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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ005115S
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00:30 Everyone knows that addictions are harmful because they often
00:34 cause physical, psychological, social, and financial problems 00:40 for people who struggle with them. 00:41 Addictions kill thousands of people every year and impact 00:46 millions of lives. Addiction is an intense craving for something 00:51 that you know is bad for you but you just can't seem to stop. 00:56 Somehow this thing has gotten a hold on you without your 01:00 realizing it and now it has you strongly in its grasp. 01:04 We long for that state of euphoria, pleasure, and happiness 01:09 so we keep coming back for more only to discover 01:13 that the more we indulge, the less fulfilled we feel. 01:17 If you are searching for the keys to fulfillment and 01:20 lasting happiness, then join me Gary Kent as we discuss 01:25 the science behind addictions with a special guest 01:29 and uncover the secrets that can set people free 01:33 and bring us happiness. 01:56 No one ever intends to become addicted, but at sometime 02:01 when we feel sad or empty on the inside, 02:03 we search for something to make us feel better. We make a choice 02:08 and we reason that just doing it once won't hurt us. 02:12 We feel that we are still in control of our lives, 02:16 but maybe we aren't as in control as we thought. 02:20 In fact statistics show that 02:26 over 02:32 which is the highest rate of gambling in the world. 02:35 In fact, we gamble away $23 billion dollars a year 02:40 and it's increasing every year. 02:42 Sometimes we choose alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, gambling, 02:47 gaming, or even seemingly harmless things like 02:50 social media, sugar, and chocolate, to give us a few 02:54 moments of pleasure. We long for that feeling so we keep 02:59 coming back for more until soon we're in a vicious cycle 03:03 of indulge, binge, feel guilty and then we do it all over 03:08 again. Drug abuse is escalating around the world at an alarming 03:14 rate. Statistics reveal that one in ten people 03:18 are addicted to alcohol. 03:20 Although we think it is our choice what we do, 03:23 the results of our addictions can seriously impact the people 03:27 around us through related crime, disease, 03:31 and mental health issues. Addictions destroy marriages, 03:35 friendships, careers, and threaten a person's basic health 03:39 and safety. 03:41 What started the path to pleasure and happiness 03:44 ends in emptiness, heartache, and brokeness. 03:49 If you think you know someone battling an addiction, 03:54 and you would like to learn more about the warning signs 03:57 and find out what you can do to help, then join me as we visit 04:02 Doctor Neil Nedley, a specialist in internal medicine 04:05 with an emphasis on mental health and lifestyle medicine. 04:09 Doctor Nedley is the president of Weimar Health Institute 04:14 and is the author of the acclaimed Depression and 04:18 Anxiety Recovery Program. He's done extensive research 04:21 into addictions, how to identify them, what causes them, 04:25 and the damage they do to our brains and what it takes to 04:30 untangle yourself from them when they have taken a hold 04:33 on you. 04:38 Dr. Nedley, It's a pleasure to have you on our program 04:41 today to discuss this important topic. 04:44 What are the most common addictions today that people 04:47 are struggling with? 04:48 Well, it's great to be here again Gary, thanks for having me 04:51 and the most common addictions are actually becoming more 04:55 common but there are many. 04:57 There are Benzodiazepine addictions these are drugs 05:02 like Zanax, Ativan, Lorazepam, Alprazolam, there's a whole 05:07 class in there's a host of people in the western society 05:12 that are addicted to the these drugs. 05:14 Even more serious are the narcotic addictions 05:19 these are pain relievers, morphine and it can get even 05:23 into the point of heroin. In fact in the United States 05:28 and Australia deaths due to overdose of those narcotics 05:32 are rising rapidly and it's actually due to the addictive 05:39 component of these drugs and needing more and more. 05:42 Now in addition of course alcohol, some of the ones that 05:46 been around for a long time, alcoholism is still way too 05:51 high and still kills many people prematurely. 05:56 We also have tobacco and some people actually kind of because 06:03 these other addictions gotten so big so we forget about 06:05 the big tobacco problem. 06:07 Some of the other addictions are gambling which is rapidly 06:11 rising in western societies and also sexual addictions, 06:17 pornography is at an all-time high in both males and females. 06:22 Female pornography rapidly rising significantly 06:27 in the western world. 