioned responses to food cues – some people are known to be more vulnerable to develop food addictions than others. The Dopamine Model of Food Addiction According to their model, people with food addiction and drug addiction have altered functioning across 4 basic types of brain processes and this altered functioning can be explained by changes to the structure and workings of various areas of the brain. The 4 brain processes altered by both food and drug addiction are: Changes to reward and salience function Changes to motivation and drive functions Changes to learning and conditioning functions Changes to inhibitory control and emotional regulation functions Reward and Salience Functions The brain’s reward and salience functions control how we pay attention and respond to positive and negative reinforcers in our environment. People with food addictions show changes in the workings of this circuit to the effect that they are less able to successfully choose behaviors that will lead to long term positive outcomes and to avoid behaviors that will lead to long term negative consequences. Food addiction altered reward and salience functions lead people to focus highly on the potentially rewarding aspects of eating and to rank the rewarding feelings of eating above most other potentially rewarding activities, (exercise, sex, etc.). This is very similar to how a person with an alcohol addiction learns to rank the rewarding feelings of alcohol above most other rewarding feelings. Since all people seek rewarding activities, it is not surprising that people who consider eating to be the most rewarding activity are prone to over-eating. People with food addiction are also less able to focus on the negative aspects of their behaviors. Although an obese person might know of the health consequences of overeating, at the moment of eating the salience of these negative consequences is greatly overpowered by the salience of the potentially rewarding feelings associated with eating some highly palatable food. So changes to the reward/salience circuit of the brain lead a person with food addiction to rank the pleasures of eating highly palatable foods above other pleasures and to lose the ability to effectively weigh the potential negative consequences of overeating against the likely positive rewarding consequences of eating something tasty. Brain imaging studies have shown that people with food addiction show differences in the ventral pallidum, medial OFC and hypothalamus which likely account for the changes to the workings of the reward/saliency circuit. Changes to Memory and Conditioning Functions The repeated over-consumption of large quantities of highly palatable foods leads to changes in the way the memory and conditioning circuit in the brain functions. Once food addiction changes the memory and conditioning circuit, exposure to food triggers an emotional memory and the expectation of a pleasurable reward. Exposure to stimuli associated with eating, such as the sight of a fast food restaurant, or sitting down to watch TV can also trigger emotional conditioning and a strong desire for a pleasurable reward. These persistent emotional memories help to explain the cravings a food addict experiences for ‘pleasurable’ high density foods. Because food cravings are triggered by so many associative stimuli they can emerge with frequency and they can lead to binge eating even among people who are trying to change their eating behaviors. Brain imaging studies show changes to the hippocampus, amygdala and dorsal striatum which explain the alteration of the functioning of memory and conditioning circuits. Changes to Inhibitory Control and Emotional Regulation Circuits People addicted to food show dopamine related changes in the dorsalateral prefrontal cortex, the orbitalfrontal cortex and the cingulated gyrus, all areas which are involved in emotional regulation and our ability to exercise impulse control. Changes to Motivation and Drive Functions Food addiction caused changes to the orbitalfrontal cortex, the dorsal striatum and the supplementary motor cortices cause an amplification in the drive to obtain food. Studies show that when obese people are presented with a meal there is greater activation in prefrontal areas of the brain than is seen when leaner people are presented with that same meal and other studies have demonstrated that showing food cues to obese subjects will induce activation of the prefrontal cortex and the experience of food cravings. When brain changes result in increased food cravings and an increased drive to get food and when this occurs in parallel with a high expectation for pleasure through conditioned memories, a decrease in the ability to weigh possible negative consequences and a decreased ability to inhibit eating , it is not surprising that food cravings often lead to compulsive eating and it explains in part why some food addicts will continue to eat even when they no longer describe the behavior as pleasurable.1 Read in browser »   Recent featured articles: Working it Through: A Closer Look at The 12 Steps of AA – Part 2 of 2 Working it Through: A Closer Look at The 12 Steps of AA – Part 1 of 2 AA Resource List – Everything You Need to Know about Getting Started with the 12 Steps Can an Addiction Counselor Help You? What to Expect from Counseling What’s the Best Alcohol Addiction Treatment Option for You? And, as always, thank you for reading! All the best to you and yours, Martin Schoel, founder of Choose Help P.S. If you’d like to dive into the conversation, make sure to follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook (40K+ people do). FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO A LOVED ONE Do you or someone you know need rehab? Click or 'Tap' to speak with us now: (877) 333-5266 Facebook Twitter Google Plus Pinterest

