Marijuana is more controversial than ever these days. With legalization for medical use in more than 20 states and legalization for recreational use in two, the drug continues to be the subject for debate. One of the hot topics is addiction. Some people claim that marijuana is not addictive, but most experts know better. While …
Dentists may be medical professionals, but they are also specialists. Typically, patients will not turn to their dentists for help with ailments that don’t involve teeth, gums or general oral health. However, some illnesses, such as the eating disorder bulimia nervosa, affect oral health. As a result, dentists and dental hygienists may be positioned to …
The weeks between Thanksgiving and the New Year can be a stressful time for those in recovery. It is usually a particularly stressful time if you are newly sober and not accustomed to getting through the holidays sober and without the crutch of a chemical to numb your feelings. It’s a busy time full of …
Many recovering alcoholics and addicts do a lot of traveling during the holiday season, and traveling can be challenging when you’re trying to stay sober. You’re away from everything and everyone that’s familiar, and it may seem like alcohol is everywhere. Vacations are supposed to be a time for relaxing and having fun, but instead …
Internet addiction is a commonly used term for an unofficially defined form of non-substance-based behavioral addiction that centers on a personally and socially damaging pattern of Internet use. A comorbid disorder is a condition that appears at the same time as one or more additional health problems and contributes to a disproportionate worsening of general …
When you love an alcoholic or addict, you probably experience a lot of unpredictability and pain in your life, including both extreme highs and extreme lows. You get caught up in frequent drama and are obsessed with trying to change situations you can’t control and you may spend time, money and energy trying to fix …
A disturbing statistic about modern American society is that we incarcerate a greater percentage of our population than any other country in the world. About 2.3 million Americans are in prison, and yet the rate of crime in the U.S. has dropped. What is happening? Many experts would say it is the war on drugs …
The physical benefits of regular exercise are easy to understand, well-documented and obvious to almost everyone. Lift weights and you get stronger muscles. Do aerobic exercise and you get a more efficient cardiovascular system. Do sports, or take dance or martial arts classes, and you become more coordinated and physically aware.
When a person is addicted to drugs or alcohol, she is struggling with a disease that makes her very selfish. She lives only to feed her need, and others are often shoved aside. Addicts commit crimes to get drugs. They neglect family. Some are even abusive to those they love. At the very least, addicts …
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health is the main tool for mental health professionals when diagnosing and treating patients with mental illness. The latest edition, known as DSM-V, included binge eating as a formal diagnosis, rather than its previous categorization as an Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. A recent global study finds that …