Review of Under the Influence: A Guide to the Myths and Realities of Alcoholism (Mass Market Paperback)

I find the comments that the book is out of date sad, because the vast majority of alcoholism treatment programs as well as public opinion have not yet caught up to this book.
Milam advances several important concepts:
1. Alcoholism is a disease like diabetes. Psychology and morality play no role, except in the alcoholic's reaction emotionally to the consequences of the disease [hiding it, seeking help, etc.] If you think this view of alcoholism is completely accepted now, try telling your boss you are an alcoholic.
2. Milam then explains HOW alcoholism is a disease in fascinating detail. Alcoholics are not addicted to alcohol, but to a complex physical process that happens when they drink. Basically, the alcoholic's body reacts to the presence of alcohol in the body differently from that of a "normal" person, and no amount of counseling/threats/religious conversions can change that.
3. Alcoholics may not know when to save themselves, and may need help [he shoots down the "hitting bottom" myth]. Do you wait for a diabetic to go into a coma before you help them?
4. Treatment for the alcoholic must address the poor state of the alcoholic's health and nutrition. Alcoholic tremors, shaking, illusions, paranoia, etc. are caused by alcoholic malnutrition. Alcohol strips the body of water soluble vitamins, particularly the crucial B vitamins, and prevents the liver and other organs from repairing the body.
The one section of the book I don't agree with concerns the role of government/public agencies in alcoholism treatment. Milam expects too much of them. But that does not affect the brilliance of this book.
In the reviews here, there are some criticisms that Milam describes only "worst case" scenarios. That is not correct. He clearly describes all the stages of alcoholism, from the "I just want to have fun" stage to the lying in the gutter stage, and he recognizes that the disease progresses differently in people.
As an alcoholic who has been sober for twenty years, I can't recommend this book enough. It provides hard information, not moralizing.



Click Here to see more reviews about: Under the Influence: A Guide to the Myths and Realities of Alcoholism (Mass Market Paperback)

Review of Food Addiction: The Body Knows: Revised & Expanded Edition (Paperback)

After trying (and failing) for years to lose weight with Weight Watchers and dieting, I had almost concluded that significant weight loss was for me, not possible.Then I was introduced to the principles of Kay Sheppard's food regimen, and in four months, lost 30 pounds.I am still losing, and for the first time, without having to fight feelings of deprivation and those terrible food cravings.If this is a diet, it is the easiest and most effective diet I have ever been on. My friends and family are amazed.
There are two major aspects of Sheppard's food regimen: (1) the physiological aspects of food addiction that derive from low blood sugar due to a hypoglycemic response to flour and sugar in the diet, which is what causes the food cravings and binging, and (2) the moral, spiritual and pyschological support needed to get through the early withdrawal phase, and for many, to stay in recovery.
Sheppard mentions support organizations like Overaters Anonymous and Food Addicts Anonymous, which provide sponsors, information, and moral support for the morbidly obese and other food addicts. I have personally met several individuals in such organizations who have lost over 100 pounds (one young woman had lost 150 pounds)with the result that their lives had turned around and their health restored. The reviewer below who reports that she failed in this food program should try again, this time with a sponsor and an organization to help her.
If you have a significant weight problem or eating disorder, read Kay Sheppard's book.It will be the first step on your road to recovery.

Product Description
>

Are you a food addict?

Do you gain more weight than you lose after every diet?

Can one cookie destroy all your good intentions?

Do you eat when you are disappointed, tense or anxious?

Since its publication, Food Addiction has become a primary resource for food addicts and compulsive eaters. Now it is updated and presented in a revised and expanded edition, with a new chapter on relapse. For a food addict, relapse is an ever present danger which begins in the mind before reaching for that cupcake or other trigger food.
Here food addiction is defined, trigger foods are identified and consequences of food addiction are revealed. A lifetime eating plan demonstrating how to stick with a healthful food plan for the long term is also provided.
"For some people, foods can be as addictive as alcohol," Kay Sheppard explains. "Gummy bears and marshmallow chicks can be vicious killers whose effects can lead to depression, irritability and even suicide. The terrible truth is that for certain individuals, refined carbohydrates can trigger the addictive process. This book is an effort to help you understand and solve the problems of compulsive eating."




Click Here to see more reviews about: Food Addiction: The Body Knows: Revised & Expanded Edition (Paperback)