Copyright © 2015 Choose Help, All rights reserved. You are receiving this newsletter because you are a member of Choose Help or you signed up on ChooseHelp.com. Our mailing address is: Choose Help 11301 Olympic Blvd. #351 Los Angeles, CA 90064 Add us to your address book

Addiction and Recovery News 3/23/2015 KLEAN Weekly w/ Pat O'Brien 2 days ago  •  17 views Klean Radio   + 1 more

Women for Sobriety, Inc. "My mind was open, unclouded by alcohol, and it felt so freeing." ҉  “It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.”  -Confucius “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.  The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” -Thomas A. Edison “Don’t watch the clock; do what it does.  Keep going.”  -Sam Levenson **************************************************************** Statement #1, “I have a life-threatening problem that once had me.” I now take charge of my life and my disease.  I accept the responsibility. **************************************************************** +++++++++++++++++++ + Karen’s Perspective + +++++++++++++++++++      Who I am, in this moment, is a direct result of our empowering WFS Program, love and Statement #1 in action.  Years ago, I made a choice and began to rewrite my own history, one beautiful moment at a time.  At first it was so difficult.  What I thought about mostly was alcohol. I looked at the clock; I looked at my watch, I felt anxious, I felt edgy, and I felt happy to close my eyes for the night sober.  I had made it another 24 hours.  Success.  I was busy building my new sober life.  I began to learn by watching.  I watched everything.  It felt like this new world had opened up right in front of me; yet, I was so unsure of myself so I kept on watching.  I sat learning, watching how one person responded to their feelings, to a given situation and I was acting like a sponge absorbing all of this different information.  I also began to read, read and read some more.      My mind was open, unclouded by alcohol and it felt so freeing.  Though I still was learning to address my cravings, I was also making small changes, some of which I barely noticed, while others felt immense.  I began to feel stronger.  I began to feel healthier and I began to get to know me.      I had already accumulated some sober time when I found WFS but immediately upon reading the Statements, I felt different.  This was new, completely new and I liked it.  No, I loved it.  I am home!!  I dove into the WFS Program Booklet, Goodbye Hangovers, Hello Life (my favorite!) and, since there was no face to face meeting in my area, I sat glued to the online forum.  Here were women I could relate to.  Some were new like me, and some very wise 4C women who spoke volumes and embraced life.      Today I am a 4C woman who has taken charge of her life and her disease and accepts responsibility.  What a joy life is today!  I am here; writing, growing, becoming…all of me!  Hugzzz, Karen How has sobriety directed your path? If you are still struggling, what change will you make in this moment? +++++++++++++++ +  Dee’s Insights  + +++++++++++++++      Hi 4C Women, I made the decision to stop drinking back in 1988.  I had organized a speaking engagement on Women and Alcohol with Jean Kirkpatrick as the guest speaker after meeting with a woman who ran a WFS group in Ridgewood, NJ (that encounter is a whole other story).  I had just been promoted to Director of the Women’s Department at the YWCA in Ridgewood and thought WFS was a program that embodied the YW’s mission of empowering women and needed to be a part of the YW’s offerings to women.  Little did I know that it would be a life-changing event in my life.      As I was driving Jean back to her hotel, I remember wondering if I had a problem with drinking and upon asking her, she wisely said that if I had to ask, that was the answer to my question.  It took a few months, but I finally accepted I had a problem and, by that time, the WFS group in Ridgewood had stopped meeting.  Unlike Karen, the WFS online community did not exist, so I was on my own.  This is how amazing, how powerful the WFS Program is as each statement became a guide, a lifeline to a New Life and I pushed my way through that first year to reach my goal of becoming a Certified Moderator.  I felt as though I had won the grand prize of all prizes when I received that paper in the mail stating I had been approved as a moderator!      Hard to believe that 27 years has gone by and I am still as enthusiastic about WFS as I was back in February 1988 when I made the decision to stop drinking.  That first year was challenging to say the least; yet, I felt the authentic change of empowerment, of being in charge of my life and truly understanding that I was, and am, responsible for my actions and my life.  Only I could change all of that.  So what once had me, no longer does.  I am a new person and I owe that to WFS.      If you are struggling, envision your life as you want it to be.  Close your eyes and see that woman standing strong, in charge and free to be!  Work through the pain, uncover and discover the 4C woman within and make the decision to stop drinking/drugging.  Whether you have a face to face group or the online community or both, the support and encouragement is there for you. Grab it and hold on for the New Life you need and deserve.  -Dee _________________________ Thank you, Karen and Dee, for your words of encouragement and inspiration!  I would like to add to Dee’s story.  I was working for Jean for 2 years at the time Dee wanted to make arrangements for Jean to visit and present the program.  Jean invited me to come along.  I got to meet Dee for the first time!  And I also recall, very clearly, how empowering Jean was to listen to as she gave her presentation.  I sat in the back of the room, with a table full of WFS brochures and booklets, and was mesmerized… honestly, she was truly inspirational.  As she was talking about women’s feelings and emotions, all the ladies in the room were nodding their heads in agreement.  I knew, for certain, I was working for an organization that could change lives for the better.  Jean did go back to New Jersey to do another presentation in 1991 and we even have that one on DVD!  So, if you’d like to catch some of that inspiration and enthusiasm from our founder and get to see Dee introduce her as well… here is the link to purchase the “Women and Recovery” Speech: http://www.wfscatalog.org/Women-Recovery-DVD-Video-DVD107.htm.   ~Becky Fenner, WFS Director

