Addiction-Free--Naturally: Liberating Yourself from Tobacco, Caffeine, Sugar, Alcohol, Prescription Drugs

by Brigitte Mars

The first comprehensive guide to overcoming addictions by using natural remedies that rebuild health for both body and mind from the inside out.

• Covers a full range of natural remedies, including herbs, homeopathy, aromatherapy, flower essence remedies, color therapy, acupressure, and more.

• Addresses many different substances, such as caffeine and chocolate, and discusses how the body deals with withdrawal, detoxification, and repatterning.

• The natural remedies included in this book can be used in conjunction with conventional therapies.

• By well-known author Brigitte Mars, who has 30 years of experience with natural therapies and is the formulator for UniTea Herbs.

Addiction is one of the most serious health issues facing our twenty-first century culture. Modern lifestyles encourage us to consume excessive amounts of caffeine and sugar and to unwind from our stressful lives with tobacco or alcohol. Left untreated, some addictions can cause metabolic damage, leading to heart disease, high blood pressure, and immune disorders--as well as causing nutritional deficiencies, fatigue, and depression. Addiction-Free--Naturally offers gentle but effective ways to ease cravings and nourish the body, as well as information on cleansing the body of accumulated toxins and using natural remedies for stress relief. The remedies can be used in conjunction with conventional therapies, such as psychotherapy or Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. The author also offers advice on designing a personal program to break addiction and finding a health care professional or program to offer expert guidance as you walk the road to recovery.

Genres: Health

272 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2001

About the author

Brigitte Mars is an herbalist and natural health nutritional consultant. She teaches Herbal Medicine at Naropa University and at the School of Health Mastery in Iceland. She is also a psychedelic sitter and end-of-life doula.

Mars has published many books and DVDs about natural medicine.

Reviews

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read about sugar; not definitive but worthwhile nonetheless.

To paraphrase the author: ‎Sugar is the most prevalent addictive substance in the world and finding foods without sugar is a challenge. By the time most people have their first experience with alcohol, tobacco or drugs, they've been sugar addicts for years. Because sugar is so refined, it passes almost directly into the bloodstream -- just like a drug. Blood sugar soars, then crashes, with the body crying out for more and beginning a vicious cycle.

Without going into the minutiae, sugar is poison, plain and simple. It triggers mood-enhancing neurotransmitters but at the expense of wrecking havoc on your body: your heart, kidneys and liver, insulin (diabetes), mutates cells (cancer) and on and on.

Though this book doesn't say it, many sources claim justifiably that contrary to popular belief it's not FAT that is the enemy we should have been fighting all this time but SUGAR.

Some interesting nutritional and herbal supplements are listed in the book as well.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a horrible sweet tooth, and as I'm getting older, I'm realizing I either need to curb the sweet tooth or hope The Biggest Loser is still on in twenty years. Preferring the former option, I set out to find a good book on natural ways to curb addictions, and this one was the best reviewed of the lot. The downside is that, while I did check it out from the library, it is one of those books you really need to own, and while it is useful, I'm not convinced it merits any of my meticulously hoarded book money. It's definitely not for the "Western-medicine-is-the-be-all-end-all" crowd, and I don't agree with everything (look, I love writing, but there is no way that journaling will help me stop craving warm chocolate chip cookies), but it does have some good tips and lists - especially for something like my sugar addiction, which is relatively minor and doesn't need some ridiculous drug regime (honestly, reading or watching documentaries about the big-food industry usually sets me right for several months at a time). The biggest upside of this book is that it mostly syncs up with what I already know from other sources regarding herbs and vitamins but in a very handy-to-use format (excluding, of course, research published in the nine years since the book's publication). Quasi-recommended.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The information on herbs, vitamins, and foods is incredibly helpful, detailed and tailored to each addiction. Definitely a resource book to keep turning back to. The information on alternative therapies to help with addiction, or withdrawal, on the other hand, isn't anything new or brilliant, and actually is kind of annoying. That oversimplyfication of how helpful things can be with no regard for how intense one may be feeling. I.E. "Having a craving? Take a nice soothing bath." Gee whiz that sounds lovely, but not practical 95% of the time.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chock full of info on many different types of addiction: alcohol, food, sugar, drugs. info on stress, sleeplessness.
goes into all types of natural treatments for each one: homeopathy, nutrition, essential oils, aroma therapy, etc....
very informative. explains the mechanism of how each works.
I got it from the library but will purchase it to add to my collection.

[Angela Peacock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good so far! Exactly what I need right at this moment!

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brigitte Mars gives many antidotes for working with and healing addictions of all types. A fantastic resource for all.