What to Look for in an Addiction Treatment Center I very often get letters from frustrated, frightened parents of grown children who are addicts. These family members are desperate for help because they have sent their loved ones to countless treatment facilities to no good end. The addicts are still using and the family […]
More than Proof: Four Facts We Might Add to Liquor Labels On every pack of cigarettes sold in this country is a United States Surgeon General’s warning to inform consumers that they are risking illness, injury and death with every cigarette. Although in many states businesses that sell alcohol are required to inform customers […]
Don’t Give Up: How to Maintain Hope for the Addict in Your Life I frequently receive late night calls, especially on the weekend, asking for help for an addict in need. Last weekend, a colleague needed a placement for a long time alcoholic. The alcoholic had previously “failed” at two facilities, but it was clear […]
What Parents Need to Know about Underage Drinking this Alcohol Awareness Month I am an alcoholic. Seventeen years and nine-ish months ago, I quit a 2-liter of hard liquor a day habit. I started drinking when I was 11 and spent the years up until I decided to quit getting drunk every opportunity I got. […]
Four Reasons to Get Sober this Easter Spring is a time of incredible transformations. If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere that freezes over the winter, the ground is usually just thawing out around this annual holiday that marks the end of winter and the long lead up to summer. Finding the “right” time […]
Children and Horses: Equine Activities Improve Lives My research is in the field of addiction, but a lot of the therapies and activities that bring health and healing to those who suffer from addiction also have applications to many other groups. Equine programs, from horseback riding to equine assisted therapy, have long been known to […]
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: 3 Reasons You Can’t Ignore Trauma When you face difficult times, you have two options: work through the difficulty you’ve encountered or try to avoid it. For many who have lived through a traumatic experience, going around or burying traumatic memories can feel like the only feasible […]
Yes, You Can: Four Ways to Strengthen Your Resilience Everyone knows someone who’s been through a horrifying experience, yet somehow manages to keep smiling. People like that usually come to mind when we lose it over small things, like having trouble finding a parking spot or unloading the groceries only to realize we forgot […]
Protect Your Heart: Three Things You Should Know about Women’s Cardiovascular Health February is heart health awareness month, so I’m going to take a short break from writing about addiction and mental health to talk about women and our hearts. Heart disease is the number one cause of death among women worldwide, and in […]
Stop, It Hurts! Three Reasons to Avoid Prescription Pain Medications When your body hurts, you want the pain to stop as soon as possible. Opioid-based pain killer medications are now a commonly prescribed antidote to meet patients’ chronic pain needs, and as the number of prescriptions have increased there has been a parallel rise […]