Seven Signs You Need to Find a New Therapist
Seven Signs You Need to Find a New Therapist I am always sad to hear of an individual or couple giving up on important help after one or two bad sessions with a therapist. If you are in therapy now or considering it in the future, it is important to not only choose a professional […]
How to Tell Which Therapist is Right for You
How to Tell Which Therapist is Right for You One of the most important aspects of addiction recovery is intensive one-on-one psychotherapy. There is a reason that a person uses to excess. That underlying issue must be acknowledged and worked through if recovery is going to be long lasting. Additionally, many addicts have co-occurring psychological […]
Child Abuse Prepares the Brain for a Lifetime of Mental Health Issues
Child Abuse Prepares the Brain for a Lifetime of Mental Health Issues We can see the aftermath of childhood trauma on brain scans. Children who are abused, physically, emotionally, sexually or neglected, have different adult brains than their counterparts who were not abused. Current research suggests that those who were abused are left vulnerable to […]
Managing Student Expectations in the Transition from High School to College
Managing Student Expectations in the Transition from High School to College High school seniors have a lot of expectations about what life will be like once they move on from their parents’ homes. When I prepared to leave for college, I hunkered down in my room to make a list of all the things I’d […]
Designer Drugs Make Users Human Guinea Pigs
Designer Drugs Make Users Human Guinea Pigs Designer drugs are synthetic chemicals that are created to be “legal” (at least temporarily) alternatives to popular drugs like cocaine or MDMA. The very questionable content of most of these “party” drugs is a growing danger. Due to the frequently changing chemical makeup and unknown substances used by […]
Why AA is Bad Science…and What It Means for Your Addiction Treatment Options
Why AA is Bad Science…and What It Means for Your Addiction Treatment Options In an excellent piece in The Atlantic, writer Gabrielle Glaser gives an exposé on the lack of scientific evidence on the efficacy of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and the preponderance of evidence that shows that not only does the lauded program fail to […]
Repairing Broken Women and Men
Repairing Broken Women and Men Frederick Douglass is reported to have said, “It is easier to build strong children than to fix broken men.” It is something I think about often in my work as a person with substance use disorderion researcher. When I hear the life stories of those who seek treatment for their […]
Alcohol Abuse may be Related to Personal Activity Levels
Alcohol Abuse may be Related to Personal Activity Levels There is some evidence that physical activity may benefit individuals who are attempting to reduce their alcohol consumption. A study published in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism found an association between physical activity and a lower risk of alcohol problems. Sedentary people had a higher risk […]
Alcohol Benefits to Health Not Accurate, Especially for the Elderly
Alcohol Benefits to Health Not Accurate, Especially for the Elderly For years, many people have argued about the benefits of drinking small amounts of alcohol for health, arguing that moderate consumption may protect against cardiovascular disease. The association has been a contentious one, since study results may have been exaggerated or possibly skewed due to […]
Can a Psychedelic Trip Improve Your Mental Health?
Can a Psychedelic Trip Improve Your Mental Health? For thousands of years, shamans have used hallucinogenic plants to help individuals overcome trauma and other difficulties. In the West, research into the potential healing power of entheogens, substances believed to elicit mystical experience, were halted in the middle of the last century. Now, the government is […]