The Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea are supplied by the exact same water source. Water flows down from Mt. Hermon into the Sea of Galilee and then out of it to enrich and fertilize the Jordan plain. Water also comes down from Mt. Hermon to form the Dead Sea, but it has no […]
Archive for the ‘Substance Abuse’ Category
Healthy Relationships as Alternative Medicine
Posted byWhat is alternative about alternative medicine? Increasingly we note that main stream pharmaceutical companies are mass producing and selling the most popular herbal remedies such as St. John’s Wort and echinacea-goldenseal. Acupuncture is now covered by some insurance companies for certain medical problems. Recently, I was at an addictions conference and a former medical school […]
Anger and Alcohol
Posted byRecently I was speaking at a CLE program about lawyers, and chemical addiction. I talked about the need to understand the signals one gets from the dashboard of the physical/mental/emotional vehicle that we call the self. After the program I talked with a lawyer who told me that the only emotion he was aware of […]
Anger The Drug
Posted by“Anger is liquor to the “dry drunk” alcoholic. Once anger comes in, just like alcohol, it has to wear itself out; it goes through the body just like liquor.” These were the words of a PALS volunteer to me recently. They struck home. I have been working with lawyers and judges dealing with alcohol issues […]
AA and the Question of Anonymity
Posted bySome time ago, I had the opportunity to have an e-mail discussion about anonymity with a law student who was trying to decide whether he should disclose information about being an alcoholic and in recovery in connection with applying for a judicial clerkship. The conversation got me thinking about how we deal with this time-honored […]
Asking the Hard Questions About Alcoholism
Posted byThe alcoholic came first. At least that is the answer from recent alcoholism research on the often asked chicken or egg question of which came first: the alcoholic personality or the alcoholic. In an effort to increase our understanding of alcoholism and develop more effective treatment programs alcohol researchers are studying the development of the […]
Becoming a Better Lawyer: Identifying Addiction
Posted by“It’s just coke that you smoke,” the dealer said. “It’s direct.” John drew on the pipe and blasted off into the ecstatic edge of consciousness. This was John’s escape from the problems, as well as the responsibilities, of his practice and his relationships. Although it was not John’s intent to become addicted, he did. Within […]
Brain Neuroplasticity and Addiction
Posted byFor a long time there has been much research on addiction but there hasn’t been much research on the solution. I like to talk about recovery, the solution. Now for the first time there is exciting research about recovery. Using addictive drugs can evolve from controlled social use into the compulsive relapsing disorder that characterizes addiction. This […]
Cave Paintings, Substance Abuse and Lawyers
Posted byOne of the most dramatic struggles in pre-history recorded in the Bible and myths of old was the conflict between the old order of hunter-gatherers and the new order of farmers. Gradually of course the farmers won, but not entirely. In a way the struggle still goes on in the neurochemistry of our brains. And […]
Choosing Your God
Posted by“You can’t solve a problem with the very mind that created it.” Albert Einstein Often I find myself being told, “Don, I would like to get sober but doesn’t AA involve God, and I don’t know about that God stuff?” Or, “I would like to come to the depression support group, but is it okay […]