Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), first pioneered by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979, is quickly becoming standard practice in addiction recovery programs across the U.S. Initially adapted from Buddhist and yogic meditation and relaxation techniques to support standard psychotherapy as a way to combat and control stress, it’s not hard to connect the dots and understand …
Sometimes one illness transitions into another. Such is the case for some people with psychotic depression who start out with a form of unipolar depression and ultimately struggle with bipolar disorder. This is called conversion. A study looked for ways that clinicians can predict which patients with psychotic depression would convert to bipolar disorder.
Primary care doctors have a range of screening tools at their disposal for the detection of diagnosable cases of alcohol use disorder (alcoholism and alcohol abuse). However, they may not have the time to administer such a screening to every patient they see over the course of a day or week. In a study published …
Two Simple Questions Help Doctors Identify Alcoholics Read More »
In the wake of an Ohio teen’s overdose on powdered caffeine, the federal Food and Drug Administration has been ringing alarm bells about the product’s dangers, urging consumers to avoid it. Logan Stiner, 18, a Cleveland-area high school senior, wrestler and prom king on the verge of graduating, took what proved to be a fatal …
Would you pound 25 cups of coffee back to back just to get amped up for the day, curb your appetite or power you through an all-nighter? Youths and adults are getting the equivalent buzz from pure powdered caffeine, and as little as one teaspoon can be fatal.
Are you playing the shame game? Keeping secrets, hiding a drug problem or disguising alcohol abuse are all warning signs that you could be. And feeling embarrassed, guilty or remorseful will ensure you keep playing. The Negativity of Shame Shame can impact every aspect of your life so it’s important to know how to recognize …
Methamphetamine is one of several drugs of abuse classified as central nervous system stimulants. However, the drug produces more powerful effects than other stimulants and its repeated use can easily trigger the brain changes that foster drug dependence and drug addiction. In a study published in May 2014 in the journal Addiction Biology, a team …
Researchers Say Messages Set the Stage for Drug Use Twitter is one of the most popular social media applications in use in the U.S. and across much of the world. While most users of the application are private citizens, companies and organizations also use Twitter to promote their products and causes. In a study published …
Pro-Pot Tweets Reaching Hundreds of Thousands of Youths Read More »
Robert Weiss, LCSW, CSAT-S, international addiction expert, speaker, author, clinician and founder of the Sexual Recovery Institute, embraces a new brain study by the University of Cambridge that provides powerful evidence that sex addiction is a legitimate neurobiological and emotional disorder.
The nurse is the glue that holds most medical operations together. So you may be surprised to hear that an estimated 10 to 15 percent are abusing substances while on the job. And nurses aren’t the only ones. Drug and/or alcohol abuse can affect many healthcare workers over the course of their career. In this …
Do You Suspect a Nurse Has a Substance Abuse Problem? Read More »