The American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) define addiction as a chronic tenacious pattern of substance use and related problems. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), drug addiction is similar to other chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It also shares many features with […]
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The Next Frontier of Recovery: Emotional Sobriety
Posted byI think that many oldsters who have put our AA “booze cure” to severe but successful tests still find they often lack emotional sobriety. Perhaps they will be the spearhead for the next major development in AA — the development of much more real maturity and balance (which is to say, humility) in our relations […]
People Who Abuse Alcohol Are More Likely To Abuse Prescription Drugs
Posted byMen and women with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are 18 times more likely to report nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) than people who don’t drink at all, according to researchers at the University of Michigan. The link was documented by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and […]
Early Drinking Linked to Increased Risk of Alcohol Abuse Later in Life
Posted byData from a survey by the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcohol Abuse has increased concerns that early alcohol use may contribute to the risk of developing future alcohol problems. The national survey involved more than 43,000 adult respondents. The participants who began drinking in their early teens were not only at greater risk of […]
Interrupting: The Hidden Heart Attack Trigger
Posted byWhat are the common risk factors for a heart attack? Obesity, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure rate at the top of the list. But most heart attack victims have absolutely NO advance warning symptoms. Believe it or not, the first heart disease symptom they experience is the actual heart attack! There is a little-known […]
Co-Dependency: A Silent Killer
Posted byCo-dependency is a behavior pattern that develops as a result of prolonged exposure to, and the practice of, rules that prevent open expression of feelings and direct discussion of issues or conflicts.1 There are several types of family histories, other than addiction, that can produce co-dependency. Violence – To do physical, emotional, psychological harm, the […]
Right Now (A Poem)
Posted byIt’s nineteen years today since he last held A drink in his hand or held his breath while smoke Filled as much of him as he could stand Till, letting it out, he sought oblivion Of the trace of memory of anticipation, And his life fell into a death spiral. Since then He’s been […]
Why the World Needs 12-Step Support Groups
Posted byMy grandma was fond of saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This is something that needs to be said to researchers from the Italian Agency for Public Health in Rome who recently reported there are no advantages to a 12 step intervention program. I don’t know why researchers felt the need to study […]
Risk Taking Behavior and its Connection to Addiction
Posted byAre you a risk taker? Did you know that it is not just a behavior? It is a personality dimension (Zuckerman M, 2004). The characteristic of risk taking or novelty seeking behavior is one personality factor that is found in higher frequency in persons who become addicted to drugs and alcohol. How does risk taking […]
Being on Time: The Beginning to Recovery
Posted byI believe that knowledge is helpful and empowering. Because of this, I talk to patients about how tardiness, lack of punctuality, is an early form of addictive behavior. In other words, it is mood altering by following one’s own rules instead of life’s rules. In the addicted brain, this self-directed processing of life’s events is […]