DOPAMINE RECEPTOR DEGENERATIVE DISORDER

We live in a world of endless pleasures and quick conveniences like never before in history. Some call it the pleasure trap. Literally. With a push of a button we can have everyday conveniences from groceries and clothes, to our favorite restaurant, delivered to our doorsteps within minutes. We don't even have to leave the house anymore. Even for sex. We can get our fantasies and fetishes quenched with a few simple clicks. I couldn't help but respond to a man who commented on my Youtube channel about a video I put up this morning of my 2 cats watching birds and squirrels hopping around my deck eating sunflower seeds from my kitchen window. He was shocked that the cats were sitting so calmly, still and quiet, instead of the normal chatter and tail swishing cats often do when they see wildlife right before their eyes just a few inches away. So I told this Youtuber, this is an everyday occurance for my cats, it's nothing out of the ordinary, nothing new and exciting to cause them to react any differently than the calm demeanour. I'm sure cats who aren't lucky enough to have such conveniences as a huge window on their level, and an owner who invites wildlife to their back porch, would be behaving with the typical chatter and tail swishes that normal healthy predatory animals display! So, I told him it's kinda comparable to men who watch porn everyday. When they see a nude woman in real life it's nothing out of the ordinary, nothing new and exciting. Whereas, a healthy man who ISN'T a porn addict, would be exhibiting normal healthy behavior of excitement and agitation.  A porn addict is like any other addict. Their dopamine receptors are damaged. In order for him to experience the heightened arousal of the non addict, his brain requires much more stimuli in order to feel any excitement. I agree, the conveniences of our day are liberating and much easier, but they come at a huge cost. It's getting very weird out there.

Roles Of Humans And Animals Are Reversed

 Artist Creates Illustrations Where The Roles Of Humans And Animals Are Reversed, And The Reality Is Thought-Provoking (50 Pics)

Humans tend to take their habits for granted. Everything seems self-evident until the perspective shifts. It forces us to reflect on the way we are: humans are not all sunshine and rainbows, as the saying goes. We also have a darker side that we prefer to be swept under the rug.

Barbara Daniels has a calling to reveal these dark things that people do. She shifts the perspective by swapping roles of humans and animals, which in turn raises our awareness of how we behave with other animals, which is brutal and unethical most of the time. There's much room to grow for our species. Her illustrations are a sobering reminder that our society is far from perfect. Though we tend to admire the progress of our own species, we tend to forget that we did it at the price of others.

This is how cats are declawed. They cut off the first knuckle of each digit to declaw.

The artist also told us what the main goal of the illustrations is: "The goal of my art is to learn about our world by holding a mirror up to humanity and imagining life from the perspective of the many species dominated by the human race. It’s important to me to reverse each situation as accurately as possible, so I need to do a lot of research before beginning each piece. I learn so much from my research, and I receive a lot of feedback from people who believe that my work is spreading awareness."

Barbara gives some advice for artists or people who want to pursue art: "Don’t be afraid to tackle difficult and uncomfortable topics in your art. When I began working on this series in 2013, I received a lot of negative feedback from friends and family who couldn’t understand why I was painting such weird pictures. Although I sometimes had my own doubts, I stayed true to my vision for four years before I started getting positive feedback. Looking back, I’m happy that I didn’t give up on this idea just to please others."

The goal of my art is not to preach about what’s right or wrong. Because of the topics in my work, some people assume that I’m trying to shove a political agenda down their throats, but really I’m just an artist exploring an idea and learning more about the world every day. I actually ate meat for most of my life, but as a result of my research for this art series, I began to question my own lifestyle and became vegetarian."

https://www.boredpanda.com/social-critique-animals-reverse-roles-humans-factory-farming-unethical-behavior-bdanielsart/

DRINKERS LIVER VS NON- DRINKER

 

In a post that has now gone viral on social media platform X, a doctor posted the pictures of the liver of a "weekends only" drinker, leaving the internet shocked. He compares it with the liver of his teetotaller wife.

