Participants: Don Mackintosh (Host), Vicki Griffin
Series Code: HFAL
Program Code: HFAL000199
00:01 The following program presents principles designed
00:03 to promote good health and is not intended to take 00:06 the place of personalized professional care. 00:09 The opinions and ideas expressed are those 00:11 of the speaker. Viewers encouraged to draw their 00:14 own conclusions about the information presented. 00:50 Hello welcome for a Health For A Lifetime, 00:51 I am your host Don Mackintosh. 00:53 We are glad that you joined us today. 00:54 We are gonna be talking about a very important 00:56 subject today and that is addictions. 00:59 And we are gonna get some definitions about what 01:00 that means and we are delighted today to have 01:03 Vicki Griffin with us. She is from the Michigan 01:05 Conference and she also has a lot of education 01:09 in different areas focusing on nutrition. 01:11 She is the author of many books and a lot of resources 01:16 under the name of lifestyle matters health 01:19 intervention series. And when you talk about what 01:22 Vicki Griffin has done. It's really quite amazing 01:26 and we are thankful that she can be here, 01:28 we are glad you are here today, thank you Don. 01:30 Now a lot of things we talk about today can be accessed 01:35 you know when we talk about them more fully or 01:38 people want to look at more fully on your website, 01:40 lifestylematters.com. I understand that and the new 01:43 book that you've written that we're talking about 01:45 today is living free, finding freedoms from habits 01:50 that hurt, we are talking about addictions, 01:53 isn't that right? That's absolutely right, 01:55 now let's talk about habits. 01:58 How is a habit formed and what is the difference 02:01 between you know a good habit and a bad one? 02:05 Well habits are automatic behaviors and the 02:09 characteristics of a good habit, when someone learns 02:12 how to do a behavior automatically it take some 02:15 effort, takes concentration, it takes motivation but 02:19 as we learn those new behaviors what we have 02:22 learned and put conscious effort into is now push down 02:26 to what is called the subcortical level and that 02:29 makes the behavior automatic. For instance 02:31 a pilot who goes through hours and hours of training, 02:33 now his responses are automatic and that's 02:37 a good thing. And habits are very good; Elbert 02:40 Hubbard said that habit is the great economizer 02:43 of energy. So this is good habits, good habits. 02:46 Good to be able to just know how to do things just 02:48 routinely. Yes and there are many reasons why these 02:52 good habits that we develop throughout life and our 02:55 brains are designed to develop help us to repeat safe 02:58 and effective behavior, and perform multiple tasks 03:01 with very little effort. You don't have to think about it 03:04 too much to increase the tasks, speed and accuracy. 03:09 We can actually become better at the things we do 03:11 automatically and also freeze mental resources 03:14 for challenges and change. Just freeze up hard drives 03:17 space so that you can pay attention to other things, 03:20 it also builds security and consistency into our lives. 03:24 These routines are good, but routines can become ruts 03:27 and when habits turn bad, the exact opposite is happening, 03:31 you are actually losing the ability to pay attention 03:34 to other things, it's called Runaway Motivation 03:37 where you are now focusing more and more on that 03:41 one thing to the exclusion of other necessary functions 03:45 and priorities in life, so that you are actually losing 03:48 the ability to learn other things, losing the ability 03:50 to deal with challenges, losing the ability to focus 03:53 on the other priorities. So habits are good, 03:57 you get in this routine, and you take care of the kids, 04:00 you take out the trash, you do all these different 04:02 things but then when you get some kind of runaway 04:05 motivation, motivation it kind of messes up all those 04:09 positive habit patterns and you have what maybe 04:13 is well let's see. Is that what an addiction is, right, 04:16 runaway motivation. That's what it's been called 04:19 and the traditional classical definition of addiction 04:23 is the compulsive need for and you saw the habit forming 04:28 substance characterized by drug tolerance and withdrawal. 04:32 However we know that people can be addicted to things 04:37 beside substances and drugs. So like you know pasta, 04:42 yes, I think some people stick to the pasta. 04:45 So the definition of an addiction, it is a compulsive 04:49 need which means you just have to have it I suppose. 