Addiction Blog

Tylenol in Pregnancy Tied to Higher ADHD Risk in Kids

February 27, 2014 / By Promises Behavioral Health / News and Research

Startling new findings have thrown into question whether decades of pregnant women taking acetaminophen products such as Tylenol for lower back pain and headaches has led to their children being diagnosed with ADHD. Kids whose mothers took acetaminophen while pregnant were more likely to develop attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, a long-term study by UCLA researchers has …

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Third-hand Smoke Affects Lungs, Liver, Healing, New Study Finds

February 25, 2014 / By Promises Behavioral Health / Substance Abuse

If you can smell cigarette smoke in your house, hotel room, rental car or workplace, you may be damaging your health by exposure to third-hand smoke, a new study has found. Living, working or lodging in houses, offices, hotels and vacation rentals where cigarettes have been smoked may be as dangerous to your health as …

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Positive Psychotherapy Helps Smokers Quit

February 24, 2014 / By Promises Behavioral Health / Substance Abuse

Positive psychotherapy (PPT) is the name for a type of psychotherapeutic treatment that focuses on increasing and reinforcing a person’s positive emotional states rather than focusing on easing the effects of a person’s negative emotional states. In a study published in January 2014 in the Journal of Positive Psychology, researchers from several U.S. universities investigated …

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Brain Scan Can Predict Risky Behavior

February 21, 2014 / By Promises Behavioral Health / News and Research

Risky behavior is the general term used to describe actions that increase a person’s chances of experiencing harmful or unwanted, short- or long-term life outcomes. People with a tendency toward such actions have heightened odds of getting involved in substance use. In turn, substance use is itself a risky behavior that can produce seriously damaging …

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I Smoke, But I’m Not a Smoker

February 20, 2014 / By Promises Behavioral Health / Addiction, News and Research, Substance Abuse

Cigarette smoking is a highly addictive activity practiced by millions of U.S. adults and teenagers. Doctors and public health officials commonly try to identify smokers as part of an ongoing effort to prevent the severe health complications that often accompany cigarette use and nicotine addiction. However, according to the results of a study published in …

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Doctors’ Views on Drug Abuse Affect Outcomes for Addicts

February 20, 2014 / By Promises Behavioral Health / Addiction Recovery, News and Research

People affected by substance use disorders commonly receive treatment from healthcare professionals trained as general physicians (GPs), psychiatrists or addiction services specialists. Whatever the details of their training, these professionals contribute a critical element to successful treatment by committing themselves to their work as fully as possible. However, not all professionals involved in the field …

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Flappy Bird ‘Too Addictive,’ Creator Says

February 20, 2014 / By Promises Behavioral Health / Behavioral Addiction

“I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, not until I’ve beaten my high score.” — Flappy Bird addict The latest twist in the story of the globally popular Flappy Bird phone app is that its creator pulled the game off the market after just weeks, calling it “too addictive.” The response to the removal of Flappy …

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Helping Your Kids Unplug

February 19, 2014 / By Promises Behavioral Health / Culture and Media

Digital devices are now the norm, and not just for adults; children are more plugged in than ever. If you have kids, they most likely have access to tablets, smartphones and computers. If you have ever wondered or worried about the effects of being plugged in on such a constant basis, you are not alone. …

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How to Treat PTSD and Alcohol Dependence Together

February 18, 2014 / By / Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition involving flashbacks, difficulty sleeping and a variety of emotional responses when faced with subsequent stressful situations. Complicating treatment is PTSD’s tendency to appear in combination with other mental disorders like anxiety, depression or substance abuse. In the case of the latter, experts believe that patients are …

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Brain Changes Pronounced in Schizophrenics Who Smoke Marijuana

February 18, 2014 / By Promises Behavioral Health / Drug Addiction

Cannabis use disorder is the standard term for people diagnosed with cannabis (marijuana or hashish) addiction or a pattern of dysfunctional, non-addicted cannabis use that causes serious impairment or life disruption. People affected by this disorder commonly experience changes in their brain function that include significant memory problems. In a study published in December 2013 …

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