Alcohol is a poison. Period. Your liver works overtime to process it, and when you binge—even if it’s ‘just on weekends’—you’re overwhelming it. Over time, this leads to fatty liver, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and eventually liver failure. And guess what? By the time you feel the symptoms, it's already too late. This man didn’t just wake up one day with a failing liver. He spent years slowly killing it, one drink at a time, while probably telling himself, 'It’s not that bad.'

Dr Cyriac Abby Philips, famously known as ‘The Liver Doc’, often posts pictures and stories of his patients. He is an avid social media user and also debunks several myths around liver health.

In a recent post, he shared the two pictures and wrote, “Hello. Just wanted to show the inside of the liver of a 32 year old, ‘weekends only’ alcohol-drinking man, and the healthy donor liver of his wife, that he received, that will help him survive to see their little daughter grow up".

In the post, the wife's liver looks healthy, but the drinker's liver is dark and spotty.

Irrespective of popular belief, research has now shown that even a small consumption of alcohol could have a harmful impact on a person's health. There is no safe quantity of alcohol consumption. It impacts not only the liver but other organs like heart and brain as well.

https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/liverdoc-weekend-drinking-man-extremely-damaged-liver-alcohol-even-once-a-week-liver-to-malfunction-9713168/lite/

Dr Cyriac Abby Philips, the Indian doctor who shared his post on the effects of alcohol consumption on the liver. (File Photo, X@theliverdr)

https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/297397/view/liver-post-mortem

EVEN ONE DRINK A DAY INCREASES CANCER RISK

 

Just one alcoholic drink a day can increase your risk of cancer. But most Americans don’t know the dangers, new survey says.

BYLINDSEY LEAKE

December 5, 2024 at 6:30 AM EST

While the immediate dangers of alcohol, such as blackouts and impaired driving, are well-known, the substance’s ties to cancerapparently aren’t. Most Americans (60%) are unaware that drinking alcohol increases their risk of cancer, per a new survey conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) at the University of Pennsylvania.

Public health messages about the risks associated with drinking alcohol have to overcome the effects of decades of sophisticated marketing and positive media portrayals,” Patrick Jamieson, PhD, director of APPC’s Annenberg Health and Risk Communication Institute, said in a news release about the survey.

Beer, wine, liquor all tied to cancer

If you consume alcohol at all, you’re at risk. Whether your go-to beverage is beer, wine, or liquor, all alcoholic drinks are associated with cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Your body metabolizes the ethanol in your drink into a possible carcinogen called acetaldehyde. This toxic chemical can damage your DNA, creating ruined cells capable of turning into cancer. And that’s just one way alcohol can heighten your risk of the disease. Alcohol can increase your blood levels of estrogen, a sex hormone linked to breast cancer risk, as well as hamper your ability to absorb and break down nutrients thought to be associated with cancer risk, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Alcohol ups your odds of developing these types of cancer, per the American Cancer Society: 

• Breast (in women)
• Colon and rectum
• Esophagus
• Liver
• Mouth 
• Throat (pharynx)
• Voice box (larynx)

In addition, the CDC notes that alcohol may increase the risk of prostate cancer in men, and research has shown that drinking three or more alcoholic beverages a day increases your risk of stomach and pancreatic cancers. Annually, alcohol-related cancers kill about 20,000 adults nationwide.

The more you drink, regularly and over time, the higher your chances of developing cancer, the NCI says—even if you consume only one drink a day. And once the damage has been done, it can take years to reverse, if at all. One study, for example, showed that it would take more than 35 years for former drinkers to lower their risks of laryngeal and pharyngeal cancers to those of people who don’t drink.

DISTURBING TRUTH ABOUT CIRCUMCISION

 

I CURED MY DISEASE!!

