We live in a culture that moves at hyper-speed and constantly pushes us to our limits. Nevertheless, our performances as employees, wives, mothers, homemakers and community members are expected to be impeccable, and if we should somehow fail to meet these high standards, we may feel as if we are being judged and condemned by …
Overachievers Who Can Never Be Satiated Turn to Drugs for Escape Read More »
We’ve all probably heard the expression “being in love with the feeling of being in love.” The feelings that people experience during the early stages of romance are extremely pleasurable. The rush of emotions, the sense of anticipation, racing heartbeat and so forth are practically intoxicating. Those intense feelings don’t last forever though and mature …
Appearing in the media more often than not recently, designer drugs are rapidly cultivating a reputation for being dangerous and spreading as fast as a pandemic. There’s a reason for users’ preference for designer drugs over their illegal counterparts—until as recently as last year, most designer drugs were legal, which has changed with the 2012 …
Designer Drugs: What They Are and Why Their Use Is Growing: Part II Read More »
As 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.
The quest for a leaner, more toned physique has led to many crazy potions, fad diets and pills. But who would have thought that Viagra would top that list? A new study suggests that in addition to sexual benefits for men, Viagra may also help with weight loss.
Heart attack is the common name for a disruption of the normal supply of blood flowing to any given portion of the heart muscle; doctors and researchers refer to the condition more formally as a myocardial infarction. Without its required supply of oxygen-bearing blood, the heart muscle will die off quickly, producing a situation that …
Men suffer from alcoholism at much higher rates than women, by a ratio of more than two to one. However, women are more likely than men to experience negative physiological consequences from alcoholism or high levels of alcohol consumption without addiction. At least some of this higher degree of risk is due to differences in …
Comorbidity is a term that doctors use to describe the simultaneous presence of two or more diseases or disorders within the same person. In addition to merely being present at the same time, these conditions interact significantly, alter each other’s expression within the body, and alter each other’s long-term outcome. Strong comorbidity exists between substance …
Simultaneous Occurrence (Comorbidity) of Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Read More »
Treatment specialists stress that in order for patients to completely pull away from an addiction, any underlying trauma in the patient must first be identified and healed. If the patient has no other means of coping with the trauma than with drugs or alcohol, than the cycle repeats itself, sometimes even years after a person …
Treating Addiction Without Treating Trauma Often Leads to Relapse Read More »
From being abused as a puppy by her original owners and being attacked by other dogs to surviving a handful of car accidents and two bouts of cancer, Chances, the lovable, often scarf-clad Boxer mix you’ve likely seen around Promises Treatment Centers, has been through a lot. But Patricia Meyers, Chances’ owner and Clinical Director …
Chances the Dog: A Symbol of Recovery and Second Chances Read More »