Let’s continue our discussion on addictions. The most common belief paradigm around addiction is that addiction is a disease. That there is someone wrong with your brain and that you will be an addict for the rest of your life. Therefore avoiding the drug of choice is the only solution, since you can’t control yourself. This is the belief peddled by the ASAM and used in all 12-step programs. It’s complete bullshit. It’s not based on any evidence and leads to consistent relaps

Let’s talk about food addictions. Food addictions are incredibly similar to drug addictions, even if they operate on a lower risk / reward level. All addictions are habit loops that form within the brain due to positive reward feedback. It doesn’t matter if you abuse food, alcohol, or amphetamines, sex, gambling—all of them hit your pleasure centers in the same way. The only difference is the extent to which they hit your pleasure centers, which is why it is much easier to re

The obesity paradox is a fallacy born of poor research methodology. It all started with Katherine Flegal from the CDC who published research showing that the lowest mortality rates were not seen in Americans at a normal body weight, but in those who were overweight. This has been used as justification by many that being overweight or obese. Being modestly obese was protective against dying compared to being at a normal body weight. But check this; those observations don’t hol