In a sick society, drinking ethanol is normal, sexy, cool, and heavily glorified. ( just like cigarettes were) Giving it up forever is not. Who wants to be looked at as an alcoholic with a lifelong disease when they can be looked at as normal, cool, sexy and fun? NOBODY. And that's why nobody wants to question their relationship with booze. 

I'm no miracle worker. I didn't cure any disease. I just chose to stop drinking a poison that made me feel, look, and behave like shit. It’s not willpower it’s determination. After a few months the cravings went away, and after a year or so I broke the decades long habit. Just like when I quit smoking. And toxic relationships. And eating mostly processed food. Anyone can do it if they truly want it. 

I never miss drinking poison. It's not a one day at a time kinda thing, and I don't need meetings or chips as motivation. The truth is, I can't crave or miss what I don't want. Everything in life is a frame of mind and once we change our thoughts, we change our beliefs so we can then break bad habits. Once we break bad habits we change our life.

It's insane to hear former drinkers label themselves as alcoholics burdened with an incurable disease. They need to change their thinking or they will never be free, which is why AA has such a low success rate. Instead of thinking they are missing out for not "being able" to drink (poison) ”normally” they need to believe they did themselves a HUGE favor and never have to drink that filth ever again! They will be healthier and happier, just as an ex smoker would feel. These types of thinkers NEVER have the desire to go back to drinking poison. Instead of looking at drinkers as being "normal" or lucky to be able to "handle” a Class 1 carcinogen that brings out the worst in people, they should pity them for how stupid they behave, how unhealthy they look, wasting their entire next day hungover and useless. Mindset is everything!!!

People who make the choice to stop drinking poison aren't diseased, or unfortunate. They are fortunate, and wise. Just like ex smokers. People who continue drinking are in denial for thinking there's anything beneficial about drinking ethanol, and that life would suck without it. (People used to think cigarettes were beneficial.) They ignore their own bodies screaming STOP feeding me poison! By definition, THEY are diseased. Look up the definition of disease.  Those are the symptoms of drinkers. Not non-drinkers. Drinking or not drinking is a choice. Not a disease. Enough with the absurdity. 

Alcoholic is no longer the scientific term for ethanol addicts. The new scientific term is “Alcohol Use Disorder.” 

 You may have AUD if one or more of these statements is true:

• You can't relax or fall asleep without drinking.
• You need a drink in the morning to get going.
• To be social, you have to drink.
• Alcohol serves as your escape from feelings.
• After drinking, you drive.
• You mix alcohol and medications.
• You drink when you're pregnant or caring for small children.
• When loved ones ask how much you drink, you don't tell the truth.
• You hurt people or become angry when you drink.
• It's tough for you to remember what you did when you were drinking.
• Your responsibilities suffer because of your drinking.
• Drinking has caused you legal problems.
• You tried to stop drinking but failed.
• You can't stop thinking about drinking.
• To feel the effects of alcohol, you have to drink more and more.
• You have withdrawal symptoms after you stop drinking for too long, like shakiness, nausea, trouble sleeping, or seizures.

Most drinkers I know have most of these symptoms. And it’s only a CHRONIC disorder if you continue drinking even though it’s hurting your social life, your job, or your health.

Meaning, non-drinkers don’t have a disorder. Only drinkers. 

The word alcoholic is a derogatory word. It's so derogatory that anyone who abuses alcohol refuses to admit it for fear of being labeled “alcoholic”. No other former addict (smoker, heroine junkie, pothead) gets a lifelong label like that. Why? Because it’s heavily marketed and glorified by big alcohol and everyone is doing it and if you’re not then you must have a problem. 

Which brings me to the question..what power do people get by vehemently choosing to identify as a lifelong alcoholic?