06:29 And in regards to self-mutilation just to show you how rapidly 06:35 some of these addictions are rising, in 1993 only 1% 06:42 of girls or females under the age of 25 cut. 06:47 Now at that time, that was seen as a lot because 06:50 self-mutilation was very rare, much more rare prior to 06:54 this in the 50's and '60s and 70's but every seven years 07:00 there's a national survey and in 2000, 2% at the age of 25 cut 07:06 in 2007 it was 4%, so you can see the exponential rise 07:12 and so in 2014, 25.6%, so even broke the exponential curve 07:20 that was forming before, one out four females now self-mutilate 07:25 under the age of 25 and this is due the active component 07:31 Yes, there's anxiety and depression in those things 07:33 behind it but when people self-medicate through these 07:38 types of addictions it actually starts to accelerate and so 07:44 they don't want to do it per sae but they don't know how to stop 07:49 and that's one of the characteristics of addictions. 07:52 Are there other addictions that we are not aware of? 07:55 Yeah, there are a lot of addictions out there that 07:58 people don't actually don't necessarily classify that way 08:01 but they actually fit the addiction definition. 08:06 Caffeine is an addictive drug and so coffee, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, 08:12 Mountain Dew, all these thing actually are addictive. 08:16 And of course, it's a good commercial business enterprise 08:20 when you can when you can give somebody something that is 08:23 addictive because they are going to go back to it and that's 08:26 how business's thrive is to put things that are addictive 08:30 in these types of beverages and food. 08:33 Marijuana actually is addictive and there are people that have 08:37 denied that but we've had many marijuana patients 08:39 come and they have withdrawal, nausea, vomiting when they're 08:44 on it on a regular basis in consuming large amounts. 08:48 And then there are things like sugar, sugar can be quite 08:55 addictive and there are non- substances as well like 09:01 technology, social media can be addictive, entertainment on 09:07 television, a rapid scene of reference changes, movies, 09:10 people can get addicted to entertainment television movies. 09:14 Gaming, video gaming, a huge addiction and it can be quite 09:21 problematic, even entertainment sports and particularly watching 09:27 sports can fit that classification of addiction. 09:31 And then music, particularly the music that has a syncopated 09:37 rhythm. Now some music is actually not addictive, 09:39 other music is addictive, this is why some people say, 09:43 well, I have an addiction to food, that's not really true, 09:46 they're only addicted to some foods and it's the sugary foods 09:52 that tend to have that addictive component and it's the syncopated 09:56 rhythm aspect of music that tends to be addictive 09:59 and also not healthy as far as the frontal lobe is concerned. 10:03 Gaming is a big issue, we have a lot of people come to our 10:08 program with this addiction and it's rapidly rising. 10:12 They even have gaming sporting events online and things where 10:18 they'll give prizes so people are trying to get better and 10:21 better at these video games and they can encompass 10:24 14/16 hours a day where they're just totally engrossed 10:29 and they think, boy, there's this prize at the end, 10:32 I can get better. But the problem is, there's millions 10:35 of others trying to do the same thing and it is a rapidly rising 10:41 addiction that causes all sorts of mental health problems 10:44 and then they don't know how they can get away from it 10:49 and they end up in our program before they are able 10:53 to get the victory over their gaming habits. 10:57 A lot of us are involved in some of these activities 11:00 how do we know whether we are addicted? 11:03 Well, some of the clues that we are addicted are if we are 11:08 lying about our behavior, that's a major clue in other words 11:13 kind of denying when someone asks us if we're involved 11:17 in this or we act like as we are not involved as we are. 11:21 If we notice that we are needing a little more of this 11:25 and there is this craving, this kind of need and then 11:30 also, if we stop using it if we actually feel kind of worse, 11:35 in other words, if we are having kind of withdraw symptoms 11:38 those are major clues that there is an addiction there. 11:42 And of course the other aspect of it is the addiction is often 11:47 what the addicted person doesn't realize is there is an adverse 11:51 effect on them and others. So are others being adversely 11:54 affected? Can you admit that you are actually being adversely 11:59 affected? Those are out there, that is a major clue 12:03 that there is an addiction there. 