04:52 Well according to Howard Shaffer from the division 04:55 of addiction at Harvard University and others but 04:57 his statement I think reflects what the growing 05:01 consensus is, I think you have that too well look at it. 05:04 Yeah drug use is not a necessary and sufficient 05:08 cause of addiction. He says it is improper to consider 05:11 drugs as the necessary pre-condition for addiction 05:15 so the newer expanded understanding what addiction 05:20 and composites includes the persistent compulsive behavior 05:23 that is harmful or destructive characterized by an inability 05:27 to stop. So it doesn't necessary to just have 05:29 to be drugs, it can't be but it's just this you have 05:34 to do it kind of thing. The body becomes addicted 05:37 to its own opioids, people can become habituated 05:41 to pornography, gambling, Internet. 05:45 And I suppose these are all things stimulate opioid 05:47 production in the brain or dopamine production 05:49 in the brain. Both absolutely, and there are other 05:52 things going on, addictions are actually learned there 05:55 are other neurotransmitters besides dopamine 05:57 involved in the development of addiction. 05:59 And I like what Howard Shaffer has had to say 06:03 about this, he is from the division of addiction at 06:06 Harvard University. He says a lot of addiction 06:08 is the result of experience. Repetitive high emotion, 06:13 high frequency, experience. So what you're saying 06:17 is its just, you keep doing something again, 06:20 again and again and then your brain chemistry 06:22 kind of organizes around that, can you actually see 06:24 structural changes in the brain? There is no question 06:27 that structural changes take place in the brain 06:30 according to what we choose to pay attention to over 06:33 and over and over again. I like the way Steven 06:36 Grant states it, he is from the National Institute 06:38 of Drug Abuse. He says what is coming up fast as being 06:42 the core issue is continued engagement in self 06:46 destructive behavior despite adverse consequences. 06:49 So why do you like that quote, because it talks about 06:52 again the repetitive nature of things that's the course 06:56 you just doing it again and again? It confirms with what 06:59 many people intuitively already understand. 07:02 If a person intellectually knows that what they're 07:06 involved in is too much and they can't seem 07:08 to breakaway from it, they're in bondage to this thing, 07:12 they're slaves to this thing. There are very real 07:16 changes that have taken place in the brain as a result 07:18 of that. Not only at the metabolic and physiological 07:22 level but at the genetic level, there are changes 07:24 that take place and in a funny kind of way, 07:26 that's great news. Because what we learned we can 07:29 unlearn and the brain is very, very responsive to the 07:35 choices that we make and that's a good thing. 07:37 So even shopping you say here is something that 07:39 can be addictive. They've studied and seen that 07:42 the brain organizing around the mall. 07:44 Well, yes you see those bumper stickers shop 07:48 until you drop, but actually the most important 07:52 reinforces are food and sex. And according 07:55 Mark Gold from the McKnight Brain Institute at the 07:58 University of Florida, he said what is the difference 08:01 between someone who is lost control over alcohol 08:04 and someone who's lost control over good food 08:06 when you look at their brains and their brain responses 08:09 the differences are not very significant. 08:12 So food, you know the sexual responses all that it's 08:17 triggering the same places in the brain and when 08:19 you see someone that is addicted to may be a 08:22 substance or addicted to food or addicted to pornography 08:27 is the same area of the brain that's being changed. 08:30 That's exactly right, and the changes that take place 08:34 are just as real and just as significant as changes 08:38 that take place with substances although there are 08:41 degrees of damage that are done with substances that 08:45 are of course not the same as with some of the natural 08:49 rewards. Yeah I mean I've heard someone say that if we, 08:52 if we have a victory or are able to handle food in 08:57 our lives and a lot of other things are easily handled 09:01 as well and this certainly seems to speak to that 09:03 same concept. Absolutely, and we are gonna be doing 09:06 some programs, a program together on food addiction 09:09 and its actually very much more complex than drug 09:13 addiction in many respects because there are changes 09:15 taking place in other systems that are equally challenging 09:19 and so what we want to develop our strategies for long 09:21 term success. But many people do not realize that 09:26 they are struggling with an addiction, 09:28 there is a rationalization that goes on, 09:31 there is a failure to see patterns in the life, 09:34 so there are signs that the brain is addicted, 09:37 there are some very typical. So, I mean you know 09:40 when we look at this, you know you can see 09:44 those real signs but you know it's kind of hard 09:45 to admit that you're addicted, you know I've said 09:48 in AA meetings and others, where it's just as really 09:51 hard for someone to admit that they're powerless 09:53 that they need help and put themselves to be, 09:56 you know if you will, the patient instead of being 10:01 in control. Well on especially when you consider 10:03 that when these sort of patterns developed, 10:07 often it's an attempt to gain control in the life, 10:11 it's an attempt to gain control of the emotions, 10:13 it's again attempt to gain control of the mood 10:16 or the environment or some of these. 