WHY DO WE CHOOSE HABITS THAT ARE NOT HEALTHY?

Dr. Jon Repole

We can literally become addicted to anything, physical or nonphysical. Addictions come in so many flavors. For some, it’s a name diagnosis, the news, depression, or sexual pleasures. The addictive chemical cocktails produced by the body-mind reinforce our incarceration to a past reality (note: the greatest addiction is the one we have to our conditioned or past self–a cornucopia of beliefs, thoughts, emotions, and feelings). We can either find ourselves in a never-ending battle trying to escape or, worse yet, the addictions stay hidden for a lifetime.

The Circuitry of Addiction

Here is the most important aspect to keep in your awareness – the chemicals produced for choosing the wrong thing reward us (in the moment) and, conversely, penalize us (in the moment) for doing the right thing. For example, as the alcoholic drinks alcohol and the diabetic eats sugar, they are both initially rewarded but will, of course, suffer long-term consequences.

As one reprograms the mind and engages in more nurturing behaviors (e.g., eating healthy), the addictive feedback loop and pleasure reward circuitry begins to reverse. We return, to out rightful inheritance, to a healing system that begins to reward us, chemically speaking, for doing the right thing and penalizes us for the doing the wrong thing. The time for this transition is unique and individual. I’m reminded of common everyday phrases such as It only takes thirty days to break a habit. From my experience in working with thousands of patients, it can be thirty days, ninety days, six months, and so on.

Processed Foods are Drugs!

If you are having a hard time kicking the junk food habit, you are not alone! Big Food companies have designed these foods to be addictive. According to a study published in the journal Addiction in September 2022, highly processed foods meet the same guidelines that were used to classify tobacco as an addictive substance! The researchers stated that they were able to provide evidence that highly processed foods meet the three criteria of an addictive substance as outlined in the 1988 Surgeon General’s Report on the addictive nature of tobacco products: 

• They trigger compulsive use 
• They have psychoactive effects. 
• They are highly reinforcing.

Junk food consumers receive a dopamine release, similar to drugs. It is short-lived and leaves the user coming back for more. Big Food has taken a que form the tobacco industry. Dr. Ashley Gearhardt, one of the researchers involved in the study, noted that in addition to the addictive nature of the foods, the research shows diets high in processed foods are causing just as many early deaths as tobacco use. She states:  

“We see that the amount of sugars and fats in these foods are amped up so high in processing that they far surpass anything out brain really evolved to handle. They hit our body so rapidly that they are as effective as something like nicotine in triggering our brain and its reward system.”

Kelly Brownell Yale University professor of psychology and public health states:

“As a culture we’ve become upset by the tobacco companies advertising to children, but we sit idly by while the food companies do the very same thing. And we could make a claim that the toll taken on the public health by a poor diet rivals that take by tobacco.”

Breaking the Habit

Like any addiction, abstinence in the key to resetting your reward circuitry. There is no getting around this! Here is a simple but profound way to kick the addictive cycle.  

• Get crystal clear on your goals and the “why” behind wanting to break your unhealthy habit or addiction.
• Make no change. For a few days, simply bring into your awareness each time you choose or make an unhealthy decision. Remember, the chemicals produced for choosing the wrong thing reward us (in the moment) and, conversely, penalize us (in the moment) for doing the right thing.
• Tie your accomplishment to a reward, gift, etc. that you can give yourself once achieved.
• Complete a 3-day juice fast.
• Celebrate.