{"id":1721,"date":"2014-03-14T14:00:19","date_gmt":"2014-03-14T21:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.everywomanover29.com\/blog\/?p=1721"},"modified":"2022-07-01T13:37:57","modified_gmt":"2022-07-01T20:37:57","slug":"why-do-you-crave-how-self-medicate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.everywomanover29.com\/blog\/why-do-you-crave-how-self-medicate\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do you crave and how do you self-medicate?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sometimes it\u2019s difficult to figure out why you crave something or why you\u2019re drawn to a particular food, substance, or behavior. It can be challenging to determine which part of your brain chemistry it\u2019s affecting, and you may not associate cravings with mood issues. Here is a way to figure out why you may crave certain things.<\/p>\n

Your drug-of-choice is something you self-medicate with and it is something that makes you feel good or \u201cnormal.\u201d It could be candy, chocolate, starchy foods like bread or pasta, cookies, ice-cream, coffee, sodas or wine\/beer. It could also be cigarettes, marijuana, a prescription medication like Prozac, street drugs, or even shopping or exercise.<\/p>\n

Cravings for these substances (or behaviors) typically indicate a brain chemistry imbalance, so it\u2019s very helpful to identify how the substances you crave affect you. This will help you determine which amino acids you might supplement to address the imbalance.<\/p>\n

For example, a glass of wine may be calming for one person but energizing for another, or chocolate may be calming for some people and comforting for others. Certain prescription medications also offer clues. If you have many symptoms of low serotonin and have found that prescription SSRIs help, it\u2019s possible that low serotonin is an issue.<\/p>\n

Taking chocolate as an example, here\u2019s what I suggest: Before you eat some chocolate, think about why you want it. Is it because you\u2019re sad or tired or anxious? Or do you feel like you deserve a reward or feel irritable and shaky? Then, once you\u2019ve eaten it, think about how it made you feel.<\/p>\n

Use your drug-of-choice (candy, chocolate, starchy foods like bread or pasta, cookies, ice-cream, coffee, sodas or wine\/beer etc) and the chart below to help you determine what brain chemistry imbalance may be affecting you and which amino acid you may benefit from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
How you feel before<\/th>\nHow you feel after<\/th>\nBrain chemistry imbalance<\/th>\nAmino acid to supplement<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Anxious or stressed<\/td>\nCalm or relaxed<\/td>\nLow GABA<\/td>\nGABA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Depressed or anxious<\/td>\nHappy or content<\/td>\nLow serotonin<\/td>\nTryptophan or 5-HTP<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tired or unfocused<\/td>\nEnergetic, alert, or focused<\/td>\nLow catecholamines<\/td>\nTyrosine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wanting a reward or sad<\/td>\nRewarded or comforted<\/td>\nLow endorphins<\/td>\nDPA (d-phenylalanine)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Irritable and shaky<\/td>\nGrounded or stable<\/td>\nLow blood sugar<\/td>\nGlutamine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Feel free to share in the comments section: your drug-of-choice and how it makes you feel before you indulge and how you feel afterwards. If you\u2019ve used any of the amino acid supplements to end the craving or addiction, I\u2019d love to hear your feedback too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes it\u2019s difficult to figure out why you crave something or why you\u2019re drawn to a particular food, substance, or behavior. It can be challenging to determine which part of your brain chemistry it\u2019s affecting, and you may not associate cravings with mood issues. Here is a way to figure out why you may crave […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7,11,17],"tags":[20,75,259,260,258,257],"class_list":["post-1721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-anxiety-and-panic","category-food-and-mood","category-sugar-addiction","tag-amino-acids","tag-anxious","tag-crave","tag-depressed","tag-drug-of-choice","tag-self-medicate","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy do you crave and how do you self-medicate? - everywomanover29 blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.everywomanover29.com\/blog\/why-do-you-crave-how-self-medicate\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why do you crave and how do you self-medicate? - everywomanover29 blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sometimes it\u2019s difficult to figure out why you crave something or why you\u2019re drawn to a particular food, substance, or behavior. 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