Addiction Blog

Questions About Drug Addiction? Government Website Has Answers

September 7, 2014 / By / Personal Resources

For those struggling to recognize and understand drug addiction, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) provides a basic introduction. It explains what addiction is, the changes that occur in the brain that lead to addiction, and reasons why some people are particularly vulnerable to addiction. Drug addiction is like many other compulsive behaviors. For …

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Selective Eating Disorder: You Are What You Don’t Eat

September 7, 2014 / By / Eating Disorders

The American Psychiatric Association’s latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which was published in May 2013, includes several disorders and syndromes that were not recognized as real mental illnesses in the past. One of these newly recognized conditions is avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder —which is more commonly known as …

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How to Cope When Your Loved One Refuses Help

September 7, 2014 / By Promises Behavioral Health / Addiction

Addiction is a harmful disease, and not just for the addict. Drug addicts and alcoholics impact everyone in their lives, but those they love are often hurt the most. If you have been living with an addict you might be at the end of your rope. You see the problem. You have been patient and …

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For Lasting Addiction Recovery, Get Moving

September 6, 2014 / By / Recovery

By Sean Egen Exercise can play a key role in the recovery process and in treating mental illness, so DO sweat it, and consider incorporating exercise into your journey.

Mixing and Matching Medication a Challenge for Bipolar Patients

September 6, 2014 / By Promises Behavioral Health / Mental Health

Treating bipolar disorder can be so complicated that a patient ends up taking a variety of medications. A recent study investigated the challenges facing patients required to take multiple medications to treat their symptoms.

Fish Oil Eases Brain Impact of Alcoholism, Rodent Study Finds

September 5, 2014 / By Promises Behavioral Health / Alcoholism

People who consume excessive amounts of alcohol have increased risks for developing damaging brain inflammation, especially when they maintain a pattern of heavy intake over time. In a study published in July 2014 in the journal PLOS One, researchers from three U.S. institutions explored the usefulness of fish oil, a substance with known anti-inflammatory properties, …

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Childhood Mistreatment Can Influence Alcohol Consumption in Later Life

September 4, 2014 / By / Alcohol Abuse

The 19th century novelist Lewis Carroll once famously wrote: “I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then,” but he may have been wrong. A new study suggests that the impact of early abuse or neglect lasts into adulthood, affecting personality and alcohol use.

Screening Questions Help Primary Care Physicians Detect Substance Abuse

September 4, 2014 / By / Drug Information

Primary care practitioners seldom encounter medical conditions they can’t identify. Backed by precise diagnostic tools such as X-ray machines, MRI scanners, computerized tomography and DNA testing, 21st century doctors, nurses and physician’s assistants are able to uncover a broad range of diseases, injuries, syndromes and conditions. But despite modern medicine’s many advances, detecting substance abuse …

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CVS Kicks Tobacco Sales Early

September 4, 2014 / By Promises Behavioral Health / Substance Abuse

The huge drugstore chain CVS, having stunned the marketplace and the public with its February vow to stop selling tobacco products at its 7,700 stores by October, announced Wednesday that it was “smoke free” a month early.

Flawed Thinking: When Plastic Surgery Becomes Compulsive

September 4, 2014 / By Promises Behavioral Health / Behavioral Addiction

Why do some people repeatedly go under the knife (or opt for other enhancements such as Botox, repeated microdermabrasion and countless other non-surgical procedures)? Is it to feel better about themselves (they rarely do, if they keep going back)? Is it to overcome or compensate for perceived deficiencies? Is it to be more loved?

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