Humans seem to be chemically dependent. Including me! Wow there is so much for us to partake in, carbs, caffeine, proteins, and pain relievers. That’s just the legal stuff. Some are natural and some not so natural… I’m not hating on it. Chemical dependence can be healthy too.

Chemicals whether natural or man-made make modern life possible and comfortable. At some point in our lives we make choices based on chemicals. Some of my circle embrace all modern, and some not so modern chemicals offered. Some of my peeps go au naturel to save the planet or for health.

What do chemicals do for us? For me they can make me feel better. They can tempt and tease. The payback may be just what you need or it can be hell on earth. I am easily addicted. Here’s the thing, all of the items I’ve been addicted to are legal. I’m a legal kind of gal and still have gotten into major trouble with things as simple as aspirin and colas. Let me tell you. Withdrawal sucks even if its aspirin. Try to avoid it if you can.

At eighteen due to headaches caused by undiagnosed glucose intolerance I was taking twenty to thirty aspirin to get through the day. The doctor looked me and asked if I had a stomach left. Woo Boy. He had me go off aspirin immediately (emphasis on the word “IMMEDIATELY”) and ordered a full glucose tolerance test (not fun either). Three days in hell followed. As I spent those days in bed practically delirious. It made me think, if aspirin did that to me? What would “real” drugs do?

Well marijuana (from secondhand smoke, Yes I did inhale) makes me the ice princess (As dubbed by my friends. Who told me, I could never have any again), Percocet (from a surgery) makes me irritable, and codeine (from my C-section) made me feel so good its scary (I didn’t get the refill). Oh and tobacco makes my throat close. Whew! Step away from the drugs Milly.

So I turned to other chemicals to get me going. Some good and some…uh…not so much. I became an adrenaline junkie (can you say drama queen! with jazz hands!), caffeine fanatic, sugar and carb crazy, essential oil scented, vitamin fanatic etc.… At first when something makes me feel good I tend to go to the extreme. Take sodas for example, in my twenties I would drink a six-pack of cola a day. Can you say weight problems? Oh yeah! One time I took so many vitamins with breakfast. You know, I had to cover every possibility. I threw them all up. I’ve learned to give up somethings like sodas (three-day hangover headache – Not fun). And temper others like supplements (doctors are really good at helping me sort it out!).

My biggest chemical dependence is right now is coffee! The “C” Caffeine! I don’t go far without my coffee, tea, and/or water. These are the only things I drink (now). It’s gotten to the point where one peep calls me the “coffee whore.” All in good fun {wink}. Ssh! I keep this addiction under wraps from my docs… Yikes one will know because that Doc reads my blog…Well I think they’ve figured it out already {shrug}. Since, I’ve eliminated cakes, cookies, ice cream, and candies (but not dark chocolate. Oh No! not the dark! As I wag my finger at the screen) I think they’ll let me slide on the coffee.

In my defense I stop the caffeine consumption by 2 p.m. because I actually like sleep better than coffee! Nonetheless as I look back and find I have come a long way from where I started. In 2008 I was in severe pain and 210 pounds. Even though I’m curvy that is a lot on a five foot three inch frame. Slowly step by step I made it to the point where I hover at about 175. I’ve got my eye 160.

Here’s my reasoning, the weight at which I felt the best was in college. I was 145. I ate anything I wanted BUT I walked everywhere and I ran three times a week. I figure, now that I’m fifty-*cough* …em…er… I deserve the freshman fifteen. That puts me at 160. There is a smug smile on my face. Now I just have to begin my next chemical dependence. It’s a good one I promise. We are all chemically engineered by the great chemist you know. For example clean eating helps my body function better chemically and as a result I feel better. I want to become chemically dependent on exercise!

This is one habit I’ve struggled with. My new challenge is to go back to walking daily. The beauty of walking is I don’t injure myself as easily. I am klutz. If you look up klutz in the official dictionary of Milly’s Realm’s you see one word, “Milly.” Anyway, I get injuries if I’m not careful so, walking is best for me. I started again this week. Exercise creates a wonderful chemical cascade in the body. The bonus for me is: If I can get 20 to 30 minutes outside with some UV light every day, I can kick-start serotonin uptake which helps calm my sensitivities and headaches. The great chemist designed us to use the chemicals around us. It is up to us to learn what is good for us specifically, and use wisdom to apply our knowledge sensibly.

I am in awe of how we are designed biologically. Use what the Great Chemist has provided and your bio shell wisely today.

Milly

P.S. I got a bit off track last week. This post was difficult. I didn’t realize how much I have learned about my personal bio shell over the last few decades. I had to split this into at least two more posts. This subject is on my heart right now so I’m sticking with it. Since Thursday is Thanksgiving, and Sunday/Monday and Wednesday/Thursday are my personal deadlines to post; I will post tomorrow and Tuesday…and Maybe…Wednesday. Lord Willing! Next up – “The Pink Elephant in the Room.”  Thank you for all the follows and likes. Mwah! To my online Peeps!