As we explained in the Introduction, beating addiction naturally is all about ‘resetting’ your brain away from addiction. In the last few years scientists have made enormous strides in understanding what the biological roots of addiction are and how addictive substances hijack our brain’s chemistry until we literally feel our survival is dependent on them.
Most of the scientific research into helping with addictions is being used to find ways of developing a suitable, and profitable, drug fix for what is often a drug problem. However, this kind of approach creates yet more abstinence problems. Some people move from alcohol to sleeping pills, from cocaine to antidepressants, or from heroin to methadone, but each of these prescribed drugs has its problems, including the problem of addiction.
This chapter explains how, when your brain is functioning as nature intends, it provides you with good feelings. We describe how our How to Quit programme works naturally with the brain’s inherent design, rather than using more drugs to give us ‘quick fixes’ (with yet more abstinence problems). The most important point to understand is that your cravings are created by your body and brain to get you to do the things that temporarily restore balance. When you get the relief provided by the substance, and feel good, this is your brain rewarding you. We are going to show you how you can make your brain reward you, that is make you feel good, without the need for addictive substances. What makes our How to Quit programme so different is that it uses this new understanding of the chemistry underlying addiction to help your brain and body to heal itself naturally. This is achieved by providing the very nutrients that our brains need to make its own feel-good chemicals – the ones addictive substances mimic.
The amazing brain
Your brain is incredible – a mere 1.3kg (3lb) in weight, and mainly composed of fat, it has the capacity to hold trillions of memories. It allows you to experience the delights of eating, the beauty of music, the ecstasy of love, the thrills of sex, and, for some of us, the bliss of inner peace.
It’s also the abode of fear, anxiety, depression and craving. Understanding how this phenomenon works will show you why coffee, cigarettes, alcohol and other drugs produce the effects that they do. The key to the pleasant, even euphoric, effects of mood-altering substances is how they mimic the action of special chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters. This is described in Chapter 3, but first we’ll explain how the brain makes us feel good – a process that also involves neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers of thought, mood and motivation.
Neurotransmission: getting the message across
You and I communicate with words. The brain communicates with neurotransmitters manufactured in factories in the brain called neurons. Neurons, the principal working units of the brain, are tiny, complex nerve cells that send and receive messages about conditions inside and outside the body. They also serve as mood-control centres that determine the nature and intensity of our feelings and as action centres that largely control our behaviour.
Neurons are scattered throughout the body, but they are most highly concentrated in the brain, followed by the gut (more on this later). They form the ‘road map’ of our nervous system, and there are trillions of them. Neurons connect to one another via branches called dendrites. The average neuron will make 10,000 connections to other neurons, all linking together like a mass of interconnecting highways.
Delivering the messages
Neurotransmitters are the couriers on these highways, delivering messages from one neuron to the next. When the neuron is stimulated by something we hear, see, touch, smell, taste, think, feel or perceive, it releases some of its neurotransmitters. To get from one neuron to the next on the highway, neurotransmitters have to cross small gaps called synapses. The ‘sending’ neuron produces the chemical neurotransmitter, propelling it toward the ‘receiving’ neuron, which has a ‘receptor site’ to receive it. Thera slight complication though. The neurotransmitter is like a letter that only fits into a certain letterbox. If the neurotransmitter does not fit, it is not received by the receptor site. If it does, the message is delivered – that is, the receptor is activated. An electrical signal then travels along the dendrites until it reaches the next synapse, where it triggers the release of more neurotransmitters.
How this makes us feel good
The actions of neurotransmitters play a significant role in feelings of pleasure and well-being. They mediate mood, emotions, thought, motivation and memory. When neurotransmitters are present in optimal amounts, we feel good, we feel satisfied.
Neurotransmitters work together to create feelings of pleasure to reward us for behaviours that keep us alive and comfortable.
The goal of this whole process is to reward us for doing what will keep us alive and functioning well. What produces these rewards is different for different people. Chocolate may produce more reward for one person whereas crisps may produce more reward for someone else; reading an interesting book may be rewarding for one person, whereas skiing may produce more reward for another. We all differ in what gives us satisfaction and in the depth of satisfaction we experience; but we are all motivated by chemical actions in the brain that nature uses to keep us alive, motivated, fully functioning and reproducing by rewarding us with good feelings.
We need feelings of pleasure
Neurotransmitters determine how you think and feel as they whiz around your brain and nervous system. Your mood, alertness, enthusiasm, ability to relax – your love of life – are all affected by the different kinds of neurotransmitters, or different levels of their activity. We all seek physical and emotional comfort. We want to feel good. The action of neurotransmitters plays a significant role in feelings of pleasure and well-being, hence a deficiency or excess of any neurotransmitter will give rise to uncomfortable feelings.
