By Dr. Muhammad Feteiha, Bariatric Surgeon

If you are obese or morbidly obese you may be wondering if you are a food addict. Addiction to food has become more common, especially with people’s hectic lifestyles and the availability of cheap, large portioned food in restaurants. Increases in high fat and high sugar foods in our grocery stores and restaurants have only worsened the problem. Food addiction is a serious problem that must be treated much in the same way as other addictions including drugs, alcohol or gambling. Addiction can be, at very least, disruptive both physically and emotionally and in certain cases can cause long-term physical and emotional damage.

To understand if you have a food addiction, have a look at the list below. If you have several of the following characteristics, you may be a food addict:

-          Hiding or eating by oneself out of shame.

-          A physical compulsion to eat even when not very hungry.

-          Feeling an unrivaled sense of pleasure when eating.

-          Over-eating despite negative consequences that may occur as a result.

-          Stealing food

What to do about food addiction?

If you are both obese and a food addict, the most effective ways to improve or resolve the problem is by taking a two-pronged approach. If diet and exercise are not sufficient to improve your obesity then speaking to a medical weight loss program or weight loss surgeon may be an excellent first step in improving the physical effects of obesity. However weight loss alone will not cure the underlying psychological effects of food addiction. In fact, when the amount of food that you consume is reduced you may feel a void which can easily be filled by other addictive substances. In order to ensure that food addiction does not progress, addicts should seek professional help at a licensed addiction recovery and rehabilitation center. Addressing both the physical and psychological aspects of the disease can effectively manage food addiction over the long-term.

To learn more, speak to a weight loss specialist and/or bariatric surgeon as well as a mental health counselor in order to understand your options in fighting this very dangerous and growing disease.

Reviewed by Alton Smith, The Academy for Addiction Professionals

About Dr. Muhammad Feteiha

Dr. Muhammad Feteiha is a weight loss and general surgeon at Advanced Surgical Associates, a leading surgical practice in Northern New Jersey.

The Academy for Addiction Professionals and Destination Hope are very proud to introduce a night of comedy with Mark Lundholm on Saturday February 18, 2012.

Mark has performed in every state, overseas and on Comedy Central, NBC, CBS, Showtime and A&E. His life’s work is as funny as it is inspirational and he regularly performs and speaks to diverse groups including Fortune 500 companies and heads of state as well as recovering addicts and convicted felons. His one-man off-Broadway show: Addiction was an instant hit. For 2012, Mark will have introduced a new DVD and book and his new endeavors aren’t slowing down any time soon. We are sure that you will enjoy this night of fun with the staff of Destination Hope and the Academy for Addiction Professionals

Please RSVP to our event by February 18th. You can buy your tickets at the door on the day of the show or purchase them at the following link https://miniacipac.com/marklundholm_miniaci. Tickets are $25. You can also contact us to get your tickets by phone.

The performance will take place at the Miniaci Theatre at Nova Southeastern, 3100 Ray Ferrero Jr. Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

We look forward to seeing you there!!

Boundaries in addiction treatment are an essential part of the client counselor relationship. In fact, they protect both the client and the counselor and they remain intact even during the inevitable ups and downs of addiction counseling. Boundaries are important because they:

• Reduce the chance of the exploitation (intentional or unintentional) of a client
• Create a definitive role for both the client and the counselor
• Create a framework of rules under which counseling can continue
• Offer a role-model for the client

Boundaries are set at the very beginning of treatment and it is the counselor’s responsibility to make sure they are adhered to. Boundaries need to work in the best interests of the client and can be negotiated – sometimes based on cultural and/or personal preferences or differences.

While it may seem unfair that the counselor is ultimately responsible for maintaining boundaries, it is clear why this is. A) The counselor is the professional, B) the client may not understand the need and importance of having boundaries and C) there is a power imbalance between counselor and client. In other words the counselor is often perceived as being dominant party.

Blurred and broken boundaries can come with significant ramifications that include disciplinary action in an ethical and legal sense. The counselor can incur significant punishment for crossing the line. However not all boundaries are black and white nor defined very easily. Often, counselors have to make a split second decision on what to say or do. Some examples of blurred boundaries include:

• Self-disclosure
• Offering or accepting gifts
• Dual relationships
• Becoming friends
• Physical contact

Ultimately, it is part of a counselor’s job to fully understand the depth of their relationship with a client. This is what we do and our jobs depend on our ability to make the best decisions for ourselves and our clients in mind.

