Rising use of heroin Recently, more attention has been focused on heroin abuse in the media than before. It seems that while the use of abusing other drugs is decreasing, the abuse of heroin is on the rise in many parts of the country. MSNBC reported recently that, “General Eric Holder, in a video message … Read More
Post-Acute Withdrawal and What to Do About It For people with drinking or drug problems, quitting can be extremely difficult. Though this is sometimes due to a lack of desire or lack of will power, it is often because of powerful withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms are immediately eased by going back to alcohol or … Read More
Addictions can be helped with exercise The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) defines addiction as, “a compulsion that persists in spite of negative health and social consequences.” Many people use and abuse drugs, but only some – relatively few — become addicts. Many wonder why addictions form in some and not others. In some … Read More
Parent’s awareness of drug abuse 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 … Read More
Marijuana use among teens rising 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 … Read More
Celebrities and Drug Overdose 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 … 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
Parents and teenage addicts 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 … Read More
Drug addiction and binge eating– are they similar? 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 … 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