12:05 In fact, a study was done recently showing that those in 12:10 generation Z which is the young generation, those born after 12:15 1995, 40% of them actually admit to being addicted to their 12:20 IPhone or their electronic device in fact they can't 12:24 even imagine life without them and so their life seems to 12:28 totally centered in these devices but yet we recognize 12:33 things are not going right with these kids, they're that way. 12:35 They are not relating right socially more inept, 12:39 they don't have good strong relationships with their parents 12:42 and their siblings, their ability to learn is down 12:46 and their ability to manage their emotions and so 12:49 some have intuitively put two and two together but a good 12:53 share of people do not recognize 12:55 what this is causing until they see the evidence. 12:59 And then once they see the studies and the evidence 13:02 are becoming abundant, just look up complications are 13:05 risks of devices and you'll be able to see some of the 13:09 studies...Then they realize, you know what a lot of my 13:13 problems I had no idea was linked to this gripping device, 13:17 I carry around in my pocket all the time and I'm having 13:20 trouble staying off of. 13:21 And so they need to be educated and that's why I'm glad for 13:26 shows like your' s Gary that are getting the word out there. 13:29 Because the technology companies are not going to get the word 13:32 out there. Dr. Nedley, how do addictions 13:35 work? How do they such a hold on us? 13:38 How addictions work and how they take hold of us, 13:41 actually has to do with brain chemistry...They're involving 13:44 our dopamine pathway. And addictive substances actually 13:49 more of a surge in a spike in dopamine levels 13:54 and so it can get us up into a euphoric stage, particularly 13:59 the first few times we are using the addictive substance. 14:02 And then the dopamine starts to go down pretty fast 14:08 as well, but at first it just goes down a little less than 14:13 neutral, but the more we utilize the substance, the less surge 14:17 we're getting the dopamine isn't going up as high now. 14:21 But in between times our levels are going far less than neutral 14:27 and after we use it hundreds of times, we're actually 14:31 no longer using it for euphoria we're just using it to feel 14:35 neutral or numb. And in between times there's this deep 14:40 distressing sense of deprivation even though there's nothing 14:43 bad going on in your life, and so in reality we first do it 14:49 in order to gain this pleasure and this euphoria but eventually 14:54 we're only to get numb. But because this process is so 14:58 gradual, we often don't recognize that we're actually 15:03 getting far less dopamine in our day above neutral 15:06 than what we used to get before we ever had this addiction 15:10 to begin with. And so what's interesting is people that 15:14 aren't addicted to substances they actually have dopamine 15:19 levels far above neutral the vast majority of their day 15:23 because simple things just resolved in pleasurable 15:26 activities and pleasurable levels of dopamine 15:30 without it surging downwards. So going for a nice walk 15:33 for instance, if you're not addicted, that can produce a 15:36 nice dopamine high and it will last much longer than going to 15:40 and addictive substance. 15:42 Reading a good book, listening to healthy music, 15:47 these things can produce nice dopamine levels and what the 15:50 addict does not realize, they get to the point where they're 15:53 thinking, you know this is bad for most people but 15:57 because of who I am, I need this, I need this 16:00 because without it, I'm just in bad shape, 16:03 but they don't realize that if they recovered, 16:06 their happiness and success and fulfillment in life 16:10 would be far greater than this dependency to have to go back 16:15 to this in order to try to feel more neutral or normal. 16:18 What is the best way to over- come an addiction? 16:22 The best way to overcome an addiction is to first recognize 16:26 that your habit is destructive that it's not healthy for you 16:30 and it's not healthy for people around you and that you can 16:34 actually live a far better life once you recover and 16:37 get over this addiction. 16:38 So that's step number one is to recognize that it is destructive 16:44 and then step number two is make a choice 16:46 and say, you know what, I'm going to do what it takes 16:50 to get rid of this, this is adversely affecting my life. 16:53 And then step three is where the work begins. 16:58 That involves a decision point where you are going to abstain 17:02 from it and you might suffer from withdrawal symptoms. 17:07 These withdrawal symptoms are not going to kill you per se, 17:11 unless it's heavy alcohol all the time, or unless it's 17:15 heavy narcotics or benzos, those might need a professional 17:18 involved. These other addictions don't require necessarily 17:25 a professional to help you, you just have to make this 17:28 decision and be willing to go through withdrawal symptoms. 