7/7/13-HELLO, MY NAME IS TONY AND I'M AND ADDICT........

      No need to start an intervention on my behalf, but with today being a day off I thought I would do a little research.  Lately, you will find web articles, blogs, and other media sources that talk about how sugar is an addictive substance and can lead to a wide variety of health problems.  I'm not denying that too much sugar and carbs are bad for you; look at me, I'm fat because of them.  My argument is not that the sugar itself is addictive, but that the human body becomes addicted to the chemicals produced by our brain that are triggered by the presence of sugar.
    The human brain is a neurological factory that is capable of pumping out incredibly powerful narcotics; much more powerful than any meth lab could ever produce.  In today's day and age, we see all manner of over the counter pharmaceuticals for people suffering anxiety and depression; a result of an imbalance in the brain and endocrine system's ability to maintain proper chemical balance.  We have also heard of wounded soldiers performing feats of heroism; unaware of how badly they are wounded thanks to the brain's ability to flood the system with endorphins.
      When it comes to sugar, especially large quantities of it, this substance can wreak havoc with the brain and the endocrine system.  When the body is flooded with large amounts of sugar, researchers with the help of an fMRI machine were able to see in real time the release of high levels of dopamine by the nucleus accumens in the brain.  Dopamine is responsible for the feelings of motivation, novelty, and reward.  This is the same area of the brain that becomes highly active in heroin and cocaine users.  Lab studies with mice showed that when fed a high sucrose diet and then having the sucrose removed caused the mice to experience cravings, anxiety, and aggression.  These are all signs of withdrawl and are the very same reasons that people who go on a strict diet tend to become cranky and binge.  Finally, it was revealed that sugar can affect dopamine receptors which in turn leads to a tolerance.  This causes sugar junkies to need more and more sugar in order to get the feelings of pleasure that their first Twinkie gave them so long ago.
     Finally, research has also shown that sugar consumption also leads to a release of endogenous opiods.  This brain chemical is known to provide the body with waves of pleasure.  This is the same chemical that produces a high in cocaine and heroin users, but sugar's response is of a much lower magnitude.
     Now, don't get me wrong as I am not blaming my brain for the mess that I'm in, but the effects of dopamine and endogenous opiods seems to explain why sugary snacks make me feel the way they do.  I have research to do as I am also aware that when addicts quit their poison of choice, they tend to substitute one addiction for another.  My big task now is to find out what types of chemicals the brain produce during physical exercise, stretching, yoga, aerobics, weight training and even sleep and if they may produce or replace the highs I experience when eating cookies..  I'm an addict, an addict to the narcotics produced by my brain.   As Huey Lewis and the News put it, "I Want A New Drug."

They aren't the same thing, but in the brain, they can produce similar and powerful neurological and chemical responses.