Addiction-Free: Stages of Change 1

Running head: ADDICTION-FREE: STAGES OF CHANGE

Addiction-Free: Stages of Change

Márcio Padilha

College of Southern Idaho

ADDS 201 – Goffin

Fall/2009
 Addiction-Free: Stages of Change 2

Addiction-Free: Stages of Change

Precontemplation:

Despite having had multiple negative results, I do exhibit Hypoglycemia Symptoms,

such as nervousness, sweating, intense hunger, trembling, weakness, palpitations, and

often trouble speaking when I go without food for too long. Knowing that there is history of

diabetes mellitus in my family, my father-in-law has been on my case, alleging my daily

sugar intake is excessive. As the four medical tests I have taken in two different countries

have always turned out within normal range, my daily sugar intake has never been a point

of personal concern to me.

Contemplation:

Upon being prompted with this assignment, i.e. giving up something for two weeks

and observing the resulting physio-psychological changes, the issue of my alleged excessive

sugar intake came to mind instantly.

Preparation:

With the thought of a temporary suspension on my sugar intake, several collateral

thoughts came to mind right away: Should I? Could I? Would I? In the end, I decided I

would, despite not yet knowing if I could, while definitely thinking I shouldn’t; and, in order

to overcome the initial defiance, I stipulated a date when I would begin the experiment:

Sunday, August 30, 2009 at midnight.

Whereas I initially thought I would use that interim to convince myself to drop the

use of sugar, I soon realized that time would best serve for a major sugar binge. While
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doing groceries, I couldn’t help but notice that, as the Devil would have it, ice cream was on

sale for 99¢ a quart. So, I bought twenty different flavors, which I ate ad nausium. In the

end, I had substituted water intake for soft drink.

Action:

August 31, 2009 came and then I realized I had set this experiment to start on my

birthday. Some birthday! In any event, for most of that day, I did crave sweets and the

mental pictures of all those ice cream boxes in the freezer came to mind as an obsession

and with that came another collateral thought: why was I thinking of the ice cream so

much? Was it because there was a physiological change in terms of the chemical reactions

taking place, or not, in my body in light of the sudden drop in sugar? Or was it merely a

psychological attachment? Or was it both? The only conclusion I had, by the end of the first

day, is that I better get a good grade out of this assignment.

Maintenance:

On the second day of the experiment, September 1, 2009, I started feeling highs and

lows, in terms of energy which made me reassert the plan by redefining what “sugar

intake” meant and, in doing so, the conclusion is as follows: I would not intake table sugar,

ice cream, soft drinks, candy, chocolate or any other blatant sweet item, which, in turned,

opened the door for a clear migration patterned exhibited through naturally sweetened

items. With that new set of parameters asserted, that day, I caught myself browsing the

grocery store specifically for some naturally sweetened items. I bought three apples and

devoured them at the parking lot. I couldn’t help but notice how sweet and good those
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apples tasted; that amidst the thought that I have always actually hated apples. That night, I

also had the hardest time falling asleep.

The next day, September 2, 2009, was not that bad. However, each time I would

notice a craving for sweets, I would eat a piece of cheese or a hard-boiled egg or a piece of

toast, or some other non-sweet item. I also had difficulty sleeping that night, too.

On the fourth day, September 3, 2009, I was working as a Substitute Teacher at a

High School and, in light of being very busy with a lot of interpersonal interacting, I did not

notice the cravings much. There were some difficulty sleeping at night, though.

Miscommunication which took place on the fifth day, September 4, 2009, nearly

brought me to a relapse. Both my wife and I work with the school system. So, after work, I

called her and asked how long it would take her to get home, to which she replied it would

be about 30 minutes. Whereas I was expecting her to come home and have a meal with me,

she merely understood, ipsis literis, “how long it would be before she would be getting

home”, which, in typical fashion, actually took her two and one half hours more than the

initially appraised 30 minutes. Three hours into the waiting, my electrolytes dropped and I

was shaking; plotting to devour anything, sweet or not, in front of me while concurrently

aware that would be a bad choice, in accordance to the plan. I resisted, but it felt borderline

physical pain.

The next day, September 5, 2009, went ok for most part. I had one craving here or

there, but nothing too much out of the ordinary.

On the seventh and eighth days, September 6 and 7, 2009, I did not notice much of

any type of cravings during the day time. Nevertheless, I did wake up repeatedly during the
 Addiction-Free: Stages of Change 5

night and had to eat some small item each time in order to be able to relax and go back to

sleep.

Final day, September 8, 2009, was the one day I decided to put something to the test.

Early in the morning, I bought a chocolate bar and had a small piece of it. At that time, the

taste was too uncomfortably intense and sickening, so I didn’t proceed eating.

Nevertheless, in the afternoon, I was having a full bowl of ice cream, which made me realize

the praxis of the Jellinek Curve.

Conclusion

As non-addict, or maybe so I thought, I often wondered about the praxis of many of

the theoretical concepts we study about in class, such as withdrawal symptoms, the

migration pattern and relapse-related issues. There are indeed physio-psychological issues

that take place which are beyond one’s control, which are important for the therapist be

aware of. Out of all the issues, migration is the one which was extrinsically and undeniably

denoted by my weight. At the beginning of this experiment, I weighed 230 lbs. and at its

end I weighed 233 lbs.