Blogs

Long Term Scars of a Wounded Childhood

All children are born with tender bodies, positively curious minds, pure hearts and innocent souls. However, this world tends to put their bodies, minds, hearts and souls at risk to[...]

Learn to Live With Change | Willing Ways

Learn to live with change. If you want to be captain of your life and master of your fate, accept change and adapt to it with a smile. Life and[...]

Creating Your Ultimate Self-Care List

I think many of us, if not most, have a list of things we’d really like to do, but don’t, because we think we’re undeserving. Do you have such a[...]

27 Things People With a Positive Body Image Know

I used to think that people who are thin and muscular (and thereby fit our odd, ridiculous Western standards) absolutely love their bodies. How could they not? I also used[...]

Feast on Your Life

In our society, restriction is perfection. It is beauty. Restriction is seen as a correct, desirable approach and path. We glorify it. We yearn to adhere to it. We see[...]

Sharing Our Shame

I just penned a piece for our main blog about being ourselves, what this really means and what it really looks like. One of the psychologists I interviewed shared this story with[...]

Parenting For Positive Identity

Identity. It’s a complicated concept that defies easy definition. Yet it is at the heart of the lifelong question, “Who am I?” How we answer includes how much we value[...]

Money Matters

“She’s my expensive one.” The mother sitting beside me at the local community pool points to one of her three teenage daughters. “She’s the one who just has to have[...]

Teenage Anger

Teen anger takes many forms. It may be expressed as indignation and resentment, or rage and fury. It is the expression of teenage anger — the behavior — that we[...]

Do You Need More Sleep?

The answer is probably “yes.” The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has declared the national lack of sleep an “epidemic”. Let that sink in a minute. The CDC, the department focused[...]

Reducing Stress: Coping With What You Can & Can’t Control

Stress can lead us to skip self-care, bash our bodies and overeat. It can leave us feeling overwhelmed — and out of control. And that can seem like the worst[...]

Making Wise Decisions

One of the ways we can lead a fulfilling and nourishing life is by making decisions that honor us. Every day — even every hour — is another opportunity to[...]

Different Ways to Document Our Happy Moments

A few weeks ago, Elizabeth Gilbert posted a great idea on Instagram about keeping a happiness jar. Every day she simply writes down the happiest moment of her day and puts it[...]

30 Habits & Beliefs That Hurt Your Body Image

Last week, I wrote about 30 habits that can help improve your body image every day. Today, let’s chat about the beliefs and habits that can prevent us from building a more[...]

Forgiving Yourself For The Past

There have been many moments when I’ve thought, why did I throw away so many years on yo-yo dieting and yo-yo exercise? On fat talk and the fallacy of thinness. On[...]

The Beauty of Food

In our society food has become a villain. A caloric-filled foe. A tease. A treat that we aren’t allowed to have, because it’ll inevitably go to our thighs, arms, behind,[...]

15 Ways to Show Yourself & Your Loved Ones Some Love

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! In honor of V-Day, below are 15 ways that you can show yourself and your loved ones tons of love – not just today but every[...]

What Body Image Means to You

I used to think that a healthy body image was all about being OK with how you look, or better yet, being happy with how you look. And I wasn’t.[...]

Body Image & Weight Loss: What are You Waiting For?

To so many people, weight loss signifies a positive future. It isn’t just losing weight for “health purposes.” It’s finally liking our bodies – and ourselves. It’s finally taking better[...]

The Trauma of Children of Addicts and Alcoholics

The Trauma of Children of Addicts & Alcoholics

An article was written byWritten By: Darlene Lancer: Living with an addict (including alcoholics) can feel like living in a war zone. The addict’s personality changes caused by addiction create[...]

What Makes You Feel Beautiful?

I found this great article on Real Simple where female writers share what makes them feel beautiful. The responses range from something a husband said to his writer wife — a week before he[...]

Building a Better Body Image With a Daily Dose of Inspiration

I’ve decided to create an inspiration board to fuel, motivate and enliven my writing. When I’m having a tough time finding ideas or it’s been a rough day, I can[...]

Addicted to Exercise

When working out shifts from a healthy habit to obsession Do you think it would be great to love exercising so much you couldn’t quit? Does the image of a[...]

All About Eating Disorders

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are both eating disorders. Anorexia involves people who intentionally starve themselves when they are already underweight. Individuals with anorexia have a bodyweight that is 15 percent or more below[...]

Body Image & Reality: Changing Perspectives?

More than 300 million adults worldwide are overweight, and they’re increasingly failing to recognize the problem, a recent survey has found. The data comes from 853 men and 944 women living in[...]

Addiction: A Whole New View

We’re all capable of being addicts. Here’s the lowdown on our fight against addiction. Our addiction theories and policies are woefully outdated. Research shows that there are no demon drugs. Nor[...]

Inside The Addict’s Brain

A Candid Look At The Brainon Drugs Many details have recently been worked out describing events in any brain exposed to the most common addictive drugs: heroin, morphine, barbiturates, tranquilizers, and[...]

