Everyone is talking to their pre-teen children and teenagers about the dangers of drug abuse….right?? Wrong. According to a new report by drugfree.org, many parents have yet to have an honest conversation with their kids regarding substance abuse. Drugfree.org is a nonprofit advocacy group committed to reducing young adult drug and alcohol addiction. American parents … Read More
Recently, a survey was conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that indicates that while teens are saying no to most drugs, their use of marijuana seems to be on the rise. Also, the survey found that the number of teens who think that marijuana is dangerous has continued to drop over the past … Read More
The New York Times reports, “Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead of an apparent heroin overdose — with a hypodermic needle still stuck in his arm and 70 baggies of the drug inside his Greenwich Village pad Sunday, authorities said. He was 46…. Hoffman — a versatile and prolific actor famed for his … Read More
Sizzurp: A Dangerous Teen Drug Doctors are warning of a cough syrup concoction called sizzurp that young people are abusing to get high. Teens are making the potentially deadly mix, using soda, candy and prescription cough syrup. To make matters worse, celebrities are glorifying the mix in music. Known in some circles as “sizzurp,” “purple … Read More
Discovering that a teen is addicted to drugs or alcohol can generate fear, confusion, and anger in parents. One of the greatest challenges that parents in this predicament struggle with – at least initially – is coming to terms with the scale of their teen’s addiction. After all, isn’t it common knowledge that teenagers and … Read More
Just like many pleasurable behaviors—including sex and drug use—eating can trigger the release of dopamine, a feel-good neurotransmitter, in the brain. Further, this internal reward can increase the possibility that this behavior will eventually become habit forming through positive reinforcement conditioning. That is to say, that the more we feel pleasure from eating, or overeating, … Read More
Media/Technology and Addiction Recently, a study was conducted where college student participants were asked to remove all media from their lives for 24 hours. They could talk on a land line phone and read media if it was a paper book, but they were asked to leave their TVs, cell phones, video games, and computers … Read More
We hear addiction discussed often, but you may wonder, just what is addiction? Teenadvice.about.com indicates that, “Addiction is a physiological dependence on something. It is both physical and psychological in nature. When you are addicted you literally need whatever it is that feeds that addiction. Addiction is not limited to drugs or alcohol. Addiction sneaks … Read More
Withdrawal refers to the physical problems and emotions one may experience if they are dependent on a substance (such as alcohol, prescription medicines, or illegal drugs) and then suddenly stop or drastically reduce their intake of the substance. (WebMD) Some drugs produce significant physical withdrawal (alcohol, opiates, and tranquilizers). Some drugs produce little physical withdrawal, … Read More
When individuals recover from drug or alcohol abuse, often challenges arise that cause them stress. Stress during recovery might manifest itself financially (paying for recovery or time away from work for recovery), in relationships (certain people wanting to help you recover and others wanting you to continue in old behaviors with them and also … Read More
