Back in 1998, the satirical newspaper The Onion featured the following front-page headline: “Drugs Win Drug War” This introduction and the story that followed were obviously intended as a spoof, but humor is frequently used as a subtle way to reveal the truth and that was undoubtedly the intent in this case. Fifteen years later, …
When Drugs Win the War on Drugs, It’s Time to Focus on Treatment Read More »
In a tight economy, it is worth examining what makes a person more, or less, employable. The question of how alcohol and drug use impact a person’s job has been looked at from several directions. But each study comes up with the same conclusion – that there is a definite link between a person’s use …
The tossing and turning of insomnia is hard for any person to handle long term. But when insomnia is accompanied by alcohol or drug addiction, it can create a vicious, life-altering cycle that makes it very difficult to function normally. In fact, not only does one almost always exacerbate the other, it’s very common for …
Overcoming the Vicious Cycle of Substance Abuse and Insomnia Read More »
Hyperthermia is the medical term for damaging and potentially fatal increases in the average temperature of the body as a whole, or of the brain in particular. People who use/abuse stimulant drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, and Ecstasy (known more formally as MDMA) run significant risks for the onset of this condition. The specific effects …
Substance-induced sleep disorder is a mental health condition characterized by any one of a variety of sleep disturbances brought on by the use/abuse of alcohol or a number of legal and illegal drugs. Depending on individual circumstances, the condition can produce insomnia (excessive sleeplessness), hypersomnia (excessive sleepiness), any one of several different sleep-related conditions known …
Among the men and women who abuse cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, and other “party” drugs (Ketamine, GHB, MDMA, etc.) there is a large and rapidly growing subgroup for whom drug abuse and problematic sexual behavior only occur together. The two behaviors are so tightly paired that engaging in one inevitably means engaging in the other. For …
When Stimulant Abuse and Sexual Disorders Are Fused Read More »
It is hardly controversial to suggest that there are buried conflicts and past traumas that play a role in the onset and the continuation of drug and alcohol abuse. But some of the hidden reasons that underlie addiction often escape detection because no one is actually looking for them, usually because the connection is unsuspected. …
Perfectionism and Substance Abuse: Exploring the Hidden Connection Read More »
Addiction includes more than substance dependency. The term encompasses behaviors as well. Addiction is present when a person has lost control over their use of a substance or their own actions. When a person’s thoughts become consumed with using or behaving to the extent that most of their mental and physical energy is spent pursuing …
Your recovery from alcoholism was going so well. You were going to meetings and seeing a therapist regularly, but then life gradually began to get crazy again. Maybe you found yourself caring for a sick parent or you had unexpected problems with your boss at work. But this time, instead of reaching for a glass …
Substance abuse is not a respecter of persons. Addiction affects both men and women alike; however, each sex may use for very different reasons. More often than men, women use alcohol or drugs as a coping mechanism for dealing with anxiety and depression. They are also up to three times as likely to suffer from …