After watching the movie That Sugar Film Friday night i have begun to take more notice of how much sugar i consume. Mentioning the film to different people has lead to some interesting discussions.

Sugar is the most addictive substance known to man, our intake has risen dramatically over the last fifty years. Diets that are supposed to be healthy are loaded with added sugar. Even the health food stores sell sugar ladened products.

Talking with a stall holder who sells jams etc, i mentioned the movie. As the conversation continued the stall holder matter of factly stated, people will not give up sugar, they are addicted. I said nothing, pondering their attitude i had to agree he was right.

Some businesses involved in selling sugar products know their product has an addictive element and know we will keep buying their product. Selling the product is more important than public health.

That is their right, for in reality it is not their place to have to sell healthy, life enhancing products. Their goal is to make money, pure and simple.

As mentioned in the film, it might be time to shop at the edges of the supermarket and  skip the middle rows. The time may have come to start reducing your dependence on sugar and all the negative side effects. Depressed, anxious or in sugar overload?

Our health is our responsibility and we need to start making purchases that improve the quality of our lives and that of our families.

Addiction, according to current research has more to do with filling an emotional void we feel or think exists within us. Healing our unresolved emotional hurts and building better relationships may be fastest, surest way to break any addiction.

Sugar adds sweetness to our lives. We tend to want to avoid the bitter parts of life. Our drive to stay comfortable becomes a prison, locking us into a one dimensional emotional existence. The pursuit of happiness without the opposite robs us of our happiness. We live in a world of duality, good/bad, happy/sad, etc. to seek only happiness will leave us unable to deal with sadness. Avoidng anger leaves us with passion.

Addiction can be created by avoiding one set of emotions, while pursuing another.

Learning to be emotionally honest may fill that inner void with a rainbow of colour and create a more wholistic aspect to our lives. Regaining our honesty and equilibrium will allow us to move gently through the hues of our emotional life experiences. Honouring our anger as much as our happiness empowers us.

Why do we drink or smoke?

Could it be to fit in, to feel connected with our peers, family, friends?

Is our feeling of disconnection from family, friends, lovers be leaving us feeling empty?

Few people escape the claws of addiction, some let the world see, others hide them from prying eyes.  So many of us carry emotional scars that leave us vulnerable to the easy way out of our suffering, by numbing the pain with food, drugs, sex, food, etc. It is self deception of course, we numb the pain or we become depressed, anxious or stressed just the same.

Addictions can be changed quickly and painlessly when we go to the root cause and heal it.