17:31 Now, how is the best way to do this? 17:33 Exercise regularly, try to get enough sleep, 17:37 and then also rely on spiritual resources. 17:42 One of the things we are finding is that virtually everybody 17:46 that overcomes an addiction that has a grip on that 17:49 does it through spiritual resources. 17:52 That means the frontal lobe has to be involved and you have to 17:56 recognize that this is not something that you can 17:59 get over yourself, yes, you are the one that makes the 18:02 choice, it's the willpower, it's not going to do it without 18:04 your choice. But then once you make that choice, ask God 18:08 to help you, and God does actually, help those who are 18:15 who are willing to put their all in to develop that 18:20 relationship with him to help them overcome these powerful 18:24 addictions and then a life starts to improve. 18:29 At first, they are wondering, boy, my life is worse 18:31 but over time they will actually as I mentioned, 18:36 they'll actually have much higher Dopamine levels 18:39 just doing the simple pleasures in life that are not addictive 18:42 and they will have far better relationships, 18:46 far more productivity at work far better family life 18:49 it's worth all the effort you can do to overcome any addiction 18:53 that you might have. 18:56 Well, you know interestingly Gary in the medical/psychiatric 18:59 establishment the highest rates of agnosticism and atheism 19:03 are in the psychiatric profession. 19:05 So in my psychiatry learning, I learned from these individuals 19:09 that didn't really have God in their life but what I would 19:13 notice is that when they had people with powerful addictions 19:17 coming to them and begging them as a psychiatrist 19:20 please, is there anything that you can give me to overcome 19:24 this addiction, don't you have a pill for it doc? 19:26 Or don't you have...and the doctor would say 19:29 I have nothing, there is no pill that's going to help you. 19:32 I actually don't have anything to help you but I can 19:36 tell you that my patients that have gotten help, 19:39 they've all gone the spiritual route and let me tell you 19:43 where you can go where the other patients have gone to get help. 19:46 He said I don't know what happens there but I know the 19:49 spiritual part is the way my patients have overcome 19:53 addictions like that. So you need to see them. 19:56 So, in general, the psychiatric community recognizes God in a 20:01 spiritual power is involved in that, they're not necessarily 20:04 in contact with that power but they recognize from 20:07 their own experience that patients who overcome addictions 20:10 have a strong spiritually influence that helps them to 20:14 overcome. To overcome an addiction obviously requires 20:18 change, can you tell us a little about that? 20:22 Yes, overcoming addiction, there are four stages of change. 20:26 The first stage is when the addict doesn't even realize 20:30 that they need to change, that's what we call unconsciously 20:33 incompetent. They are incompetent but they don't 20:37 recognize that they are incompetent. 20:38 The second stage is to become consciously incompetent. 20:44 That means that you actually are convinced that it is harmful 20:48 and it often takes knowledge for an addict to recognize that. 20:51 And so some good knowledge this is why we have to teach 20:55 people the harms of this behavior, what it would be like 20:59 without the behavior and then show them the evidence 21:02 and then they realize, alright, this is more of a problem 21:06 than I thought it was, it's probably causing all sorts of 21:08 problems in my life that I don't even recognize. 21:11 But they still haven't changed as far as getting rid of the 21:15 addiction they are now just conscious that they are 21:18 incompetent. And that's an important step an addict 21:21 will not overcome without some knowledge. 21:23 And then the third aspect is now to become 21:27 consciously competent, that means that you have with your 21:32 willpower and choice, you've made a decision, 21:35 you are giving up this addiction. 21:37 And it is no more going to be a part of your life. 21:41 Yes, ask God to help you, recognize your dependence 21:45 on Him and do what you can with your own body with exercise 21:49 and sleep and type of things to get over it but you need 21:52 to recognize...Let's just talk a simple addiction. 21:55 If you're addicted to Pepsi, when you get thirsty 21:58 your still going to think of Pepsi and you're going to 22:01 have to say No, not Pepsi, it's going to be water. 