PRLog – Jul. 27, 2014 – MIAMI — Miami, Florida July 27, 2014

The Addictions Academy has announced that they are expanding their services to include a unique International Food Addiction Coaching Certification.

This Certification is aimed at assisting drug and alcohol therapists, addiction counselors, personal trainers, yoga teachers, nutritionists, eating disorder therapists, recovery coaches and interventionists to identify and assist their clients with food addictions. This International Certification offers 16 Continuing Education Units from NAADAC.

“We created a Food Addictions Certification that finally address the major issue that is facing most Americans, “Cali Estes, Founder said. “There are a lot of people out there with serious physical and emotional ties to food to the point that they are so unhealthy and it is affecting every area of their lives. To this point the only people trained to handle these issues are simply mental health therapists and this is not a mental health issue. It is a biochemical and emotional issue and should be treated as an addiction.

Food Addiction and cravings have been identified as compared to how drugs and alcohol affect the brain and body.  Studies show that certain foods like sugar and caffeine trigger responses in the brain similar to cocaine and the body begins to actually go through withdrawal and detox when not being provided with the foods and chemicals it is craving.

“I wanted to create a certification that is informative and comprehensive to cross train professionals in both the emotional and physical addictions of food, “Estes said. “More personal trainers, mental health therapists and addiction counselors are now dealing with these issues because their clients are more apt to discuss them. The problem is there is no comprehensive training available until now. “

The Addictions Academy provides elite certification for those seeking career credentials.  By offering NAADAC continuing education units it is easy for a therapist, social worker, doctor, marriage and family counselor or drug and alcohol counselor to obtain their yearly CEU’s and learn a new skill that will increase their client base.

In their National Food Addictions Coaching Certification, over eating, eating as punishment, addictions to sugar, caffeine, energy drinks and rotating diets are explored.  The term ‘stuffing’ and how it applies to situations of emotional numbing, similar to drug and alcohol addictions is identified and addressed. Both mental health issues and drug and alcohol addiction as it relates to food addiction are examined. Ways to uncover hidden food addictions and emotional eating issues and how to address them in the realm of addiction are taught.  All coaching forms, contracts provided with ways of handling food addiction and emotional eating verses eating disorders.

The Addictions Academy is based out of Miami Florida but offers classes live or via webinar.