10:20 So what are some of the signs, excuse me, 10:21 what are some of the signs of an addicted brain? 10:24 How can you tell may be your relative, 10:26 your husband, your wife, well, your children what 10:29 are you looking at to see in terms of signs of addiction. 10:34 There are 10 standard well known signs that the 10:37 brain is getting into trouble and one of the premier 10:41 ones is you are spending a lot of time with this thing. 10:43 You are spending more time than you plan, 10:45 you have repeated failure to reduce time with it, 10:49 what ever it is? Lying, sneaking and hiding, 10:52 regarding it, hoarding, inability to enjoy other 10:55 pleasures that's something called Anhedonia. 10:57 You just lose the, Anhedonia, yeah you just lose 11:00 the ability to enjoy people, things, other events in life. 11:05 You obsess and plan and hoard it, underlying depression 11:09 and anxiety is a really key factor in the development 11:12 of compulsive behavior. The work and family 11:15 deteriorate because of this thing, you give up useful 11:18 activities for it, people spend all-night on the 11:21 Internet compulsively day after day, week after 11:24 week and they just can't seem to get away from it. 11:28 The studies have shown that even with television 11:29 it can become compulsive, although the use of television 11:33 can be become compulsive and withdrawal signs 11:37 when you should stops, that's another one. 11:39 So all these different things if any of those signs have 11:42 shown up you need to be concerned that may be 11:44 you or your relative are becoming addicted to this. 11:48 Yes, you're involved or whatever it is, is becoming 11:51 compulsive, is becoming destructive it is creating 11:55 the opposite of the effect that you are seeking 11:58 and now you are doing this thing not in order 12:01 to feel good. You are doing it in order to keep from 12:04 feeling bad, even the pleasure of the activity itself 12:07 is now gone. So talk to me then about genetics 12:10 environment and the choice that plays a part of this. 12:14 Well, we know that a person can be genetically 12:17 prone to heart disease or diabetes or depression, 12:20 a person can be genetically prone to addictions 12:23 as well those with the family history of alcoholism, 12:27 drug abuse, eating disorders, depression, 12:30 they are at risk. And we also know that those who 12:34 come from an environment where there's been 12:36 neglect or abuse that they are at higher risk 12:40 and then our own behavioral choices 12:42 can also pull us into a trap because of the 12:45 reinforcing property of what are engaged in. 12:48 You can take perfectly healthy happy lab rats 12:51 from good homes and they can become addicted 12:54 to substances and to different behaviors. 12:56 So there are the three aspects, now the thing 12:58 that we need to remember though and I'm really 13:01 thankful for this, is that association is not causality, 13:03 in other words genetics, environment and behavioral 13:07 choices don't cause addictions, 13:09 they're just associated with the higher risk. 13:11 So you are not doomed to do the same thing 13:14 just because your parents did it and others did it 13:16 and that's not even good excuse. 13:18 And I'll tell your book has hope in it, that's right, 13:22 talking about addictions and how to break 13:24 free from those, that's right. I know that on your 13:28 website, it's a great website lifestylematters.com 13:30 and you have information about that book there. 13:33 But you know I want to shift may be now from the 13:37 problem to the solution, is there hope, 13:41 we want to talk about this in the second half but 13:43 set us up is there hope, is there a reason 13:45 to come back. There is so much exciting new 13:48 information out there, there is so much hope. 13:50 God has designed our brains for recovery, 13:55 renewal and restoration. We're talking with 13:58 Vicki Griffin, we are talking about addictions. 14:01 A lot of people have addiction; 14:02 a lot of people have positive habits but then also 14:05 negative addictions that some times develop. 14:08 We've talked about that we are gonna come back 14:09 and talk about what can be done to address 14:12 those problems, join us when we come back. 14:16 Are you confused about the endless strain with 14:19 new and often contradictory health information? 