22:05 The next time your thirsty, you're going to think of Pepsi 22:07 again and you're going to have to say, No, not Pepsi, 22:10 it's going to be water. That's conscious competence 22:14 and you have to continue in that competence phase 22:18 differing amounts of time depending on the addiction. 22:21 But with caffeine, it's about a month and after one month 22:24 when you get thirsty, you're now thinking of water. 22:28 Your actually enjoying water that you didn't like 22:31 the taste before and you recognize, you know what? 22:34 I don't have the problems with caffeine anymore, 22:36 I'm not irritable, I don't have my reflux, I don't have 22:41 those types of symptoms and that's when you have reached 22:44 stage four which is unconsciously competent 22:48 and so it's no longer a struggle. 22:50 A lot of addicts think it's going to be this lifelong struggle 22:53 and they are going to go back and forth between stages two 22:56 and three, conscious competence and they don't realize if they 23:00 stick with it, there is unconscious competence coming 23:04 and that's when the Dopamine levels are above neutral 23:06 a vast majority of the day we're getting nice Dopamine 23:11 satisfactions, irritations, the usual irritations or the nuances 23:16 of life don't get them down at all anymore and they are 23:18 able to live above the fray and they become more productive, 23:22 relationships improve, and success and fulfillment 23:25 skyrockets. That's unconscious competence and its waiting 23:31 every addict that goes through those four stages of change. 23:35 Dr. Nedley, what message would you give to those who were 23:39 struggling with addictions? 23:41 The message I would give for those struggling with an 23:43 addiction is I don't care who you are, I don't care what your 23:47 addiction is, you can overcome with the power of God 23:53 in your life. Do what it takes to make this choice, depend 23:58 upon God, He will help you and you can break free. 24:03 Dr. Nedley, thank you for being on our program today 24:06 and for sharing such valuable information with us. 24:10 Thanks for having me, Gary, it's always great being here. 24:15 Happiness and fulfillment are what we all really want 24:19 in life, turning to things that only fill us for a moment 24:23 but lead to heartache and misery, anxiety, and depression, 24:27 are like seeing a mirage after a long walk through a thirsty 24:31 desert but never experiencing the life-giving water that we 24:36 desperately crave. 24:38 In the Bible, there was a woman with addictions that had 24:42 taken a hold on her leaving her socially isolated and empty 24:46 inside. Jesus met her one day at a well in the desert and 24:51 offered her the water of life that could truly quench her 24:55 thirst and fill her deepest needs. He said to her, 25:16 This woman had been looking for happiness and fulfillment 25:20 in all the wrong places. But what she was really missing 25:24 was Jesus. The day she met her savior, she found hope. 25:29 The day she let Him into her heart, she found peace, and 25:33 real joy that satisfied the deepest needs of her soul. 25:39 If you would like to begin a journey with Jesus, 25:41 receive some practical suggestions on how to overcome 25:46 an addiction that you are struggling with or if you 25:49 know somebody who is struggling with an addiction, 25:51 then I'd like to recommend a free gift we have for all our 25:55 Incredible Journey viewers today. 25:58 It's the booklet called 12 Proven Steps for Overcoming Addiction. 26:03 This booklet is our gift to you and is absolutely Free. 26:08 I guarantee there are no costs or obligations whatsoever. 26:12 So, make the most of this wonderful opportunity to receive 26:17 the gift we have for you today. Phone or text 0436.333.555 26:25 in Australia or 020.422.2042 in New Zealand. 26:30 Or visit our website TIJ.tv or simply scan the QR code 26:36 on your screen and we'll send you today's free offer 26:39 totally free of charge and with no obligation. 26:43 Write to us a GPO Pox 274 Sydney NSW Box 2001 Australia 26:49 Or PO Box 76673 Manukau Auckland 2241 New, Zealand 26:57 Don't delay, call or text us now. 27:07 If you've enjoyed today's journey into the world of 27:10 addictions and our reflections on overcoming addictions, 27:14 and finding peace in our lives, then be sure to join us again 27:19 next week when we will share another of Life's Journey's 27:22 together and now I would like to ask you to join me as we pray. 27:28 Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you that you are the 27:33 water of life that can quench our thirsty souls. 27:36 We've been looking for love and fulfillment in all the wrong 27:40 places. Today, we have discovered that our search for 27:44 happiness and true and joy can only be found in knowing and 27:49 following you, the God who made us and loves us. 27:53 Today we invite you into our hearts and lives. 27:57 In Jesus name, we pray, Amen. |
Revised 2023-01-23