I got an email from a friend the other day. A decidedly chagrinned friend, asking me to write an article about the pitfalls of making a phone call while drunk. He said, “I had a little incident the other night. I received a scathing email from a female friend of mine (maybe no longer a
Is Orthorexia the New Alcoholism?
Orthorexia nervosa is otherwise known as an unhealthy preoccupation with “clean, pure or righteous” eating and exercise. It is not yet a recognized eating disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th Edition), but clinicians are becoming more and more aware of its devastating effects. Orthorexia usually begins with a positive desire
Substance Abuse & Eating Disorder in Teens
It’s a parent’s worst nightmare – finding out their child or teen is illegally drinking and/or using drugs. The statistics are alarming. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports a recent rise in marijuana use despite a preceding 10-year period of decline. In 2010, 1.2 percent of 8th-graders, 3.3 percent of 10th-graders, and 6.1 percent
Resisting Relapse When it Rains on Your Parade
“Into each life some rain must fall,” said Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Those who recently lived through Hurricane Matthew are probably thinking right now that they’ve had enough metaphorical and literal rain for one lifetime. Whether your “flood of rain” comes in the form of a literal deluge, a personal tragedy, or one everyday frustration too
Teenagers – Unique Creatures
Over the course of hundreds of years, anthropologists have identified a unique creature roaming planet Earth. There, observers noted over centuries of observation that these creatures can at times behave irrationally and impulsively, suggesting a limited capacity for reason and judgment. ‑ the name assigned to these unique creatures? ‑ the Human Teenager. Teenagers are
What Are We Looking For?
What is addiction? Addiction is an attempt to escape from the suffering an individual is going through. It is one’s own effort to escape their current reality. We are looking for peace within the drug. A drive for peace that kills many of us. Much of addiction is searching for that “destination” that will make
Helping Baby and Mommy Off Opioids
Pregnant and Addicted to Opioids? You might want to read this. Introducing The Positive Direction Model: Opioid Use and Pregnancy, 1st Edition Davina Moss-King, PhD wrote The Positive Direction Model for pregnant women diagnosed with opioid use disorder. The book focuses on women and their newborns, highlighting the opioid epidemic’s impact on the infant’s health
Parents to Kids: Reframing the Conversation
Which is easier to talk about: heroin junkies or disease prevention? As program manager for a non-profit that seeks to educate youth about the dangers of prescription drug abuse, the biggest hurdle I face is denial. Not on the part of youth- they know what’s going on around them, but on the part of adults
Addiction is a Family Disease
In my family, addiction is as commonplace as dishes in the sink or Sunday dinners. It’s in the way I was raised, the way my parents were raised. I don’t have anyone in my family who lives in active addiction right now, but I can see its effect across generations. Cyclical destruction occurs, and once
Bath Salts Banned Nationwide
Finally, legislation has been passed banning bath salts nationwide. U.S. Senator Chris Coons states in an ABC news article, “Dangerous drugs like bath salts are terrorizing our communities and destroying lives. Stricter measures must be taken to stem the growing prevalence of bath salts and other new designer drugs.” The massive attention about bath salt