Freedom from Addiction: The Chopra Center Method for Overcoming Destructive Habits

246 Pages·2007·23.08 MB·English

by  Deepak Chopra

;imqk
t
Treedom
^Ti
from
Addiction
CHOPRA CENTER
The Methodfor
OvercomingDestructive Habits
A Complete Detoxification Plan
Meditations to Counter Stress
Techniques to Redirect Cravings
PutoRcUbrary
A,***, MA 02113-2***
?*%.
TREEDOM J5DDICTION
from
*N<
DAVID SIMON, M.D.
DEEPAK CHOPRA,
M.D.
Treedom
f~7i from
Addiction
?
The CHOPRA CENTER Methodfor
OvercomingDestructive Habits
Health Communications, Inc.
Deerfield Beach, Florida
www.hcibooks.com
mO
NORTH
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Simon, David.
Freedom from addiction the Chopra Center method forovercoming
:
destructive habits/ David Simon & Deepak Chopra,
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7573-0578-8 (trade paper)
ISBN-10: 0-7573-0578-4 (trade paper)
—
1. Substance abuse Prevention. 2. Self-actualization (Psychology)
3. Healing. 4. Mental healing. 5. Spiritual healing. 6. Emotional
maturity. I. Chopra, Deepak. II. Chopra Center forWellbeing.
III. Title.
HV4998.S56 2008
616.86'06—dc22
2007012741
®2007 David Simon and Deepak Chopra
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States ofAmerica. No pan o( tins
publication may be reproduced stored in .i retrieval system or transmitted in
any form oi by any means, electronic mechanical, photocopying recording
01 Otherwise, without the written permission of the piiblisliei
I u I, its logos and marks are trademarks ol l lealth Communications) ln<
Publishei I lealth ( bmmunications, Ln<
1201 S.W l r>tli Street
Deerfield Beach 13442 8190
1 1
< mm dtsign by Larissa Hise Henoch
Insidi bookdtsign by Dawn Von StroUcyGrow
y
&&djw£&
Introduction vii
Chapter 1 Envisioning Freedom from Your Addiction 1
Chapter 2 Expanding the Steps to Freedom 17
Aanv
Chapter 3 The Power ofSilence 53
Chapter 4 Detoxifying Your Body, Mind, and Soul 73
Chapter 5 Feeding Your Body, Nourishing Your Mind 95
Chapter 6 Awakening Your Energy 115
Chapter 7 Emotional Emancipation 139
Conclusion Escaping the Prison 155
Appendix A Surveying the Landscape 161
Appendix B A BriefHistory ofAddiction 179
Professional Resources 197
Notes 199
Index 203

MdhMU^M
"IACCEPT THAT IAM an alcoholic, " Dan confessed, "but Ijust
cant handle going to A.A. meetings. Ifeel more depressed than
inspiredby everyone'sstories, andIdontlike theidea thatthecentral
focusfor the rest ofmy life has to be defining myselfaspowerless. "
AlthoughDan hadbeen soberforoverthreeyears, hefeltthe need
to see his drinkingproblem in a new light. He wanted to see ifhe
couldredefine himselfin a way thatallowedforpersonalgrowth.
^-w
|e live on a planet that offers manypotential
Jm /addictions. As a human being, you have
/ I /
I almost certainly engaged in a habit that
V
v seemed to call to you, even though it had
undesirable side effects People have a great capacity to partici-
.
pate in behaviors that provide momentary pleasure only to
extract an emotional or physical toll. Although relatively few of
us inject heroin orsmoke crackcocaine, manyamong us overeat,
overdrink, overthink, smoke cigarettes, compulsively buy things
we do not need, gamble away our hard-earned money, and oth-
erwise make choices that do not nourish our bodies, minds, or
souls.
VII
viii Introduction
Indeed, addiction is the mpst widespread problem in our
society. The emotional and physical pain experienced by people
with addictions and their families is incalculable. The direct and
indirect economic costs ofaddiction exceed hundreds ofbillions
of dollars worldwide. Yet we are losing the "war on drugs"
because we have failed to recognize that the enemy is a hidden
aspect of ourselves, a subconscious drive to sacrifice long-term
peace for short-term relief. This book is our effort to reframe the
conflict surrounding addiction and expand your opportunities
for lasting peace.
What's New in Recovery?
Over the past seventy years, millions of people seeking to
overcome addictive behaviors have embarked on a Twelve-Step
program. First introduced as the basic tenets of Alcoholics
Anonymous (A.A.), the Twelve Steps have been adopted by
many other support groups, including, but not limited to,
Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Overeatcrs
Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, Sexaholics Anonymous,
Debtors Anonymous, Eating Disorders Anonymous, and
Workaholics Anonymous. For those who can embrace the basic
principles and appreciate the community ofothers waging their
own banks against personal demons, Twelve-Step programs pro-
vide valuable support.