What’s Wrong With Calling Someone an Addict? Drug Addiction InfoBy Promises AustinSeptember 20, 2014In recent years, the terms “addict” and “alcoholic” have been gradually falling out of favor as ways to refer to people with substance use disorders. Many people have begun to publicly advocate against these terms, including the current acting director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Michael Botticelli. Those who want…
How Do You Know When It’s Time for Treatment? Addiction TreatmentBy Promises AustinSeptember 18, 2014By Edie Weinstein, MSW If you or someone you know is considering treatment for addiction, it may be because you or the person is faced with the undeniable evidence that, as a result of substance abuse or another behavioral addiction, your life or theirs has become unmanageable in one or more ways. Or you or…
Cocaine Use and Ischemic Stroke CocaineBy Promises AustinSeptember 17, 2014Ischemic stroke is a type of stroke that occurs when something blocks the flow of blood in a blood vessel leading to the brain. It differs from another form of stroke, called hemorrhagic stroke, which occurs when one of the brain’s blood vessels weakens and breaks open. More than 80 percent of all strokes are…
12-Step Programs Work for All Ages, Study Finds Addiction TreatmentBy Promises AustinSeptember 15, 2014Twelve-step programs are support or mutual-help groups designed, in part, to help people recovering from an addiction to drugs or alcohol achieve and maintain substance abstinence. For Americans affected by alcoholism and alcohol abuse (alcohol use disorder), participation in these programs is the most common step taken toward outside assistance. Some health professionals worry that…
Bipolar College Students Making the Grade BipolarBy Promises AustinSeptember 14, 2014Bipolar disorder is most often diagnosed during one’s college years. Dr. Russ Federman and J. Anderson Thomson Jr, both of the University of Virginia (UVA), know the challenges that college students with bipolar must negotiate during their years of intense studying, new social encounters and life away from home structure. In their book, Facing Bipolar:…
Sleep Is a Necessity, Not a Luxury Personal ResourcesBy Promises AustinSeptember 13, 2014It couldn’t come at a better time, a nationwide campaign, “Sleep Well, Be Well,” to get out the facts about the importance of a good night’s sleep. Millions of sleep-deprived Americans can relate to the issue of not getting enough sleep. But many are unaware of just how critically important sleep is to our overall…
Wives Have More Influence Over Husbands’ Drinking Than Vice Versa Alcohol AbuseBy Promises AustinSeptember 12, 2014In the U.S. and throughout much of the world, significant numbers of both married and unmarried people consume alcohol regularly. Most of these individuals drink in light or moderate amounts that don’t generally lead to problems; however, some individuals increase their risks for a range of problems by drinking heavily. In a study published in…
Prescription Drugs are Gateway to Heroin HeroinBy Promises AustinSeptember 12, 2014In many cases, teens try prescription drugs and get hooked on the addictive medication. Soon, however, they are unable to afford the high cost of a drug like OxyContin and begin looking for alternatives to reach a similar high. All too often, that alternative is heroin. Compared to prescription drugs, it is cheap and easy…
How Many Cannabis Users Start Taking Other Drugs? MarijuanaBy Promises AustinSeptember 11, 2014In the form of marijuana, cannabis ranks as the most widely used illicit/illegal substance in America. Researchers and public health officials have long debated the question of how many cannabis/marijuana users ultimately end up getting involved in other forms of illicit drug use. In a study published in August 2014 in the International Journal of…
Understanding Substance/Medication-Induced Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorder Mental HealthBy Promises AustinSeptember 11, 2014Substance/medication induced obsessive-compulsive and related disorder is the lengthy, somewhat complicated name for a newly defined mental health condition that appears in DSM 5, the recently released fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. People with this condition have symptoms that closely resemble the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or any…
