Almost 10,000 people die in the U.S. each year as a result of alcohol-impaired driving, accounting for nearly one third of all traffic-related deaths in the country. The most important step anybody can take to protect other drivers and pedestrians is to learn the legal blood alcohol level for driving and stick to it. However,…
There are few if any alcoholics or drug addicts who haven’t tried at least once to quit drinking or drugging cold turkey. If you believe you are drinking or taking drugs just to be sociable or to feel more relaxed, for a while you probably believe that you can quit any time you want to.…
By Cynthia Sass (byline) Trying to prevent teenagers from taking part in risky behavior and using alcohol and/or drugs can be a challenging undertaking. Many parents, and the community at large, have invested a great deal of time and effort in exploring how to ensure kids grow up happy, healthy and without the negative consequences…
Video gaming addiction isn’t the easiest condition to understand. While stories of ordinary people affected by the condition drive home some parallels, there seems to be an inherent difference between drug addictions and video game addiction. Accordingly, the latest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) lists the condition as one for further study,…
By Stacey Colino At one time or another, we’ve all been there: At a party where everyone is having a little too much to drink, you see your S.O. talking animatedly, maybe even flirtatiously, with someone attractive and before you can blink twice, you’re raging with jealousy. Or maybe you catch your partner text-flirting with…
Heroin addiction has been a societal problem in the United States for decades. Heroin addiction is on the rise in rural areas across the country, and law enforcement officials as well as healthcare providers are scrambling to address what is seen as an epidemic. The social issues related to heroin addiction are often focused on…
By Kelsey Harper, PsyD, Clinical Psychologist and Program Director at Promises Malibu Anyone who has ever been caught in an undertow learns that there’s no sense in swimming against it because it only pulls us in deeper. However, going with the natural flow of the ocean will usually bring us back to shore safely on…
Compassion fatigue and burnout are occupational hazards nurses, physicians and therapists often face over the course of a career. Outside the healthcare system, these emotional risks also can affect family members and friends who are dealing with loved ones affected by addiction. In a nutshell, compassion fatigue reflects a reduced ability to feel or show…
Everybody lies. At one time or another all people have said something that wasn’t true. People might lie to protect another person’s feelings or to get, and stay out of, trouble. Sometimes people tell small lies to avoid conflict, like saying they can’t get a sitter to go out to dinner with a friend when…
Losing a friend or peer to addiction can be shattering for people in early recovery who are still solidifying grief coping skills to deal with all of life’s slings and arrows. Loss and grief can negatively impact a person’s recovery process, posing a threat for relapse. But there is also a lot to be learned…
