Addictions & Answers_ Can We Trade One Addiction for Another
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Addictions & Answers: Can we trade one addiction for another? ADDICTIONS & ANSWERS Friday, Septem ber 17th 2010, 4:00 A M Like Be the first of your friends to like this. BILL: A hot new autobiography by Jerry Hall, ex-wife ofRolling Stones' Mick Jagge r, says the rock star’s first addiction was to gambling. His love of poker was so intense that he lost the family home. DR. DAVE: Bill, that’s news to me. Mostly what I ever heard about him was his relentless pursuit of women. BILL: According to Hall's book,"My Life In Pictures", Jagger’s gambling led to a suicide att empt, but he "succeeded only in breaking almost every bone in his body and losing a kidney. That left Mama with five children to raise, no home and a husband destined to spend a long time in hos pital. " DR. DAVE: That' s when she s ays he tried to substitute an addiction to sex for drugs and the card table? BILL: The Jaggers split in 1990 after model Luciana Giminez announced that she was pregnant with Mick's baby. You know, Dave, something in me understands what Jaggerwas trying to do. When I got out of rehab, I substituted chocolate for gin, gaining 50 pounds before I let myself realize what was happening. DR. DAVE: But when you did, you cut out the chocolate and lost the 50 pounds right back. You may've been self-indulgent. You were not addicted. BILL: Can you become addicted to s omething positive, like playing chess, m ayb e volunteering for the Red Cross or even going to the gym? DR. DAVE: An eminent ps y chologist, William Glasser, did some very good research on exactly that – on what addict's seek in their drug of choice. BILL: And found ways of getting there that were "positive" and not self-destructive? DR. DAVE: That’s the name of Glasser’s 1976 book—Positive Addiction. One bloggercaptured Glasser's theme very well: when you reach the PA state, your mind drifts, wandering effortlessly from random thought to observation to idea. This "free spinning" state is creative and relaxed, unforced, and difficult to intentionally maintain. BILL: In my day, I did a lot of "free spinning" in the White Horse bar and the San Remo too. I ended up drinking my way into two hospitals in ten days. Hard for me to see any ofthat as a Positive Addiction. DR. DAVE: The two PA processes that Glasser found are now embedded in popularhealth culture. The first is running, and surely everyone knows by now that a runner’s high is caused by the flood of endorphins into the brain. BILL: Does Glaser’s second PA pat h require hours of exercise as well? DR. DAVE: That brings us to what was once thought to be merely the frou-frou ofMaharishi Yogi and the antic remnants of the Berkeley flower children. BILL: You’re speaking of the art of Meditation found in Yoga, Tai Chi and Transcendental Meditation, right? I seem to remember that the Scripps cardiac, cancer and pulmonary physicians were starting to use those ideas as part of their post-operative recovery programs. DR. DAVE: Meditation (more commonly called "Mindfulness" in the medical world), is indeed a Positive Addiction. BILL: A proven medical practice, and actually prescribed by doctors and surgeons who probably never sat in a Lotus pos ition chanting “Ommm m” in their life? WHY STARS FAIL REHAB Money can't buy sobrietyThese celebs have waged public battles against addiction. Here's why the odds are stacked against them. EDITORS' PICKS Hamster? Gerbil? No, it's Sno oki inside that ball! Reality TV 'star' practices fortonight's ball drop (love the plastic cup, Snooks!) Happy Stinkin' New Year: No trash pickup til MondayGarbage removal, street sweeping s till days away, says NY C sanitation boss . Russ ell Brand likely in t he do ghouse for t weeting THIS pic The funnyman posted this photo of wife Katy Perry with no make- up on and quickly deleted it. What is she 'do -ing?! Kardashian sports braids Reality TV starlet i s photographed wearing tight cornrows . VO TE: Hot or not? The most notorious Twitter moments of 2010 Demi Moore tweeting of pics herself in a bikini was a milestone i n s tupidit y. Mo m, daugh ter accuse d ofmolesting same t een boyfor 3 y ears Police say the pair did it without knowing about each other’s relationship with him. Visit our newTravel Section! Explore deals, hidden va cation fiestas, the bes t cruises and long- weekend escapes! GO NOW! Ho me Autos Real Es tate Jobs Clas sif ied s Apps Place an Ad Buy Pictures Buy Tickets D ea l of the Day Login Register Health SITE BLOGS DISCUSSIONS WEB Search powered by SEARCH Ne ws Sp orts Go ss i p En tertai nment Ev en ts Lo ca l Op i ni on Life & Style Ph otos More Sec tio ns + (7) Share Article Comments Eats Fashion Health Travel Horoscop es Pets Coffee Break Your New York Phot os Colu mnis ts Lif e & St yle Bl ogs Hospital Directory1/1/2011 Addictions & Answers: Can we trade o… nydailynews.com/…/2010-09-17_addic… 1/3
Addictions & Answers_ Can We Trade One Addiction for Another
