Addiction is well understood by clinical psychologists to be a brain condition resulting from impaired cerebral function. Anxiety is understood to be, at least in part, a combination of genetic factors, environmental stress, and personal idiosyncrasies. Or in other words, it is a cocktail combo of the influence from parental genes, cues in your surrounding
Category: Other Disorders
3 Reasons Your Friend Isn’t Ready to Quit
There are numerous examples of people who were unwilling to get help for their addiction and, for one reason or another, forced into sobriety. These stories are surprisingly positive, as the majority of these cases have experienced long term success in recovery. The fact is, the very nature of addiction is that you do not
Is Social Media the 13th Step?
Human beings, like many other animals, exhibit a tendency to emulate each other’s behavior. The more individuals behave in a particular way, the more powerful the tendency becomes. To a degree, we become like those we spend the most time with. This is called “herd mentality”. It is a phrase that describes how we are
How Does Ecstasy Affect the Body?
Ecstasy has several primary effects on the major systems of the body. The full extent of the impact of this drug affects the entire body, however. Of the primary effects, the most common is stimulation of the nervous system. Ecstasy increases the amounts of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine levels in the brain to generate a
Family Drug Intervention in 5 steps
Enough emphasis cannot be placed on the importance of planning when it comes to family drug interventions. One wrong word and the addict can be immediately put on the defensive, refusing to listen to anyone and shutting down in response to the message of the intervention. It is imperative that each person’s words in an
The Hunger Doesn’t Care
Hunger. Thirst. Desire. Need. Craving. Jonesing. The ultimate feature of addiction is that uncontrollable and unending need for more. It’s the whole driving force of unrestrained destructive behavior in the quest to pursue your drug. As addicts and alcoholics we can sometimes underestimate this fearsome enemy that haunts our dreams and destroys our lives. Like
Addiction Changes the Reward Centers of the Brain
Drug addiction is one of the most mysterious and confusing dilemmas in the human experience. It’s been that way for a long time, we’re just now getting it under the clinical observation of medical professionals in an attempt to truly answer the question; Why do we get addicted? To understand how addiction works and why
10 Signs You’re an Enabler
When someone in your life develops a substance addiction, the resulting fallout affects everyone in the family, as well as friends and coworkers. It’s a heartbreaking situation and as a parent or family member, you want only to offer all the love and support you can manage. However, sometimes this well-intentioned need to be helpful
Our Culture of Alcohol Glorification
When a drug addict comes out of recovery, having undergone treatment for narcotics or opiates, the struggle to stay clean is real. However, at least for these addictions the culture around you supports your abstinence because these drugs are usually illegal to buy or possess and use is often frowned upon by the majority of
Adolescence is a Key Time to Prevent Addiction
Few would deny the struggles and anxiety posed by adolescence and the prospect of transitioning from childhood into adulthood. It’s a time fraught with all sorts of confusing feelings, growth spurts, voice changes, and romantic interests. On top of all that you’re figuring out who you are as a person and what kind of man