Back From The Drink

Treatments For Alcoholism That Work. The new approach to alcoholism puts practicality before ideology. What works? Keeping motivation high, for starters. And it’s not even necessary to admit you are[...]

Treatments That Work

Proven Methods to Stop Addiction Now Because addiction has no solitary cause, the new view toward it demands that single-minded approaches to drug treatment be abandoned. At least four studies,[...]

The Road to Happiness

Five Questions For Four Happiness Researchers Happiness, ventured William James, the noted 19th-century philosopher/psychologist, is reflected in the ratio of one’s accomplishments to one’s aspirations. This suggests, of course, that[...]

What Makes Marriage Work?

It’s How You Resolve Conflict That Matters Most Research indicates you can get mad as hell or avoid conflict altogether. But the positivity must outweigh the negativity by five to[...]

Violence Has a Home Address

How Parents Can Stop Violencebefore It Starts What are the roots of violence? A troubled mind? The mean streets of the inner city? No, says a major report by the[...]

What We Drink & How We Think

What We Drink and How We Think: This looks at a study suggesting that drug use may cause aggression. Researcher Brad Bushman; Effect of central nervous systems (CNS) depressants such[...]

When Technology Addiction Takes Over Your Life

Are you a tangled mess of BlackBerrys, emails, PDAs, iPhones, laptops, and cell phones? Here’s how to untangle your life and find a healthy balance. Jenn Hoffman, the Phoenix-based CEO[...]

Compulsive Choices in Addiction?

How Do I Approach Clients Who Feel Out of Control? Is addiction an issue of bad choices or is it a case of biological, compulsive, necessity? If you know anything about me and my views, you[...]

Dopamine: Why It’s So Hard to “Just Say No”

Recovering From Addiction is About Healing Mind, Body & Life “Why doesn’t s/he just stop when s/he knows how much it’s hurting me?” This is one of the most common[...]

Overcoming Addiction

A daring approach to therapy puts substance abusers where they belong—among family and friends. Knowing the effect they have on their loved ones motivates many addicts to live a substance-free[...]

Why Early Intervention Matters

Can Screening For Mental Illness Help Prevent Substance Use Disorders For Some? Mental and substance use disorders are common in the United States, affecting millions each year. In some cases,[...]

Coffee is a Drug Not a Beverage, Drink Up! Just Not Too Much

Coffee Has Novel Application For Detoxification Introduction to Coffee Coffee is a drug, not a beverage. Thus, it should be used as a drug, sparingly and only for specific purposes[...]

Preventing Hangovers

Many Remedies Are Applied, Few Work We live in a society that encourages overindulgence in alcohol almost as much as overindulgence in food. When citizens drink too much, they can expect a[...]

The Myth of Motivation

Stop Searching For Motivation &Start Taking Massive Action True or false? In order to get anything done, do you have to feel motivated to do it first? FALSE. However, if[...]

The Surefire Recipe For Creating an Addict

How & Why Do People Get Addicted? I don’t cook much. Luckily, I’ve got a spouse who loves the kitchen, and lots of food apps and local restaurants to choose[...]

Do Brain-Changing Games Really Work?

A New Study Looked For Evidence of Cognitive Benefits & Brain Changes The promise of brain-changing games is hard to resist. Who doesn’t want to improve memory and thinking and have fun[...]

There Is a New Link Between Screen-Time and Autism

There is a New Link Between Screen-Time & Autism

Too Much Exposure, Especially in Boys, May Stunt Social Development Brains at every age, especially developing ones, adapt to the environment in which they find themselves. What worries a growing number of[...]

How to Be a Good Parent in a Digitally Addicted World

Nine Tips For Raising Confident & Happy Kids (Without Going Crazy) I write and speak a lot on digital life, what it’s doing to us psychologically, spiritually, socially, and as[...]

How to Win The Smartphone-Brain Battle

New Research Explains How To Beat Brain Hackers At Their Own Game A 60 Minutes story aired on April 9focused on how Silicon Valley is engineering your smartphone, apps, and social media platforms[...]

The Anxiety Epidemic

Our Smartphones May Be a Major Cause On June 11, a New York Times article, “An Anxious Nation,” chronicled how our society has seemingly become one where the diagnosis of anxiety now rivals that of depression. Poignantly[...]

Early Diagnosis of Alcoholism

An important Clue Alcoholism is defined usually as the abuse of alcohol to the extent that it interferes with physical health and with the social aspects of life, including work. It is compulsive and potentially[...]

Video Game Addiction

Video Games Create Addictions Akin to Drug Addiction If you don’t think kids get hooked on video games, think again. If you Google “video game addiction,” you will find more than[...]

Teach Your Teen About Alcohol

One In Five Teens Will Get Into a Car With A Driver Who Has Been Drinking You might think high school drinking is probably harmless. But consider these numbers. In a 2015 survey of[...]

