For many dealing with substance abuse issues, staying abstinent requires addressing co-occurring mental disorders such as PTSD, anxiety, or schizophrenia. Taking on the challenges that come with recovery is difficult; so it is not surprising that most people feel apprehensive or even downright gloomy during the first few months of sobriety. For a large percentage of the recovering community, … [Read more...]
Marshall Mathers’ Story and Sobriety Through Exercise
Marshall Mathers, most commonly known as the rapper Eminem, is one of the most famous musicians on the planet. He’s sold millions of records, sound tracked movies, and has won an Academy Award, but at the end of the day he is just like every other human being. No amount of money or fame can ever buy someone perfect health and just like so many other musicians, Mathers suffered from a crippling … [Read more...]
Drip, Drop, Dead: The Truth about Morphine Abuse
Morphine is an opiate painkiller used to treat moderate to severe pain. It is a prescription drug that is sold under several brand names including Kadian, Avinza, and Roxanol. The drug works by acting on the Central Nervous System (CNS) to decrease painful sensations. When taken as prescribed, morphine is incredibly effective at helping patients feel more comfortable, but it has the potential for … [Read more...]
Rolling the Dice: Warning Signs of a Gambling Addiction
Addiction can take many different forms. While drugs and alcohol are the most common causes of addiction, there are many other vices that can be just as damaging to a person’s physical and mental health. Gambling addiction, for instance, is a compulsive behavior in which a person has the uncontrollable urge to gamble despite the negative repercussions it may have. Those with gambling addiction are … [Read more...]
How to Manage Holiday Depression
For many, the holidays are the highlight of the year. After Halloween passes, people eagerly anticipate the festivities of Thanksgiving, Hanukah, Christmas, and New Years. As the season changes, many people look forward to spending time with family and friends, reflecting on the past year together, looking ahead to everything that the New Year will bring. While many people are buzzing with … [Read more...]
The Outdated Addiction Industry – Moving Beyond Motivational Interviewing
Regardless of your political views, Chris Christie’s town-hall talk about addiction and how we treat addicts in our society is worth watching: Christie’s mom was fortunate not to have faced any stigma when battling lung cancer. But stigmas surrounding addiction, including stigmas regarding medical complications due to drug use, … [Read more...]
“Selfie” Addiction is Nothing to Smile About
With the rise of social media, people everywhere are constantly updating each other on their activities, thoughts, and ideas via status updates and photo posts. Social media has also contributed to the rise of the “selfie”—a picture taken of oneself that is subsequently uploaded to social media sites. There is no rhyme or reason to the selfie, and there are no rules to follow. Some selfies are … [Read more...]
Is Vaping Leading to Long-Term Addiction?
Smoking is one of the leading causes of death both in the United States and around the world. Every year, nearly 480,000 American can be attributed to cigarette smoking. That equates to approximately one out of five deaths. It can negatively affect nearly every organ in a person’s body, as well as their overall health. Despite increased awareness of the risks associated with smoking, it continues … [Read more...]
The Complexities of Addiction: A Reaction to Johann Hari’s TED Talk
Today at Sober College, the treatment center where I work, a colleague picked up a copy of Jonathan Hari’s book Chasing the Scream. After a few of us who had read the book began to talk about the merits and the criticisms of Hari’s work, we were all prompted to sit at my associate’s computer and watch Hari’s TED talk. For those of you who haven’t seen it, here it is: All of us in that office– … [Read more...]