Psychologists and psychiatrists use the term personality to describe the core characteristics of outlook and behavior that distinguish each human being. An individual’s personality traits can have a major influence on whether he or she gets involved in substance use or develops serious substance problems. In a study published in October 2014 in the journal…
Staying sober requires constant vigilance and awareness of the many things that could trigger a relapse. Some relapse triggers are obvious, such as hanging around bars or wandering around neighborhoods known for high drug trafficking activity. Even continuing to hang around with friends or acquaintances who habitually use alcohol or drugs can be dangerous and…
The RAVE Act is a piece of federal legislation enacted in 2003 as part of an attempt to reduce the use of MDMA (Ecstasy, Molly), a stimulant/hallucinogen known for its ability to produce severe or fatal health problems in some users. In a report presented in August 2014 to the Annual Meeting of the American…
Food has a powerful effect on both our bodies and our minds. Just how much food impacts our brains and our moods is coming to light with research. This information is important for addicts in recovery because a downswing in mood can lead right to a relapse. There are many reasons to eat well in…
Chronic pain is the accepted term for significant pain that lasts for anywhere from weeks to years instead of resolving rapidly with or without treatment. Opioid medications are a powerful class of prescription substances frequently used to ease the effects of serious and chronic pain. However, ongoing use of prescription opioids comes with a considerable…
At what point does an emotionally healthy person cross into depression, and can it be predicted? One depression therapy is to ask patients to record their mood throughout the day in order to track mood patterns and potential triggers. What if your smartphone were to question you repeatedly through the day about how you were…
Much of the new research into addiction talks about how drugs change the brain. What does this mean? We know that whatever those changes are, they make a person dependent on the drug, but how does it work? It turns out that our brains have an amazing degree of plasticity, which means the brain can…
Mental illness affects many of our family members, neighbors and co-workers, yet attitudes remain negative. In the U.S. 11.4 million adults and 2 million adolescents, around 20 percent of the general population, suffer with some form of mental illness. In Canada 6.5 million live with mental illness or substance abuse. Too often people don’t search…
No one, it seems, wants to go to rehab. It is a necessity for many addicts, but not a choice that is easy to make. And it isn’t easy to follow through with that choice and go. One of the most important factors holding many people back from going to rehab is fear. Not all…
Cannabis abuse is the term for a non-addicted pattern of marijuana/cannabis consumption that nevertheless interferes with the ability to maintain stable, productive daily routines. The condition forms part of a larger health problem called cannabis use disorder. In a study published in September 2014 in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, a team of Brazilian…
