“I’m an addict. I need help.” That’s what Esther courageously confessed to me not long ago. And what dark demon dominated Esther and drove her to do something about it? Could it have been nicotine, pain killers, or cocaine? Goodness, no, not that bad. But plenty bad enough. And very common.

Quitting smoking requires a lot of self-discipline and determination. If you have tried to quit smoking, you know how hard it can be. It's hard because nicotine is a very addictive drug--for some people, it can be as addictive as heroin or cocaine.

Quitting smoking is hard, but it's not impossible. Each year more than 3 million Americans kick the smoking habit for good. If you're you one of the smokers who's finally decided to quit, the following advice can help.

Quitting smoking is easy. No really, it is!!! All the smoker has to do to stop smoking is to realise that they are addicted to a rubbish drug that does nothing. Smoking cigarettes does not help the smoker in any way at all. Smokers create hundreds of reasons why they smoke other than the only real reason — that they are simply addicted to nicotine.

Lobelia (Lobelia inflata) is a controversial remedy because it can be toxic in high doses. That said, its traditional--and effective--use as a nicotine replacement earned it the nickname Indian tobacco.

Let me first state that eating disorders are NOT ABOUT FOOD. I'm serious!

Drug addictions are not about the drugs either. Taking the drug is a way to avoid feelings, thoughts, discomforts, and life in general. Yes actual drugs themselves have addictive components and the effect on someone's body chemistry is a part of the overall picture, but ultimately the drugs are symptoms, signals, focal points of the underlying problem. This is the same with eating disorders. Overeating, undereating, and purging are ways to avoid feelings, thoughts, discomforts, and life in general. It is the AVOIDANCE that is the real problem.

If you are considering quitting smoking, you know that you have a battle to fight. But what you might not know is that there are other weapons available for you to use other than nicotine gums, patches, and other pills. There are also natural stop-smoking herbs.

Addiction and recovery, once taboo subjects in our society, have become common topics of discussion during the nineties—it is hard to imagine a party or social gathering where at least one person doesn't have a story to tell. Nevertheless, the causes of addiction are just beginning to be understood.

Hannah was distressed that, with all the inner work she had done on herself, she still found herself binge eating.