Sexism, Cultural Conditioning Prevent Many Female Sex Addicts From Seeking Help Sex AddictionBy Promises AustinSeptember 11, 2015Let’s be honest—when you think of a typical person with sex addiction, you think of a man. Men have become the face of this somewhat contentious illness (contentious because some people insist on viewing sex addiction as nothing more than an excuse for bad behavior). However, many women live with sex addiction, and these women…
8 Ways Your Drinking Is Affecting Your Kids Alcohol AbuseBy Promises AustinSeptember 10, 2015Heavy drinking in functional adults often begins as a way to relax. You need that glass of wine at the end of a long day to unwind, right? The next thing you know it’s two, then three glasses before you can finally feel like yourself again. You start drinking so much that you’re not sleeping…
Which Prescription Medications Do College Students Abuse? Prescription DrugsBy Promises AustinSeptember 10, 2015In the U.S., several classes of mind-altering prescription medications are abused by a small but significant portion of the total population. Examples of the most commonly abused medications include opioid painkillers, stimulants and sedative-hypnotics (also known as tranquilizers). In a study scheduled for publication in 2014 in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, researchers from…
How Does Emotion Regulation Group Therapy Help People With BPD? Borderline PersonalityBy Promises AustinSeptember 10, 2015Recent evidence from a group of American researchers indicates that a treatment called emotion regulation group therapy helps people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) avoid self-harming behavior by improving their emotional control. People with borderline personality disorder typically have a seriously reduced ability to control their emotional reactions to a wide range of daily circumstances.…
Why Do Women Get Addicted to Cybersex? Sex AddictionBy Promises AustinSeptember 8, 2015Cybersex addiction is the term for a condition that shares features of two forms of behavioral addiction — sex addiction and Internet addiction. While there is no agreement on the precise definition of these ailments in the U.S., mounting evidence supports their presence in a small but sizable portion of the general population. In a…
Five Ways Addiction Could Be Damaging Your Family Addiction Treatment, Family ResourcesBy Promises AustinSeptember 6, 2015It’s no surprise that an addict’s behavior affects people around her, but did you realize just how much it impacts your family? Whether the addict is a parent, a child, a spouse, a sibling, or an extended relative, the addiction causes serious and lasting changes to everyone involved. If someone in your family is struggling…
Can I Get Addicted to Marijuana? MarijuanaBy Promises AustinSeptember 5, 2015As more voters decide to make recreational marijuana legal, its safety naturally comes into question. At the top of the list is the question of addiction. Marijuana has long been considered non-addictive, especially when compared to drugs like heroin or cocaine, but is that really true? You may be surprised to hear that you can…
Strength of Therapeutic Alliance Key in Borderline Personality Disorder Treatment Borderline PersonalityBy Promises AustinSeptember 4, 2015New findings from a team of American researchers indicate that the strength of a client/therapist bond called the therapeutic alliance significantly impacts the success of treatment for borderline personality disorder. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is often treated with dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a form of psychotherapy specifically intended to reduce suicidal behavior in people affected…
Addiction Specialist Takes Potshot at Alcoholics Anonymous Alcohol AbuseBy Promises AustinAugust 30, 2015Are 12-step programs really effective against alcoholism? Dr. Lance Dodes, a psychiatrist who specializes in treatment for substance abuse, claims most emphatically that they are not. His critique appeared in written form in 2014, in a book he co-authored with his son, freelance writer Zachary Dodes, called The Sober Truth: Debunking the Bad Science Behind…
The Connection Between Bipolar Disorder and Autism BipolarBy Promises AustinAugust 30, 2015When it comes to mental illness, sometimes making a diagnosis has to do more with degree than anything else. For example, you and I and everyone around us have good days and not-so-good days. Sometimes we feel bright and capable and full of energy. Other days we feel like we just meet the minimum requirements.…