Stress & Addiction

Chronic Stress Can Increase Vulnerability to Addiction Stress is a key risk factor in addiction initiation, maintenance, relapse, and thus treatment failure (Sinha & Jastreboff, 2013). Stressful life events combined with[...]

Think Positive? The Pressure to Be Happy

How Much Control Do Any of Us Have Over Our Happiness? Smile! Turn that frown upside down. Chin up; everything will be okay. Keep calm and carry on. Think positive. Or[...]

There’s No One Addictive Personality

Depending on How You Define an Addiction, 15 to 60 Percent of Us Have One You’ll hear that a group of people have an “addictive personality” and sometimes hear that they’re[...]

The Neuroscience of Wanting & Pleasure

Wanting & Liking Are The Basis of Motivation, Our Psychological Oxygen Humans must find the motivation to continue the journey of life. Motivation to go to work, to parent, to invest in costly[...]

10 Patterns of Addictive Behavior

How Do You Know You Have an Addiction? Drawing from research on addiction in neuroscience, psychology, and clinical practice, the following list identifies several key behavioral patterns associated with addiction: Shahram Heshmat, Ph.D., is[...]

How Exercise Can Help Keep You Drug-Free

Working Out in Recovery Eating, sleeping, and feeling healthy may seem like normal parts of life, but being able to function effectively on a day-to-day basis should not be taken for granted.[...]

Feeding Your Addiction

Distinguishing Between Food & Drug Addiction Research is beginning to uncover that the brain reward systems responsible for making drugs of abuse so addictive are the same pleasure systems that are activated by the foods we[...]

Food Addiction is Not About Willpower

Research Reveals The Brain Chemistry Behind The Struggle With Overeating Food Addiction Is Not About Willpower: Have you ever heard a friend exclaim that a certain dessert – flourless chocolate[...]

Setting Boundaries For Loved Ones

Why Do Loved Ones Struggle to Set And Maintain Firm Boundaries? Setting Boundaries for Loved Ones: Another relapse. Another midnight call. Another sleepless night. Another round of fear, frustration, and fatigue.[...]

Addiction, Recovery & Loss

Unbeknownst to Most, Significant Loss is Intrinsic to Addiction Recovery As I wrote in last month’s post, the loss is an unavoidable part of life. Over time, everyone experiences a[...]

Autism and Screen Time Special Brains, Special Risks

Autism & Screen Time: Special Brains, Special Risks

Children With Autism Are Vulnerable to The Negative Effects of Screen Time. Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are uniquely vulnerable to various brain-related impacts of screen time. These electronic “side effects”[...]

Six Reasons Teens Turn to Drugs

Understanding The Motive Behind Teen Drug Use There comes a time in a teen’s life when he or she is faced with the single decision to take a drug. The[...]

“You’re an Addict”

Why Labels Are Helpful When clients come into therapy for help with compulsive/addictive behaviors, the first point of consideration is whether they can acknowledge their problems. Sam Louie is a psychotherapist with an[...]

Why Drinking When You’re Stressed Is Risky Business

Research Probes The Effects of Alcohol & Stress on The Brain Here’s something to keep in mind as the holidays unfold: if you drink alcohol when you’re stressed, you may be flipping[...]

What is a Behavioral Addiction?

Reclaiming Your Life Ingesting drugs and alcohol may produce short-term rewards that then result in a lack of control over the behavior. Several behaviors similarly produce short-term rewards and result in a lack of[...]

Signs Your Children are Abusing Drugs or Alcohol.

Summer Means Plenty of Free Time Summer is here and that means college students are back home and teenagers are out of school. I often find the free time and lack of[...]

Feeding Your Brain

The Food-Mood-addiction Connection Between What You Eat & What Eats at You You may already know that your brain and body partner up when it comes to deciding what and how you eat.[...]

Screentime & Arrested Social Development

Screens Are Preventing Kids From Practicing Social Skills & It Shows Children and teens who experience social anxiety — feeling discomfort or distress in social situations — or who are socially incompetent[...]

Is Fear of Emotion Driving Our Addiction?

How Facing Our Emotions Helps Us Fight Addiction As human beings, the deepest, most core conflict we face is whether or not to feel. Do we seek vitality, love, passion, compassion,[...]

Learning About Addiction

A Problem As Serious As Addiction Should Be Treated By Well-trained People A huge problem in our country is that most of the people whom we trust to provide addiction treatment are[...]

3 Challenges Obesity & Drug Addiction Share

Obesity is a Completely Different Health Condition Than Addiction People who struggle to control their weight are often blamed for their own condition. “Why would you do that to yourself?”[...]

Adrenaline Addiction

Powerful Pluses & Minuses, & Ways to Control it When we hear the word “addiction,” we normally think about drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes. Less discussed but also common is adrenaline addiction:[...]

Three Phases of Addiction.

Getting High, Avoiding The Low, & Craving Tobacco, alcohol, stimulants, opiates, and marijuana are all capable of leading to addiction. