How Promises P.A.T.H Changed the Way I Make ChoicesTestimonialsBy Promises AustinJune 15, 2013One Alum’s Story of Learning to Live a Healthy Life Suzanne started using substances at the age of 12. That’s not the saddest chapter of her story. By the time she had reached her 20’s, she was drinking alcohol and abusing cocaine and had been in and out of several drug treatment facilities. Again, it… Details
Understanding Munchausen SyndromeMental HealthBy Promises AustinJune 15, 2013Munchausen syndrome is a mental health disorder characterized by either the exaggeration of existing health problems or the purposeful, false production of new health problems. It represents the most serious form of a group of conditions called factitious disorders. As a rule, people with Munchausen syndrome act out of a deep-seated need to receive attention… Details
Links Between Testosterone Levels and Depression in WomenDepressionBy Promises AustinJune 13, 2013Testosterone is a human hormone normally associated with teenage boys, men, and the development of male sexual characteristics. However, this hormone is also normally found in small amounts in teenage girls and women. Scientific evidence gathered throughout the 2000s indicates that abnormally low or high testosterone levels can increase a woman’s chances of developing some… Details
Are You an Avoider? That Can Increase AnxietyAnxietyBy Promises AustinJune 13, 2013Anxiety disorders are the most common of all mental illnesses in the United States. Nearly 40 million American adults have some form of an anxiety disorder and most of those are women. Why women suffer more with anxiety is not fully understood. Anxiety disorders include panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, and… Details
Poor Sleep Can Lead to Depression in New MothersDepressionBy Promises AustinJune 9, 2013Postpartum depression (PPD) is a serious form of depressive illness that can occur in a new mother in the weeks or months following the birth of her child. The severity of the illness varies considerably from person to person; in a worst-case scenario, women with PPD cease caring for their newborns and consider harming themselves… Details
Arizona Recovery Addiction Center Sees Accountability As Vital Part of RecoveryPromises NewsBy Promises AustinJune 7, 2013At The Sundance Center, private drug and alcohol treatment facility in Arizona guests are faced with doing chores that are designed to help them prepare for re-assimilation into the real world. Chores like washing dishes, cleaning their rooms, and making their beds are simple but vital parts of the recovery process at the Sundance addiction… Details
Brain Abnormalities Found in People With AnorexiaEating DisordersBy Promises AustinMay 31, 2013Body image is a term used to describe the way you perceive the shape and size of your body in relation to others. People with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa have heavily distorted body images that cause them to seriously misperceive themselves as overweight or fat, even when they are in fact thin or dangerously… Details
Eating Disorders May Run in FamiliesEating DisordersBy Promises AustinMay 29, 2013Given that eating disorders are one of the most life-threatening of all mental illnesses, the obvious question is what precipitates the disorder? Some suggest that societal obsession with youth and thinness as the standards of beauty drive fragile females to the brink. Others wonder if something is awry in the family dynamic or if the… Details
Are “The Promises” for Real?Promises NewsBy Promises AustinMay 24, 2013Most people enter an addiction treatment program for one reason and one reason only. They have suffered painful consequences related to their addiction and they want the agony to stop. Oftentimes they don’t even have a desire to be clean and sober; what they really want is to learn how to “drink like a gentleman,”… Details
Alcoholism Rates in Women: Going Up or Down?Alcohol AbuseBy Promises AustinMay 22, 2013As awareness about the depredations of substance abuse grows, we might expect that the rates of drug addiction and alcoholism would be falling concordantly. But while this has been happening with a few illegal drugs, it has not been happening with alcohol, which is by far the most frequently abused mind-altering intoxicant.