We choose actions for the rewards they give us
The interactions of neurotransmitters have an incredibly powerful effect on our emotions and thinking. Some of them act as stimulants. Some act as relaxants, stopping us from getting too hyper or stressed. As these stimulators and inhibitors act upon one another, a chemical cascade is formed, intended to result in a feeling of pleasure. This is how our brain rewards us. Most of the actions we take are chosen to produce this feeling of reward. We eat because it produces a reward of good feelings. We eat certain foods because they produce a better reward than others (chocolate produces more reward for most people than broccoli, for example). We have sex because it produces a powerful release of pleasurable chemicals. We work because the work itself is rewarding for us or because the end result produces a reward. We refrain from certain actions because they do not produce the feeling of reward we are seeking.
A word of praise for a job well done acts as a stimulus that activates a chemical reaction in the brain that feels good. A hug from a loved one sets off a brain chemical interaction that acts as a reward. The way we think, feel and behave results from chemical interactions in the brain and, in turn, produces additional chemical reactions in the brain. When the result of an action is positive, it reinforces that behaviour and motivates us to repeat it. So we tend to repeat actions that cause us to feel relaxed, happy, satisfied, complete and fulfilled.
The most important neurotransmitters
Although there are hundreds of neurotransmitters, the following are the main ones:
Dopamine, adrenalin and noradrenalin (adrenalin’s cousin) are the ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitters, making you feel energised and in control. When you have adrenalin, dopamine and noradrenalin in balance you feel stimulated and energised. (Noradrenalin is called norepinephrine in the US.) Adrenalin is also the ‘motivator’, stimulating you and helping you respond to stress.
Endorphins and enkephalins promote a feeling of bliss, giving you a sense of euphoria. They are also painkillers, relieving both physical and emotional pain. They make you feel good.
Serotonin is the ‘mellow’ neurotransmitter, improving your mood and sleep, and banishing the blues. With an adequate supply of serotonin, you feel more confident, emotionally stable and connected.
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is the ‘chilled’ neurotransmitter, reducing anxiety, relaxing you and calming you.
Taurine helps promote GABA and also promotes calmness, helping you to relax and to sleep.
These are the key players in the orchestra of your brain and nervous system. The simple secret of feeling great is to have the right balance of these neurotransmitters. The trick to doing this is to eat the right foods and supplement the right nutrients from which your brain makes and controls these neurotransmitters.
The balancing act: why we might take harmful substances
The problem is that if you have an insufficiency in one or more of these neurotransmitters, your brain will be out of kilter, like a car out of tune. For example, 82 per cent of people with depression have very low levels of serotonin and 73 per cent have very low levels of noradrenalin.14
Instinctively your brain will crave anything that corrects a deficiency. This can be provided by nutrients, but too often we take other substances instead.
As you will see, that is why we end up using other substances that mimic or enhance the feel-good factor of our own natural neurotransmitters.
Amino acids: the tools for unaddicting our brain
Neurotransmitters are manufactured in the neurons from amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Different amino acids produce different neurotransmitters, as seen below:
L-phenylalanine increases dopamine and noradrenalin
Tryptophan, and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) increases serotonin and melatonin (melatonin helps you relax and sleep)
Tyrosine increases dopamine and noradrenalin
Glutamine increases GABA and glutathione, which in turn increase enkephalin levels
GABA is an amino acid and also a neurotransmitter
Taurine is an amino acid and also a neurotransmitter
Cysteine increases levels of glutathione
The two forms of amino acids: D- and L
Most of the amino acids have two forms, the chemical structure of one being the mirror image of the other. These are called the D- and L- forms. Foods generally contain the L- forms. All of the amino acids recommended in this book for the management of addiction are the L- form, with one important exception: phenylalanine, which is used in both forms.
The chart below lists the neurotransmitters, the feelings that they provide for us and the essential amino acids that they need to function properly.
NEUROTRANSMITTERS AT A GLANCE
Neurotransmitter What it does Amino acid it’s made from
Adrenalin, noradrenalin Arousal, energy, stimulation, mental focus L-phenylalanine, tyrosine
Dopamine Pleasure, comfort, satisfaction and a sense of fullness after eating L-phenylalanine, tyrosine
Endorphins, enkephalins Physical and emotional pain relief, euphoria, pleasure, good feelings, sense of well-being D-phenylalanine, DL-phenylalanine
Serotonin Emotional stability, self-confidence, pain tolerance, quality sleep tryptophan or 5-HTP
GABA Calmness, relaxation and seizure control GABA, glutamine
Taurine Calmness, promotion of sleep, and digestion seizure control taurine
Remember these amino acids, because these are the tools you are going to use to un-adict your brain, to give your brain what it really needs to stay in balance and to reward you with good feelings.