Email:  newlife@nni.com   *   Tel: 215-536-8026   *   Fax:  215-538-9026

http://www.womenforsobriety.org   *   http://www.wfscatalog.org

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Sobriety-and-Recovery-Fun.html?soid=1102906894456&aid=fO-gpgerkzw

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Sobriety-and-Recovery-Fun.html?soid=1102906894456&aid=fO-gpgerkzw

Greetings,

Please see the attached PRCC Calendar for April. We will be closed on Friday, April 3^rd. Therefore, Our First Fridays series on Family Inclusion and Leadership will be held on Friday, April 10^th from 12pm to 3pm.

The PRCC is proud to announce our exciting new program Holistic Recovery Support with Acupuncture (see attached flyer). Please email me at sbrinda@councilsepa.org or call our receptionist at 215-223-7700 to register. Space is limited to fifteen participants.

Thank you,

Sean E. Brinda, MSW, CCDP Diplomate

Senior Peer Services Coordinator

PRO-ACT/Philadelphia Recovery Community Center

1701 W. Lehigh Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19132

Register for Recovery Walks! 2014 at www.recoverywalks.org

Phone: (215) 223-7700 ext. 105

Cell: (215) 828-6168

Fax: (215) 223-7707

1 (800) 221-6333 Twenty-four Hour Information Line

Email: sbrinda@councilsepa.org

www.proact.org

www.recoverywalks.org

PRO-ACT… Ambassadors for Recovery!

The information in this email is confidential and may be legally privileged and protected under State and/or Federal Laws. It is intended solely for the addressee. Access to this email by anyone else is unauthorized. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution, or any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on it, is prohibited and may be unlawful. If you believe that you have received this email in error, please contact the sender or call 215-345-6644.000

5 Attachments

 

 

Preview attachment PRCC April 2015 Calendar.pdf

PRCC April 2015 Calendar.pdf

Preview attachment PRO-ACTApril 2015 Calendar.pdf

PRO-ACTApril 2015 Calendar.pdf

Preview attachment Holistic Recovery Acupuncture Flyerupdated.pdf

Holistic Recovery Acupuncture Flyerupdated.pdf

Preview attachment 2015-April-10-Word-Version-First-Friday-Series-Flyer-Family Event-.docx

2015-April-10-Word-Version-First-Friday-Series-Flyer-Family Event-.docx

Preview attachment April-2015-Save-The Date-Flyer-First-Friday-Series-Mtg-.docx

April-2015-Save-The Date-Flyer-First-Friday-Series-Mtg-.docx

ONDCP Hosts Webinars on Dangers of Synthetic Drugs

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

March 26th, 2015/

The Office of National Drug Control Policy will host a series of webinars to outline the dangers of synthetic cannabinoids (Spice), cathinones (bath salts) and other new synthetic drugs.

The webinars will explain efforts to prevent the drugs’ use and reduce availability.

Webinar 1 will be an introduction to new synthetic drugs. It will address related health risks, manufacture and distribution, as well as Federal enforcement and regulatory provisions. This webinar will feature representatives from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Drug Enforcement Administration and parent activists, working to protect children from these drugs.

Webinar 2 will highlight community-level responses to prevent use and distribution.

Webinar 1 will take place on Wednesday, April 8 from 1-2 pm EST. To register, visithttp://www.whitehouse.gov/webform/webinar-synthetic-drugs. Webinar 2 will be held later this spring. Details will be available soon.