Natural Remedies to Overcome Addiction

In overcoming addictions, I think the purpose is not so much to stop being addicted as it is to replace the addiction with something healthier. When we are smoking, drinking and even eating sugar, I think our tastebuds are sensitized exclusively to those foods and drugs which are not good for our health. What we should do is rejuvenate them so we start to like the taste of nutritious foods again. Just going on a standard American diet and eating 3 meals a day with 2 snacks in between would be enough of a goal, never mind adopting a raw food diet.

Some natural remedies one can use to overcome addiction might be:

1. Chewing on crisp pungent mint leaves. I read that mint can help ease anxiety and tension that can produce cigarette/chocolate cravings.

2. Having cabbage. Cabbage is very good for strengthening a liver that has been damaged by alcohol abuse.

3. Eating protein to curb sugar cravings. Meat is not raw food, but it helped me to curb my cravings for years before I knew about the raw food diet. There is also protein a lot of vegetables including spinach, cabbage and sweet corn.

4. Having whole wheat breads, brown rice and whole wheat cereals. These are full of fibre and can help fill you up so you don't feel any cravings.

5. Drinking water. This is easier than it sounds, but if you can carry a bottle of it everywhere you go and take sips through out the day, you'll find you drink an awful lot of it.

6. Indulging in a favorite activity, taking up an engaging hobby or doing something to celebrate our efforts. After all this effort to improve ourselves, don't we deserve it? :)

To tell you the truth, I am a non smoker and other than the faint sip of wine, I've never really drank alcohol. But if you would like more information on natural remedies for overcoming addictions, you can read this man's story of how he quit smoking with herbs, as well as information on this webpage (seen here.)