The Amen Anti-Addiction Intervention: Theoretical Foundations of a Novel Neurotrophic Protocol for the Prevention and Treatment of Addiction

The Amen Anti-Addiction Intervention (AAI) is an austere regimen intended to eradicate addictive impulses and behaviors. The theoretical and empirical foundations of this intervention are explicated herein. The AAI entails daily cyclic fasting, chronic caloric restriction, supplementation with specific neutraceutical agents, rigorous exercise, and minimalist meditation. The physiological focus of the AAI is twofold: the augmentation of neurogenesis in a manner analogous to the effect of psychotropic drugs and the activation of areas in the brain involved in the regulation of emotional arousal and reward. The psychological focus of the AAI is similarly twofold: the attenuation of anxiety and/or impulsivity and the cultivation of mental mastery and/or self-control. It shall be argued that the AAI, by virtue of its explicit integration of biological, psychological, and sociological elements—each of which evidently influences addiction—will plausibly be an improvement over existing interventions aimed at the treatment of addiction.