14:22 With companies trying to sell new drugs and special 14:25 interest groups paying for studies this been the fact, 14:27 where can you find a common sense approach 14:30 to health. One way is to ask for your free copy of 14:33 Dr. Arnott's 24 realistic ways to improve your health. 14:37 Dr. Timothy Arnott in the Lifestyle Center of America 14:40 produced this helpful booklet of 24 short 14:42 practical health tips based on scientific research 14:45 and the Bible that will help you live longer, 14:48 happier, and healthier. For example, 14:50 did you know that women who drink more water lower 14:53 the risk of heart attack or the seven to eight hours 14:56 of sleep a night can minimize your risk of ever 14:58 developing diabetes? Find out how to lower your blood 15:01 pressure and much more if you are looking for help, 15:04 now hire them this book works for you. 15:06 Just log on to 3abn.org and click on free offers 15:10 or call us during regular business hours, 15:12 you'll be glad you did. 15:16 Welcome back, we've been talking with Vicki Griffin, 15:18 we've been talking about addictions. 15:20 We've talked about the problems, 15:21 we talked about how people can have positive habits 15:24 but then they can be drawn into these addictive 15:27 behaviors pornography, foods, shopping, drugs, 15:31 all these things impact the same area of the brain 15:34 and we got good news. You know before we talk 15:37 about this good news I know that you have a website 15:40 lifestylematters.com, an excellent website, 15:42 all kinds of resources there for food addictions 15:47 and in this new book that you have written living free, 15:51 finding freedom from habits. 15:53 And it's just a great resource I want to just 15:55 thank you for putting that together. Well thank you, 15:58 we've written it with addictions specialists and 16:00 a dietician and so we have a really great team that 16:03 has come together collaboratively with their 16:05 experience and their expertise and we believe 16:08 that we've got some good materials. 16:10 I mean in a program like this we can only kind of scratch 16:12 the surface, right, we can get some high points but 16:14 there really is a process as like at your book that really 16:17 leads people through. You know number one 16:20 identifying the addictions and all those different 16:22 things and then what to do get out of those. 16:24 Well here is the thing, people know how to their 16:26 addiction and they know how to stop but, 16:28 it's everything in between the sort of falls through 16:30 the cracks and so, okay. So you know I think there 16:34 is additional information there lifestylematters.com 16:37 and this gonna really help people, 16:38 this is only a springboard. Once the brain is locked 16:41 into a pattern is it possible to break free that's the 16:45 big question on, and people are asking. 16:47 Yes, and this is the thrilling part, 16:49 this is what motivates me to do these kinds of programs, 16:52 because our brains were designed by our creator 16:55 to be resilient, there is a lot of redundancy built 16:59 into the brain in other words, what does that mean 17:02 redundancy? Well redundancy, 17:03 what resiliency means the capacity to bounce back, 17:05 redundancy means there is a lot of compensatory 17:09 mechanisms in the brain to compensate for the problems 17:14 that we may have created by our choices 17:17 or by whatever situation that we have cultivated 17:20 in our lives and so there is a lot of ability of the brain 17:25 to grow, to recover, to renovate and to renew. 17:29 And I really love the way neurosciences is validating 17:34 what the Bible has said about having the 17:36 new mind. They don't understand the spiritual part 17:38 about how Christ comes, God comes and he gives 17:42 us a new will and a new desire but the Lord does 17:45 even more for us he gives us more than just the 17:48 power of the will and the desire, 17:49 but he also gives us a plan and its that very plan 17:52 that neurosciences is honing in on and seeing. 17:56 I just want to quote Dr. John Ratey from 18:00 Harvard University, he is a neuro-psychiatrist 18:02 who wrote a fascinating little book called the 18:04 Users Guide to the Brain. And he says the adult brain 18:07 is both plastic and resilient and always eager 18:11 to learn. Now plastic doesn't mean like hard plastic, 18:14 but plastic in the sense of malleable, 18:16 it's very responsive to our choices. 18:19 And new choices do make a new you and he says 18:23 this we always have the ability to remodel our 18:26 brains. This is why we can learn in the first place, 18:29 and unlearn too. Changing your pattern of thinking 18:34 changes the brain's structure. 