Breaking The Chains Of  Addiction

I juice fasted for 30 days, had a few days of light soups and salads, and resumed juice fasting for another two weeks.  Since fasting it seems someone has replaced the world's chocolate supply with tasteless brown wax. Okay, true confessions; in breaking my fast, I've had light soups and salads and slowly began adding a little chocolate at the very end. At first it tasted odd. It was hard to imagine ever having liked it. It doesn't seem likely that chocolate will be the staple it was for me in the past.

Maybe my stomach has shrunk, but I am satisfied with far less food than before. I find myself stopping before feeling full and knowing that it is enough. Also, I’m craving healthy foods now! For the most part, I'm really craving healthier things. The process has slowed down and I'm making conscious choices instead of reacting. And while some foods may have a certain amount of nostalgic appeal, it isn't nearly as emotionally charged as it was before. This is nothing short of a miracle in my opinion. I can have a small portion of something containing caffeine, and not need to have a regular maintenance dose in order to avoid withdrawals.

When shaking coffee in the past, it always meant a 2-3 day headache followed by a few days of having the mental prowess of gelatin. I have actually been able to meet someone for coffee, have a little, and then go days or more without any caffeine and have no adverse reaction. I'm really encouraged by all of this. It doesn't mean I don't fall off the wagon and have had a negative reaction. The good news is that the reaction does pass; I can make a note of it, and move back into a healthy rhythm. Now that’s new!
 

“Life was dismal and without hope. I was a 270-lb, burned out drug addict coming off a massive intake of chemicals.”

Water fasting, juicing and a diet of natural foods gave me a new lease on life. It’s hard to believe that before these changes I was crippled with chronic hepatitis. Drug abuse began at thirteen and after years of serious addiction, I contracted hepatitis, a very painful and frustrating illness. As the years progressed my liver deteriorated, causing my other filtering organs (kidneys and spleen) to be overworked, thus damaging them, resulting in even more pain. For sixteen years I suffered. My liver was swollen to the size of a football. The liver is the largest cleansing organ, and does not have room for swelling. When it does, constant irritating pain is felt from the rib cage to the stomach.

Life was dismal and without hope. I was a 270-lb, burned out drug addict coming off a massive intake of chemicals. It took 20 to 30 tranquilizers a day to prevent my mind from losing its sanity. My emotions were out of control. Nerves were like electrical wires on overload.

One morning I awoke only to realize how grossly complicated my rebellious life had become. The past 20 years flooded my conscious. I had played the role of someone else; someone tough, ruthless, and invincible. All that was left was an empty, barren soul. The flood of tears wouldn't stop as I agonized over the loss of my family. There was no one to blame — I was a victim of my own demise. I thought moving in with a friend would help the massive depression that was now my life. We stayed up several nights talking about my story. If all my pent up anguish hadn't found an outlet, my insides would have exploded.

After 20 days of juice fasting the changes were remarkable. As the pain lessened, I started to feel alive again. I wasn't cured, but because of the positive results I continued the fast.

After 40 days of juice fasting, there was a metamorphosis from a sickly, unstable human into someone vibrant with health and well being. My self-esteem began to build gradually as I shed 100 pounds. At the start I weighed 270 lbs. This bulk was caused by the retention of large amounts of body fluids. Due to the drugs and the damaged liver, my body could not release these fluids. After the 40 days my weight had dropped to 170 lbs.; whatever had caused the bloating had healed. The swelling on my right side from my liver had disappeared completely. My mind was clear and stable. For the first time in years, I could live without tranquilizers! I sincerely thought drugs had done permanent damage to my brain. I was wrong! I was given back what drugs took away.

This knowledge has brought me a new zeal for life. It has freed me from a tremendous addiction. It has brought me closer to God in spirit than ever before.

“After I finished my short 3 1/2 day fast, my taste for alcohol disappeared!”

I have always loved to drink. Not only could I eat 4000 calories a day, I could probably drink it to. I finally stopped drinking beer, but then got started on wine. I would think all day what to make for dinner and what bottle of wine I would open to go with it. Yes I am a Christian and have struggled with the fact that excessive drinking was not what God intended for His people. Still, I would rationalize that everywhere in the Bible you read about them eating bread and drinking wine...so?

by
Wayne
“I feel new, my nerves are better and I feel peaceful.”

Just finished day six of a water fast.  In a few hours I will drink my first juice, apple and carrot. Sounds so good to me right now after a total of 12 days of juice fasting followed by six days of water. I know I will finish it, the water fast made the juice fast seem much easier than it would have been. The only problem I had on water was bad dreams and being tired, but I know it's worth it. 

Already I feel new, my nerves are better and I feel peaceful. I think fasting is the greatest thing. After this is over, I will fast every week for 36 hours for the rest of my life. I do believe in eating, and eating well. My diet following two weeks before the fast was whole brown rice and lentils and other types of beans, all kinds of veggies and fruit and four glasses of veggie  juice a day. Cheese and eggs three times a week and meat once a week. For herb teas I use red clover and Jason Winters tea which is recommended for cancer.  I don't have cancer, just love his tea and feel it's very good for health. This is how I will live from now on. Even before my fast started I was detoxify just from the food and juice. 

Without good health one cannot enjoy the physical life God has given us.