Alcohol, Marijuana, and Motor Vehicle Accidents: A Lethal Combination for Young People
Alcohol, Marijuana, and Motor Vehicle Accidents: A Lethal Combination for Young People Alcohol and marijuana are among the drugs most commonly used by adolescents and young adults. Use is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality for young people, especially motor vehicle crash fatality, which is a leading cause of death among those 18 to 25 […]
What’s the Difference Between Addiction and Obsession?
What’s the Difference Between Addiction and Obsession? When the average person thinks about addiction, they may think about someone who is dependent on drugs, alcohol, tobacco, shopping or gambling. People who suffer from addiction many times also have other co-occurring disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. Addiction vs. Obsession There is a strong correlation between addiction […]
The Danger of Alcohol-Interactive Prescription Medications
The Danger of Alcohol-Interactive Prescription Medications Alcohol interacts negatively with numerous commonly prescribed medications. Yet, most drinkers do not understood about use of alcohol-interactive (AI) prescription medications. This is concerning since the majority of Americans consume alcoholic beverages, never knowing the potential danger they are in. A new study has found that almost 42 percent […]
Potential of Psilocybin in Mental Health Therapy
Potential of Psilocybin in Mental Health Therapy Over the past 50 years, tens of millions of people have used entheogens, yet there just is not much scientific evidence on either positive or negative long-term effects of these substances. The classical psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin, etc.) are not known to cause brain damage and are regarded as […]
Recovery and Resilience Connection
Recovery and Resilience Connection Resilience is defined as the ability to recover from setbacks, adapt well to change, and keep going in the face of adversity. Learning to become more resilient can offer individuals the opportunity to improve their life, maximizing potential and success. As Diane Coutu so eloquently explains in How Resilience Works: “Resilient […]
The Health Risks of Binge Drinking
The Health Risks of Binge Drinking Drinkers generally understand how binge drinking alters behavior. However, more than behavior changes with intoxication. Binge drinking is a significant cause of accidents. It increases the risk of falls, burns, gunshot wounds, car accidents, arguments and poisoning. Consider these sobering facts about how we drink: About 90% of the […]
The Amazing Benefit of Animals on Health
The Amazing Benefit of Animals on Health Pet therapy is a broad term that includes animal-assisted therapy and other animal-assisted activities. Animal-assisted therapy is a growing field that uses dogs or other animals to help people recover from or better cope with health problems, such as heart disease, cancer and mental health disorders. Animal-assisted activities, […]
How Alcohol Affects Blood Chemistry and Diabetes
How Alcohol Affects Blood Chemistry and Diabetes Alcohol affects the body in many ways resulting in changes that can negatively impact some chronic conditions more than others. Not only can an alcoholic drink be a bad idea to mix with certain medications, but it can also change the blood chemistry. This can be life threatening […]
Are You “Addicted” to Staying Connected?
Are You “Addicted” to Staying Connected? Can people be addicted to playing computer games or checking Facebook or email? Almost all universally recognized addictions are for substances such as drugs, alcohol and tobacco, because non-substance addictions, called “process disorders,” are so difficult to pin down. Now scientists are investigating addiction to the internet, cell phones […]
Changing Cues that Encourage Addiction
Changing Cues that Encourage Addiction The brain controls not only the body, but also motivation and learning. New insight into neurodegenerative disorders such as addiction is providing hope for better understanding of brain processes during substance abuse. Previous research has shown that drug abuse and addiction physically alter the connections between neurons (synapses) that are […]