18:37 So it's by the way you think that's what you are, 18:40 as a man think and so is he. It is a principle 18:43 and that principle can be turned into a process 18:45 in our lives and other scientists have stated 18:49 it in different ways. William James, 18:50 I like the way he puts it and he is a famous psychologist, 18:53 he says attention and remember we talked about 18:55 runaway motivation and the brain learns according 19:01 to what we pay attention to. And it says attention 19:03 is a mental state that allows us moment by moment 19:07 to choose and sculpt how our ever changing 19:10 minds will work, to choose who we will be for the next 19:14 movement in a very real sense and those choices 19:17 are left embossed in physical form on our 19:21 material selves. So we can change, and it sounds, 19:24 that sounds a very promising but it also for the 19:28 person that is in the midst of addiction and then 19:30 in the midst of you know whatever it is 19:33 to do say to them, well you can think differently, 19:36 right, is like wait a minute you don't understand 19:40 all of these things, emotion and everything 19:42 that's involved in this, right what do you say 19:44 to someone that is responding to this that way. 19:48 Well what's they are saying is true, 19:52 because once a person has developed an addiction 19:54 changes have taken place in multiple circuits of 19:57 the brain. Circuits that are involved with motivation 19:59 and drive, memory, compulsion, stress, learning, 20:03 self control, mood all of these things are effected 20:06 and so what we want to understand is how to enter 20:10 into a process that will build a bridge back to 20:12 the power of initiation of self will, choice. 20:16 Motivated choices that we can initiate in a self 20:20 determined way and there is a process of getting 20:23 there. So let's look at that process I mean 20:24 lets kind of map it out one of the practical steps 20:28 involved in, you know remapping that and I know 20:31 again the best thing is to look more fully 20:34 at your book and what not, right, 20:35 so let's give a framework here. Well just briefly 20:38 there are some very practical steps not only to 20:41 implement the power of God in our lives, 20:43 people become disappointed they 20:45 say I want God's power, they claim God's power but 20:47 then they don't understand the process of long 20:50 term change, staying with the program. 20:53 It's like Jackie Gleason said, he said the second 20:55 day of the diet is always the best because 20:57 by then you through with it you know depending. 20:59 So it's one thing to have the power to stop doing 21:02 something but it's another thing to learn new 21:06 behaviors, new choices, new responses and new 21:08 motivations. And that is part of God's plan, 21:10 he has given us a process by which we can do that 21:14 and so his purpose that can be fulfilled in our lives 21:17 on a long term and part of that has to do with creating 21:21 an environment. Creating an environment means 21:24 your internal and we gonna talk about this problem 21:27 on some future programs but creating an internal 21:30 attitude, the way that I choose to thing about 21:34 a thing has a power a sculpting effect on the 21:36 brain. The external environment are the, 21:40 my immediate surroundings, it has to do with removing 21:43 triggers and it has to do with changing the way 21:46 I think about the triggers that I can not remove 21:48 in my life. So there is this very first step of the 21:53 environment and I, hence that's so treatment program. 21:56 Treatment programs. Is that creating an environment? 22:00 You know God has many ways to help his children 22:04 that may involve some medication; 22:06 it may involve certain types of support groups, 22:08 treatment programs, interventions, 22:10 that's all part of that program. 22:12 So God took people out of Egypt he took them 22:14 to the wilderness that was of treatment program, 22:16 it was a treatment program, no question about it. 22:17 Okay internal and external, internal and external 22:19 environment and I love also the way 22:22 Dr. Ratey from Harvard says, he says experiences, 22:25 thoughts, actions and emotions actually change 22:29 the structure of the brain that's really encouraging 22:31 for people to know and it says by viewing the brain 22:34 as a muscle that can be weakened or strengthened 22:36 then we can exercise our ability to determine 22:39 who we become. We need to build a bridge to that 22:41 place where we can exercise those choices 22:44 and that happens within the right environment 22:47 internally that our thoughts and then externally 22:49 as well being in supported area, that's right. 