Tests are stressful and we’re often asked how to do well on an upcoming quiz or exam. After all, our students take tests both during class and once they complete our classes. They continue on to take tests administered by the various certification boards around the country. Is there a secret to taking tests? Not really. Rather, the importance is in how you prepare. And it’s mostly common sense that in most cases would come easily to us. But the stress of the looming exam gets in the way. Those who believe they are bad test takers may take some comfort in knowing that taking a test the right way, may overcome that fear of failure.

Over the Course of the Year:

• It goes without saying that excellent preparation starts in class. Learning the information in parts, during class, is far easier than cramming the night before the test. Plus it gives you some time to ask questions of your peers and instructors.
• Study groups are similarly useful in helping students prepare for tests.
• Memorization is necessary, but understanding the root of the concept will maker you a better test taker and a better addiction professional. If for some reason a concept doesn’t seem to make sense, ask your instructor before you take the test.

Just Before the Test

• Take a study course to encapsulate all the information you’ve learned over the course of a year. It will help jog your memory.
• Don’t stay up all night studying and cramming. A good night’s sleep is a key to good test taking.
• Create a checklist of items to bring to the exam.
• Eat a good solid breakfast before the test.

During the Test

• Come prepared with your items – no need for panic when you realize you forgot your eraser.
• Keep calm. Nerves can cause mistakes. Breathing deeply and relying on your preparedness will slow your heart rate.
• Read each question slowly, or even read it twice.
• Start with the easy questions first. Answering the questions you know may calm the nerves and give you confidence on harder questions.
• Use the process of elimination to help find the answer. Even if you have to guess, guessing between 2 or 3 answers gives you a better chance than guessing between 4 or 5.
• Double check your answers.
• If you really don’t know the answer, go with your gut.
• Answer every question. If you’re not penalized for a guess, who knows, you may get it right!
• Keep an eye on the clock. You never want to go back to the questions you had to skip with only a few minutes to go.
• Don’t worry about everyone else. You can be the first or last to finish. As long as you have done the best you can.
• If you must change an answer, do so only after being sure your first answer was wrong. And be sure to erase the old answer completely.

With good preparation, we know you’ll ace that test. Good luck!

The difficulty in treating HIV and AIDS in drug abusers lies partly in the fact that many of these abusers are not actively seeking treatment in licensed facilities that can treat the co-occurring disorders. Oftentimes, even medically trained physicians are not able to properly diagnose a substance abuse problem. This allows the addiction to continue undetected.

Further, proximity to care and willingness to receive treatment is a major hurdle in treating HIV and AIDS. Because most drug abusers who have contracted HIV are Injected Drug Users, they tend to be found in areas with less access to treatment facilities and hospitalization services. Traditionally, outreach to these groups has been very difficult and communities and treatment centers must figure out how to reach these people effectively to effect significant change.

A great deal of difficulty in treatment can stem from a lack of understanding as well. Counselors may not have a full grasp of the treatment of co-occurring disorders and may not know the best practices of treatment for patients with HIV or AIDS. Further, counselors and drug addicts may not be able to communicate effectively because of disparate backgrounds, language barriers, ethnic tensions, lifestyle differences and sexual orientation issues. Group and individual therapy is even more effective when targeted to the client’s particular co-occurring diseases.

Both HIV and drug addiction are treatable and both diseases can be slowed, meaning that there is hope for those who are both HIV positive and abusing drugs. Treatment must be comprehensive and unique based on individual circumstances. Medication and regular hospital support will be very important. Traditional treatment for drug abuse and addiction, including group therapy and individual therapy as well as the environment in which they are treated will also play a large role in the recovery.

Finally, addressing spiritual issues through support programs as well as management of anger, stress and emotional issues will be an important part of any treatment program’s success.

The bottom line is that treatment of one life-altering disease is complex, let alone two. Treating these two epidemic diseases requires specialized care and hard work.

By Dr. Jefferson Vaughan, Bariatric Surgeon

Food addiction is real. Just as our bodies can become dependent on “traditionally addictive” substances, so too do our bodies crave and need sugar and fat. Uncontrolled urges lead to overeating and a vicious cycle ensues – often developing into obesity. As a result of this trend in the modern American’s lifestyle, obesity has, by any account, become an epidemic in the United States with a significant majority of the population suffering from obesity or overweight issues.

There are many treatments for obesity, with varying degrees of effectiveness, including:

-          Traditional Diet and Exercise
-          Medically Supervised Weight Loss Programs
-          Pills and Medication
-          Counseling and Hypnotherapy
-          Bariatric Surgery (Weight Loss Surgery)

The most effective of these treatments, though not the least invasive, has been shown to be bariatric surgery. On average, patients lose about 75% of their excess body weight and keep it off for 5 years or longer (individual results vary of course). Other treatments have more mixed results at best, although there is no one size fits all approach to obesity.