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/what-is-alcohol-abuse

NO SUCH THING AS ALCOHOLIC

9 REASONS NO SUCH THING AS ALCOHOLIC

PART II

Maybe, identifying as an alcoholic gives people power? They have a disease therefore, an excuse to fail at whatever they want to get away with? "Oh, she has a disease, let's not be so hard on her" "She’s an alcoholic, therefore has to work harder than the rest of us" It's a license to be pitied and coddled like a child instead of an adult with responsibilities, choices and consequences. 

Identifying as an alcoholic could be a ticket to get away with all kinds of nonsense. It's powerful and comforting. I never understood why people in AA, insist on being called lifelong alcoholics who are soldiering through life to stay off the bottle. Why else would someone want to be identified with a lifelong disease that is completely out of their control? A lot of folks don't give up the booze for fear of being looked at in this way. So why do others embrace it like a security blanket?  

Maybe because they love identifying as a perpetual victim of circumstance. It gives them a crutch to fall back on when they don't want to do what everyone else in life is expected to do. "I'm just this way" is a license to stay a certain way and never evolve into your higher self. So everyone walks on eggshells around the diseased one, who has no other choice. 

Words are spells, they have power over our subconscious. That's why they call it spelling. We cast spells on ourselves and others everyday with our words. So telling ourselves that we have an uncontrollable disease, will keep us frozen and stagnant. But, if we identify with the things we actually DO and ARE, science shows that we can in fact rewire our brains creating new pathways and new behaviors. Who do you want to be? Whatever we tell ourselves, that's who we will become. Careful with what spells you put on yourself, it can change your world around. 

Sadly, most people hate change and choose to remain lifelong victims, craving pity and endless pats on the back for their ability to crawl through life with the shackles of alcoholism around their feet, as an acceptable excuse for their every blip in life, without having to take full responsibility for their choices and consequences. 

P.S.

Some like to tell me that I was never REALLY an alcoholic because I don’t crave or miss alcohol. Somehow it's unfathomable to think an ex drinker can live a happy life without the desire to ever drink. I know plenty of ex smokers who no longer miss cigarettes once they break the habit. In fact, they cringe when they think about it and look at smokers with disgust wondering how they could be so stupid smoking that nasty thing. But for some reason, ex drinkers go to their graves with a longing for booze. Maybe because everywhere you look alcohol is being shoved down our throats? I know if cigarettes were still advertised as sexy, cool and harmless like it once was, I would definitely have a problem not lighting up again. I blame big alcohol for their endless false advertising. 

There's no question that I was addicted to alcohol from ages 14 to 41. I needed it to be social, relax, celebrate, mourn, and have sex. When I had kids, I would fill up my thermos with wine and bring it to their sports practices and games and drive them home while intoxicated. I had many cuts stitched up and broken bone surgeries from falling down stairs to horse riding accidents while drunk. I wasted many days trading quality time with my family and friends for nursing hangovers while I detoxified from ethanol poisoning. I got in horrible fights, some physical, with the people I loved and cared about. I lied a lot to others and especially to myself. I tried and failed many times to quit, even using hypnotherapy. I even gave AA a shot, but I hated the vibe and never went back. 

Does this sound like someone who had an alcohol problem? Well, nobody told me I had a problem, in fact I had many friends and family who supported my drinking and they still to this day say they had no idea I had a problem with alcohol. And the ones who are still alive today, many have died from alcohol, still drink heavily and proudly according to social media. They do show support by congratulating me on my sobriety, while in the same breath insisting they have no problem controling their drinking...

I know it's unusual to hear ex-drinkers say they don't miss drinking and don't attend AA meetings in order to “stay on the wagon”. But that's no reason to insinuate they never had a drinking problem, because they believe real alcoholics die alcoholics, and must keep coming back to AA just to stay alive. 

Diabetes and hypertension can be genetic but healthy diet and exercise can prevent it. Alcohol addiction can be genetic, but not drinking can prevent it. It's the only disease that can be turned on and off by the diseased. Some people love cigarettes after the first puff and get addicted while others don't. So what? Do we call them diseased for getting addicted? There's big money to be made in that logic.