The work is punishing, the pressure extreme, and a replacement is always waiting in the wings. Is it any wonder athletes and substance abuse seem to go hand in hand? Drugs and alcohol are often used as a way to ignore pain, increase focus, boost energy, reduce stress, pump up before a game and unwind …
Athletes and Substance Abuse: The High Price of Staying Competitive Read More »
It’s been said that if you practice a behavior for 30 days you can develop a new habit, good or bad. In that case, a habit is an intentionally learned behavior. Is that what happens in drug addiction? Do users intentionally use repeatedly and for long enough to form a bad habit? An animal study …
What Actually Causes a Person to Develop a Drug Habit? Read More »
Addiction is an equal opportunity disease. It affects beautiful, talented Hollywood actors. It affects disenfranchised youth. It plagues the lives of young and old, rich and poor, men and women and people of every ethnic color. It would be hard to meet someone whose life has remained untouched in any way by the problem. In …
With all of the health risks involved with cigarette smoking, doctors will almost always advise patients to get help quitting as soon as they possibly can. However, there has been concern among some treatment professionals that patients who try to quit smoking while in treatment for a co-morbid drug addiction will jeopardize their recovery from …
Drug Addiction, Smoking Cessation Can Be Treated Together Read More »
Physical and psychological dependence refer to the hold that a substance or behavior has on the addict’s body and mind. While there is much overlap between the two, and they typically occur in tandem, it helps to see some of the differences between them. Physical dependence has to do with the condition of the body …
Physical vs. Psychological Dependency: What’s the Difference? Read More »
If you’re having a hard time keeping up with the many street names for common illegal drugs, you’re not alone. After all, they were created to confuse, divert and otherwise dodge the suspicions of law enforcement, parents and teachers. Some street names have entered the common vocabulary, while countless others remain obscure. Even so, a …
Problems like substance abuse and mental illness are serious and far-reaching, impacting the lives of all around. The closer a person is to someone struggling with one of these conditions, the more they tend to be affected, with spouses, parents and children bearing the brunt of the fallout. For children, having a caring adult who …
Parental Mental Illness and Substance Abuse Issues Trickle Down Read More »
Asthma is an incurable, chronic lung condition characterized by inflammation and constriction (narrowing) in the passageways that transport life-giving oxygen into the body. Some people affected by the condition experience only sporadic or minor related health problems, while others experience moderate, severe or even potentially fatal complications. According to the results of a study review …
Dangerous Relationships: Asthma and Substance Abuse Read More »
The 1970s saw the rise in the use of PCP (Phencyclidine), or “angel dust,’’ as well as its eventual decline. While the drug provided the desirable high, the paranoia, frightening hallucinations and violent side effects kept it from becoming a mainstream high. Years later, cocaine and crack took over as the drugs of choice among …
Negative emotion is a state of mind that typically causes distress and reduces the sense of equilibrium or well-being. People who constantly or repeatedly experience negative emotion have a personality trait that psychologists and other mental health experts sometimes refer to as neuroticism/negative emotionality. According to a study published in 2007 in the journal Drug …
‘Negative Urgency’ Leads to Impulsiveness, Substance Abuse Read More »