NMA Chats: From Hitting Rock Bottom to Helping Others Live Their Best Lives with Adam Sud
Dec 19, 2023
auto_awesome
Adam Sud, a former addict turned behavioral wellness & nutrition expert, shares his powerful story of hitting rock bottom and entering rehab. He discusses topics such as the influence of family, bullying, addiction to Adderall, impact of environment on behavior, and the importance of self-exploration. The podcast wraps up with a discussion on living each day with empathy and kindness.
Addiction is a product of survival instincts gone astray, seeking relief and comfort.
Assess the impact of substances or coping mechanisms on your life and well-being.
Shift perspectives and reshape your environment to align with your desired well-being.
Deep dives
Understanding Addiction as a Solution
Addiction is a solution to something, a misguided self-care approach to deal with life's challenges and create a sense of safety and control. Dopamine, our internal guidance system, helps us determine the right moves to survive. However, in today's modern environment, our instincts are not adapted to the abundance and variety of stimuli available. Substance use, like drugs or alcohol, can provide an intense dopamine response that makes tomorrow feel secure, even if it's a short-term illusion. It's important to recognize that addiction is a product of survival instincts gone astray, seeking relief and comfort. It's not a matter of being labeled an addict, but rather understanding the role substances play in your life and considering whether they are displacing your ability to care for yourself and your well-being.
Recognizing the Displacement of Coping Mechanisms
For those who use substances or engage in other behaviors as coping mechanisms, it's essential to assess the impact on your life and well-being. Even if it doesn't meet the criteria of addiction, if you find yourself questioning the extent of your use or feeling it may be displacing other aspects of your life, it's worth exploring. Run an experiment to evaluate how different choices can affect your overall well-being and align with your desired life. Define your priorities and values, focusing on how you want to feel physically, emotionally, and socially. Then, create an environment that supports those goals, modifying your surroundings, finding supportive friends or communities, and establishing healthy habits that promote the life you envision.
Shifting Perspectives and Environment
To bring about positive change, it's crucial to shift perspectives and actively reshape your environment. Start by identifying your desired feelings and values, then take intentional steps to match your environment to those aspirations. Create a supportive physical space, ensuring easy access to healthy food options, for example. Surround yourself with individuals who embody the behaviors and lifestyles you aspire to have. While transitioning can be difficult and require effort, it's important to strive for an environment that encourages the behaviors that align with your desired well-being. By doing so, you can create a life that feels safe, secure, and hopeful – a life where positive choices come more naturally, leading to profound changes and personal growth.
Changing story of addiction and recovery
The podcast episode explores how the traditional narrative of addiction being a disease and the only solution being abstinence may not be a complete or accurate understanding. The speaker shares their own story of transformation, finding love and purpose, and dedicating their life to helping people understand addiction, anxiety, and depression. They discuss the importance of connecting with loving and meaningful bonds with oneself, others, purposeful work, and the natural world in order to have a fulfilling life. Addiction is seen as an adaptive behavioral response to a life that feels unsafe, disconnected, and lacking in purpose.
Exploring the role of nature and awe in recovery
The podcast delves into the significance of nature and the experience of awe in addiction recovery. The speaker introduces the concept of biophilia, the biological response humans have to nature, and the calming effect of green and blue colors. They highlight the importance of connecting with nature in order to fully understand our place in the world and enhance our overall well-being. The feeling of awe, which allows us to be fully present and engaged, is emphasized as a key aspect of recovery. By occupying the mindset of an explorer and consciously connecting with nature, individuals can experience a deeper sense of aliveness and meaningful connection, improving their overall recovery journey.
For much of his life, Adam Sud considered every new day worse than the previous. It wasn't until he hit rock bottom and entered rehab did he begin to have a different outlook on life. Today Adam is a behavioral wellness & nutrition expert, international speaker, and the founder and CEO of Plant Based for Positive Change, where he uses plant-based nutrition, mindfulness practices, and wellness to transform lives. In today's episode, Adam shares his powerful story and leaves you with takeaways you'll be thinking about for weeks.
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
