Habits

By trying to change a habit, I am hoping to gain a better understanding of the process that addicts must go through to overcome their addictions. Although this project is not comparable to the struggle that they must face, it will give me a better idea about how hard it is to give up something that your body physically craves. With understanding comes empathy, another benefit of this project.

One of the habits that I chose to track was the amount of junk food that I eat. When I realized how many sweets I was eating every day, I thought that it would be an acceptable habit to try to control. Hopefully, this will lead to some potential weight loss, or, at the very least, a healthier diet. I do not expect that this will affect those around me, except for my roommates, who are used to me buying and consuming junk food with them when we are stressed out about school.

While I would like to say that I am going to abstain from all junk food, I know that will be very hard for me (I have a major sweet tooth!!). I feel as if my commitment level is around a 7. I’m going to set out to significantly reduce the amount of junk food that I consume every day by buying less of it for my house and tracking the sweets that I do end up eating. When I tracked how many sweets I was eating in the initial stages of this project, I noticed that this alone kept me from eating too much. I will also accomplish this by eating something healthy whenever I crave a snack. Hopefully, these things will help me to control my unhealthy habit.  
I think the only support I will need from other people is some consideration. It would be hard to break my habit if my friends are constantly offering me sweets or eating them in front of me. Other than that, I think I will just need some extreme will power to make this happen.


HABIT UPDATE FEB. 6th

In some ways, I made progress this week, and in other ways I did not. I did not think it would be this hard to kick my bad habit of eating sweets. Sometimes, I would start eating a dessert, eat half of it, and then remember that I wasn’t supposed to be eating that. When I remembered what I was doing, I was very successful at not eating unhealthy snacks. It was very helpful not having junk food around the house. At night, I would look for something in the freezer or cabinets, once again forgetting about this project. When I didn’t find anything sweet, I would remember and opted for a healthier snack. As I predicted, I always craved junk at the end of a stressful day. Some days I caved, and other days I didn’t.  

One action plan step that I did not think of initially was working out. I noticed that on the days that I worked out I was less likely to look for junk food. In my mind, eating junk food would negate my work out. I am going to try to work out more often to keep myself from eating sweets. I am also going to write myself a note that I will see every day to remind myself not to eat junk. Other than that, I am not making any changes to my action plan or support network.

HABIT UPDATE February 15, 2013
This week, I think I made a lot of progress in avoiding junk food. I only had one snack, and that was a reward for doing well on my first exam of the semester. Once again, I craved sweets when I was stressed, but I was able to overcome this trigger. I believe that working out, which was an addition to my action plan last week, contributed to my success. Instead of eating snacks when I was stressed out, I worked out. Then, if I was still craving food at the end of it, I would not want to eat it because that would undo my workout. Also, if I worked out in the morning, it was very likely that I did not crave junk for the rest of the day. I do not believe that I need to make any changes to my action plan, I just need to continue to follow it.

HABIT UPDATE February 22, 2013

This week, I struggled with my plan of action. At the beginning of the week, I celebrated the birthday of one of my friends. I tried to resist eating cake, but I failed. I figured that one slice of cake wouldn’t hurt me too much and that it was just an exception that I would make one time. However, I soon found that this one exception made it easier for me to divert from my goal for the rest of the week. I also had a tough week, with many exams and assignments due. This meant that I was stressed more than usual and that I did not have time to work out as much. I had already come to know that stress was a trigger for my behavior and that working out counteracted this stress. With more stress and less time to work out, I believe I ate junk food 3 or 4 times this week. I do not believe I have to make any changes to my action plan; I just need to recommit myself to following it.  

After this week, I think I understand a bit more how easy it is for addicts to succumb to their addiction. After a while, you begin bargaining with yourself, saying that you will just do it one more time and that will be the end of it. However, that ‘last time’ makes it easier to do it again and again. Also, outside triggers are uncontrollable and sometimes it is impossible to avoid that one thing you know you are not supposed to do.  

HABIT UPDATE 3/1/13
This week I recommitted to my action plan and did not eat any sweets! I was stressed, which is a trigger of my habit, but I was able to resist. I think working out helped a lot. I would work out in the morning. When I was craving sweets, I would think of my workout and how I did not want to ruin that. It would have been a waste to eat sweets after working out. Hopefully, I can keep up the success next week!


HABIT UPDATE 3/23/13
For the past few weeks, I have not done so well in regards to breaking my habit. I have been stressed out recently and have not had time to work out. At the end of the day, I think I deserve to relax and eat some ice cream or some type of dessert. I have definitely not eaten as much as I used to, but I am still eating sweets. With a holiday approaching, I doubt I will be able to completely resist sweets over the weekend. With that being said, I think I will give up on abstaining completely and set limits for myself instead. I will still have a goal to look at and try to reach. I am going to try to not eat sweets until Thursday. Starting on Thursday, my goal is to only eat one type of junk food per day or less. After Sunday, I will re-evaluate my action plan and try to get back on track.

HABIT UPDATE 3/31/2013
I made it through the weekend and the holiday with only one type of junk food per day. Now I am ready to restart my action plan. I will work out in the mornings to keep my stress level down. I will also try not to buy any snack food. When I feel the need to eat a snack, I will reach for something healthy instead of sweet. Hopefully, I can put myself back in the maintenance stage. I think giving myself a break during the holidays was a good idea. It was unrealistic to try not to eat sweets. I would have set myself up for failure. Now, I still have something to be proud of. I set a goal and I met it. This will give me good momentum for the last few weeks.