22:53 Well there is another layer to that and that is 22:54 creating a lifestyle, okay. Now lifestyle is not 22:58 restrictive the lifestyle that God has given us 23:01 is not just restricted. It is protective, 23:04 it actually protects and motivates us, 23:07 it surrounds us it keeps us safe it keeps us in a 23:11 direction by helping us and encouraging us to choose 23:14 a certain way and nutritionally when we get 23:17 proper nutrition it's gonna lower stress and depression 23:20 levels when you get your sleep, when you get your 23:22 exercise it will elevate mood controls stress hormone 23:25 production. So there are physiological responses 23:28 to positive lifestyle changes that are very protective 23:32 against addictions. So you said here, 23:34 you know to create an environment but really 23:36 there is already been an environment created 23:38 that's optimal for us is discovering what that is? 23:41 Right what is protective against addiction also helps 23:45 maintain long term success. So there are steps there is 23:49 the internal attitude, there is external environment 23:52 of what we are gonna surround ourselves with but 23:54 then there is the lifestyle layered on top of that, 23:57 the Lord has given us community, 23:59 it is our responsibility to create and get involved 24:03 with community. You mentioned support, 24:05 but it's about more than support because being 24:08 involved in social networks that are positive, 24:12 role modeling of people, from people that have 24:15 learned how to solve problems in a positive way, 24:17 who know how to meet obstacles and challenges 24:22 in a good way, taking classes, learning 24:24 new hobbies getting involved in social interaction, 24:27 church group volunteering not only does it create 24:30 support but it also creates an environment of 24:33 responsibility and accountability and we need, 24:36 then you call it community, that is community. 24:39 And when you enhance your community 24:41 intellectually and socially, it also increases 24:44 the neuronal networks in the brain which actually 24:48 will buffer the brain against depression and anxiety 24:54 and it also enhances the ability to meet challenges 24:57 because that is the big problem with addiction, 24:59 the inability to meet challenges. 25:01 And you are all many times isolated, 25:03 so an environment, a lifestyle, a community 25:06 and then you say create a connection, 25:07 that's right. The spiritual connection of course 25:10 for me is the most important part I struggled 25:13 for many years with bulimia and had involvement 25:15 drugs and all of those kinds of things and so that 25:17 I know for myself that giving up control is a main 25:23 feature of victory, of long term success. 25:28 And that means that you give control of your life 25:31 to God who was able to superintend your experiences 25:35 and you know longer look at obstacles and challenges 25:40 as threats to your survival. You now look at them 25:44 as opportunities to gain more strength and to gain 25:47 more resiliency and to learn and to balance 25:50 out your mind and your character. 25:51 You look at them as good positive things because 25:54 you believe in a beneficent Father in heaven 25:57 who will help you to reinterpret your past, 25:59 will help you to reinterpret what has happened 26:02 to in your life in a new and significant way 26:05 that makes you strong instead of week. 26:07 So you know, you are coming from the, 26:09 in writing this book along with this, 26:11 you know team you are coming with your 26:14 own personal testimony and you know that this works 26:17 that God can help you created, new internal and 26:20 external environment that can help you create 26:22 community and all of these different things in the 26:25 connection. Are there any special text, 26:27 or special spiritual nuggets that have really 26:30 helped you on your journey? 26:32 Oh there are so many, and I always think of 26:35 Mencius the Chinese sage, he said that knowledge 26:38 imparts information but not the power to execute. 26:41 So we need the power to execute what we know 26:43 intellectually but we also needs God's plan. 26:47 He changes our will and our desire but 26:48 he also has a plan that he wants for us to follow 26:51 and I love Philippians 2:13 it says, 26:54 "For it is God Himself whose power creates within 26:57 you the desire to do His gracious will and brings 27:01 about the accomplishment of the desire." 27:04 So he creates it in you and then he carries 27:08 it through if you don't get in the way, 27:10 we have to not only not get in the way we 27:12 have to shoulder our own part of the work. 27:15 We have to get involved and engaged in the process, 27:19 it's the journey that gives strength. 27:21 We always want beginnings and ends but 27:23 it's actually what happens in the middle that builds 27:26 the strength that you need for your journey. 27:28 By the people are responding very well to this 27:31 material your team has created at 27:34 lifestylematters.com. I am just really enthusiast 27:37 about that. I really wanna thank you for coming 27:39 and spending this time with us talking about this new 27:41 book and we look forward to talking more with 27:45 you and we look forward talking more with you 27:48 on Health for a Lifetime. We hope that today 27:50 as a result of what you've learn you can break free 27:53 and have the life God has intended 27:55 for you and for those that you love. |
Revised 2014-12-17