A good example of the relationship between amino acid intake and how we feel is demonstrated by an experiment on the effects of tryptophan. In the preceding list you can see how the neurotransmitter serotonin is made from the amino acid tryptophan, which gives us emotional stability, self-confidence, pain tolerance and quality sleep. A lack of tryptophan has marked effects, as was shown very clearly by an experiment carried out at Oxford University’s Department of Psychiatry. Fifteen women were given a diet devoid of tryptophan (found in turkey, dairy products, green leafy vegetables, bananas, pineapple, avocado, soy, lentils, sesame seeds and pumpkin). Within eight hours, most of them started to feel more depressed. When tryptophan was added to their diet, their mood improved.15
Essential fats: making sure the message is received
Your brain, if you discount water, is 60 per cent fat, so eating the correct fats is essential for a healthy brain. In our explanation about neurotransmitters so far we’ve been looking at ‘talking’ – the way neurotransmitters deliver messages. If we now look more closely at ‘listening’ – how the receiving neuron gets the message – it soon becomes clear how vital the correct fats are for your brain.
At the synapse, brain cell membranes are also composed in part of essential fats and cholesterol, surrounding and supporting receptor sites – we can think of receptor sites in this context as the ears receiving the messages. So, to get the correct message from one brain cell to another, you need a good supply of essential fats and cholesterol.
The synaptic membrane of neurons is composed of phospholipids and fats
Essential fats and phospholipids: helping you to crave less
Looking even closer at the brain cell membrane we find that it is made out of cholesterol and a type of nutrient called a phospholipid, with two fats attached: an unsaturated fat and either DHA (docasehexaenoic acid), a type of omega-3 fat, or arachidonic acid, a type of omega-6 fat.
By eating and supplementing the perfect amount and combination of essential fats, cholesterol and phospholipids you become much more receptive to your own neurotransmitters, which means you crave less. Eggs contain cholesterol and are very rich in phospholipids, as are brains and offal. You might not fancy eating brains or offal, but the smartest animals do. A fox, for example, will eat the heads and leave the rest unless very hungry. (Do you suppose they eat the heads because they are as smart as a fox or do they get smart as a fox by eating brains?)
We’ll show you how to achieve the perfect intake of both essential fats and phospholipids (without eating brains) in Part 2.
Methylation: the conductor of the orchestra
How can your body’s chemistry ebb and flow, creating harmony with your thoughts and emotions? The complexity and intelligence of your body’s design is incredible. Probably the single most important conductor of your brain’s orchestra is a process called methylation.
Your mood isn’t just dependent on how much tryptophan or phenylalanine you eat; it also depends in part on how efficient you are at turning amino acids into neurotransmitters. That’s mostly determined by methylation. Methylation reactions happen a billion times every couple of seconds and are totally dependent on nutrients. The process helps make, break down, and balance neurotransmitters, build nerve cells and protect your brain from damage (even slowing down the ageing process).
Methylation is the conductor of your orchestra so if you want to make sure you are in tune – feeling good, happy, alert and connected – you need to ensure you are a good methylator. Most people who need a substance to feel good are not good methylators.
Having the right connections
For us to feel well, our bodies need to be efficient at methylation, because that ensures the chemical connections are made quickly, and when that is working we will crave less. Here’s an example of how fast chemical connections can be made in our body. If you have a near miss while driving your car, within 0.2 of a second your body begins to pump adrenalin. This is how it works: noradrenalin, the chemical cousin of adrenalin, is floating around your bloodstream all the time; by adding on a tiny molecule called a ‘methyl group’ it turns into adrenalin. By the time you’ve read this sentence you’ve already done about a billion of these methylation reactions, but in a stressful situation this process is greatly speeded up so that you can act quickly. The ability of your body to do this literally determines how well ‘connected’ you feel.
How being a good methylator reduces cravings
To reduce your cravings for unhealthy substances you need to raise the equivalent of your methyl IQ. First, you need to find out what your methyl IQ is at the moment by measuring a substance called homocysteine in your blood (don’t worry, this is explained in detail in Chapter 9). If your homocysteine level is high, you’re not firing on all cylinders. See the case of Chris below for an example of what happens if you have a high homocysteine level.
Normally, homocysteine is converted into the amino acid S-adenosyl methionine, nicknamed SAM (sometimes called SAMe, pronounced ‘sammy’). SAM does all this methylation – it’s called a methyl donor and literally whizzes around the motorways of your mind donating methyl groups, building or changing one neurotransmitter into another. This conversion process, from the ‘bad’ homocysteine to the ‘good’ SAM, depends on B vitamins (B2, B6, B12 and especially folic acid), plus zinc and something called tri-methyl glycine (TMG). Now, when you eat your broccoli (which is high in folate), you can perhaps visualise your methyl donor whizzing to the scene of the crime, perhaps to raise your serotonin and dopamine levels and make you feel happier.