HABIT UPDATE 4/7/2013
This week, I was able to stick to my action plan! I did not eat junk food or sweets at all. One thing that was helpful this week was the support of my friends. Since summer is quickly approaching, they also are trying to watch what they eat. This makes it a lot easier in the process of breaking my habit. There isn’t much junk food around my house and my friends remind me of my goal. This makes me wonder how addicts break their addiction if they do not have a support system. I imagine that it would be very hard. Treatment should continue to focus on the building of support systems for addicts who may be lacking this important component. Joining a 12-step group would be a first good step. I can imagine that it would be very therapeutic to talk through your issues with people who have been in the same place.



HABIT UPDATE 4/13/13
I had another very successful week in breaking my habit. I find that the more that I do not eat junk food, the more that I do not find it appetizing. Someone offered me a cookie the other day. I started eating it, but didn’t finish it because I no longer found it appetizing. This gives me hope that this will be a long-term change in my life. It also makes me wonder whether true addicts would experience this distaste of whatever substance they are addicted to after they were in recovery for a while. My guess would be that they would still be addicted to the substance since their brain chemistry changed as a result of the drug. It would be very dangerous to experiment with this thought.


HABIT UPDATE 4/21

This week, I was mostly successful in not eating sweets and junk food. There were two instances when I failed. One was during the middle of the week when I was very stressed out. I just couldn’t fully care about watching what I ate. The second was last night at the annual formal dinner and dance. For the celebratory night, I made an exception for myself and ate dessert. But I made sure to dance a lot to make up for it! All in all, I think I had a successful week.

MDMA/Ecstasy

MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, was first created in Germany in 1913 by a chemical company called Merck to be sold as a diet pill. Since its development, it has served purposes that vary greatly from its original, intended use.

http://www.narconon.org/drug-information/ecstasy-history.html

 

MDMA is a stimulant that increases heart rate and blood pressure. It is the popular drug of raves, clubs and other parties to enhance mood and feeling. It usually comes in pill form and is taken orally. MDMA increases the release of the neurotransmitters serotonine, dopamine, norepinephrine and the hormones oxytocin and vasopressine. This causes users to feel self-confident, energetic, empathetic and peaceful. It also causes a loss of inhibition. More severe effects of taking MDMA are dehydration, nausea, blurred vision, chills, sweating, sleep problems, anxiety, depression, kidney, liver and cardiovascular failure.  Long-term use of MDMA can lead to problems with mood, appetite, pain, learning and memory. MDMA use and abuse has long been a problem among college-aged students and young adults, but it is increasingly becoming a problem among children in middle and high school.

http://www.drugfree.org/drug-guide/ecstasy

http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/mdma-ecstasy

HISTORY OF MDMA

Alexander Shulgin is the man responsible for modern research involving MDMA/ecstasy in the US. Shulgin graduated from the University of California in Berkeley as a doctor in biochemistry. This got him a job with Dow Chemicals, where he completed much of his research on MDMA in the 1970s. He is listed as the first person to use the drug.

http://www.narconon.org/drug-information/ecstasy-history.html

Besides Shulgin’s research, not much work was done with MDMA at this time. The drug had already been patented and a new version could not be marketed unless a company would spend time and money researching its benefits and side effects.

http://www.narconon.org/drug-information/ecstasy-history.html

 

Between 1977 and 1985, a few experimental psychotherapists examined MDMA to use in sessions with clients. Therapists liked when their patients used it because it improved communication between client and therapist. These psychotherapists used MDMA without approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  The drug had not been approved for human use yet. This was also the first period of time that ecstasy became available on the streets and started being used as a recreational drug.

http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/mdma-ecstasy

On July 1, 1985, the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) placed an emergency ban on MDMA because it thought it was a danger to the public. It was placed on the Schedule I list of drugs, which meant that it had no proven therapeutic value. It was not until 1993 that the FDA approved human use of MDMA to be tested. This was the first time that the administration allowed a psychoactive drug to be tested on humans. Currently, MDMA is being tested as a possible treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety.  

http://www.narconon.org/drug-information/ecstasy-history.html

 

While doing research, I learned that many people that were not therapists or chemists did not become interested with MDMA/ecstasy until it became illegal. When the DEA placed it on the Schedule I list, a group tried to sue them in hopes that they would move it to the Schedule 3 list, which would have allowed it to be manufactured and researched further. Clearly, they did not know what they had until it was gone, as the saying goes. All types of illegal drugs are sought after not only for their stimulating effects, but also for their illegal status. It adds another risk and more profit. Something that is illegal is sure to be in high demand, meaning that those who can manufacture or get their hands on it will benefit from it. By making it illegal, the government ensured that MDMA will be sought after. I also learned that my common perception of MDMA was only one of its uses. As a young adult, I have heard about the usage of ecstasy at parties and raves. I was unaware of its potential clinical use.

Reasons

Addiction and Society will help me to complete my Human Services minor, so that was my initial reason for taking the class. However, when I read the course description and found out about the material being covered, I realized that I was truly interested in the subject. In the future, I hope to counsel children who may have been abused or neglected by their parents or other family members. The parent or guardian's addiction to certain substances or other things may be the cause of the abuse or neglect to the child. It would be helpful to know more about addiction to accurately counsel children who may be dealing with this type of situation. I am also interested in the factors that may predispose some people to become addicted to certain things, such as genetics or societal influences.

As a future counselor (hopefully!), I would like to gain knowledge on how to treat people suffering from addictions. I would also like to learn some tips on how to help the family and friends of the person who is suffering from an addiction. It would also have a huge impact on their lives and it would be important to also offer support to them.