But what about the underlying addiction that may have contributed to the obesity in the first place? Well, that is a real and ever present danger. Most bariatric surgery patients are able to follow their new and improved lifestyle and keep the weight off in a healthy manner. Others succumb to their addiction and in the absence of food, may turn to substance abuse, gambling, compulsive shopping, or promiscuity to fill the void. Others may develop other eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. This is called addiction transfer.

It is very important that when working with obese patients, in the counseling or medical setting, that the underlying psychological contributors to the obesity are addressed. Addiction counselors and medical staff alike should be acutely aware of the dangers of addiction transfer and address it accordingly through solid diagnosis and referral to qualified individuals.

Reviewed by Alton Smith, The Academy for Addiction Professionals

About Dr. Jefferson Vaughan

Dr. Jefferson Vaughan is a bariatric / weight loss surgeon and is the director of the Institute for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery at Jupiter Medical Center in Jupiter, FL. As a premier surgeon in the field, Dr. Vaughan has performed over 2000 gastric bypass surgeries and has trained over three dozen surgical teams in minimally invasive surgical techniques.

Many people who work in the addictions field often have personal experience in substance abuse or addiction. While it may seem therapeutic to share these experiences, it is important, if you are in recovery, to keep your work separate from personal recovery. The Florida Certification Study Guide states, “While occasional appropriate self-disclosure can help the client to open up or motivate the client by providing a role model, too much self-disclosure removes the focus from the client’s own recovery.”

It is imperative that a counselor is aware of how their own issues may be stirred by a client’s problems. Refrain from bringing the context of the counselor’s own personal issues into the therapeutic relationship. For example, the addiction counselor must not rigidly adhere to the opinion of insisting that their experience on their road to recovery is the only acceptable path to recovery. In general, projection of the counselor’s own experiences onto that of the client’s situation can be damaging or, at least, counterproductive.

So when is self-disclosure appropriate? 

Let us start by defining self-disclosure so we have a clear point of reference. Self-disclosure is simply the ability to relate information about oneself. It may be an experience or the ways one thinks and feels. There are two simple rules to follow when self- disclosing.

• The first rule, if the counselor is inclined to self-disclose, is for the counselor to have a clear purpose or goal for the intervention.
• Next, analyze why he or she is choosing to self-disclose at this particular time. If there is any doubt about their intentions, a more conservative, nondisclosure position should be taken.

For more information, the following is a link from Alcoholics Anonymous, for Members employed in the alcoholism field http://www.aa.org/lang/en/en_pdfs/mg-10_foraamembers.pdf

Ben Brafman, the head of the Academy for Addiction Professionals was featured in the latest issue of the online newsletter “Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly.” As a pioneer in gender specific treatment and a leader in men’s addiction issues, Ben’s expertise has been sought far and wide. In this month’s issue, Ben discussed the hurdles associated with starting a treatment facility in the saturated South Florida market. He also offers some insight into how the economy has affected payment structures and what a facility needs to do to stay afloat in today’s harsh cash pay environment.

We can see that the addiction treatment landscape is changing all around us and it is imperative that we adapt to make sure that our centers remain relevant. It is for this reason that we suggest that all addiction counselors, and those wishing to become counselors, take the time to read trade magazines and news and stay abreast of the ever-changing industry in which we work.

We’re very proud to announce that we have just completed the set-up of our new online addiction CEU training course system. That means that within a few weeks, we will have the first of many courses available to those who need CEUs for their addiction certification or those who wish to take some or all of their certification classes online. Please keep an eye out for the official launch of our online classroom!

Pricing for our online classes will vary based on the course being taken. The classes will require watching video and downloading coursework from the web. It will also have a significant home study component. Students will then take a comprehensive test to ensure their complete understanding of the topic before they are issued their certificate.

For more information on online classes please read our online addiction class FAQs

The Academy for Addiction Professionals is offering free behavioral health training seminars on managing addiction and addictive behavior in a hospital or medical center setting. Through this lecture series, we hope to reinforce basic addiction training in the hospital and medical center setting. The topics covered in this seminar are critical to effectively dealing with addiction in a medical setting. Seminars will feature the following behavioral health topics:

• Identifying Addiction & Addictive Behavior.
• Aggression Management & Patient Safety.
• Family Intervention.
• Discharge planning & how to refer patients to treatment.
• Recognizing domestic violence.

Addiction is a complex disease, affecting both the mind and body. With rates of drug and alcohol abuse on the rise, it is all the more important that medical professionals have the training to manage addiction.

In order to book an Academy for Addiction Professionals instructor on-site at no cost, we require a minimum attendance of 15 staff members.