Case study CHRIS
Chris was feeling brain-dead. His mood and motivation was lousy. His memory was appalling – he kept losing his car in multi-storey car parks. His sex drive was non-existent. His homocysteine was 119. After a year taking all the right homocysteine-lowering nutrients his homocysteine has dropped to 9 and he’s a transformed man. ‘My memory and concentration are better than ever. My mood is great. My energy levels are amazing – in fact I now exercise each morning for an hour because I feel so good.’ Last time we spoke to Chris, who is now 60, he was telling us about his new young girlfriend – so everything’s working in that department. The key is getting your homocysteine down.
Poor methylation equals addiction and cravings
There’s no question that just about everything we associate with addiction and cravings is related to poor methylation, reflected by high homocysteine and low SAM levels. So, what you want in your brain and bloodstream is low homocysteine and high SAM levels. How do you raise your methyl IQ? There are three answers:
1. Stop doing the things that tax the system, raise homocysteine and mess up methylation – and that includes cigarettes, excessive caffeine and, especially, coffee, alcohol and other drugs. (A double espresso raises your homocysteine level by 11 per cent in four hours.)
2. Take B vitamins (B2, B6, folic acid, B12) and the minerals zinc and magnesium – these are the co-factor nutrients that methylation depends on.
3. Make sure you’ve got the building blocks of SAM in the first place – that means enough methionine from protein, tri-methyl glycine (TMG) from root vegetables, and folate from green leafy vegetables. (Exactly what to eat, what not to eat, and how to supplement is explained in Chapter 9.)
Helping your brain help you to feel good
Putting together everything you’ve learned so far, you’ll see that there are three ways to improve your neurotransmission, and hence reduce your cravings and recover your natural energy, mood, get-up-and-go, mental clarity and alertness.
1 Better talking
To ensure ‘better talking’ your body must make large enough quantities of the neurotransmitters you need. This means supplying the body and brain with the amino acids and co-factor vitamins and minerals (needed to help the amino acids work) that are the building blocks of the desired neurotransmitters (explained in more detail in Chapter 7).
2 Better listening
To ensure ‘bistening’ your brain’s cell membranes and receptors need to be in tiptop condition. This means consuming optimal amounts of the building materials for these receptor sites: essential fats, especially omega-3s, phospholipids (explained in more detail in Chapter 10) and the right amount of cholesterol.
3 Prevent down-regulation
Avoid addictive substances that make you less sensitive to your own feel-good brain chemicals. This process of becoming less sensitive is called down-regulation (see page 52).
Three ways to improve neurotransmission
Case study JANE
Jane lives alone and doesn’t eat a very well-balanced diet. She’s lacking the amino acid tryptophan and feeling lonely. As a consequence she is often depressed. She uses alcohol to relieve her depression. She decides to stop drinking alcohol, improves her diet, and supplements tryptophan (or its cousin, 5-hydroxytryptophan). As her serotonin levels improve, so does her mood.
She starts to eat more fish (high in omega-3 fats) and adds a spoonful of lecithin granules (high in phospholipids) to her breakfast. Her mood becomes more stable and she starts to experience a consistently higher level of mental energy. She feels more confident. Following our recommendations in Part 2, including eating a great diet high in essential fats, and taking specific supplements of amino acids, vitamins and minerals, plus regular exercise, which naturally boosts serotonin, Jane is off antidepressants and no longer feels she needs mood-boosting drugs.
As we have seen, addiction and cravings are the result of chemical changes in the brain, so what happens to cause us to become dependent? Why can’t we just stop taking the substance? In Chapter 3 we explain how we get hooked.
SUMMARY
The brain passes messages from one brain cell (neuron) to the next by way of chemicals called neurotransmitters.
Neurotransmitters work together to create feelings of pleasure to reward us for behaviours that keep us alive and comfortable.
Neurotransmitters are manufactured in neurons from amino acids, the building blocks of protein.
Neuron cell membranes at synapses contain receptors that receive messages sent from another neuron.
The brain cell membrane is very high in fat, so to receive the message we need a good supply of essential fats in our diets.
Methylation is required for the process of turning amino acids into neurotransmitters.
A substance called S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) – converted from a substance called homocysteine, which is made from the amino acid methionine – is a ‘methyl donor’, because it is a fully loaded amino acid that can help balance neurotransmitter levels as needed.
To increase methylation, stop taxing your system with harmful substances, then get enzymes working at peak efficiency by optimising your intake of B vitamins, zinc and magnesium
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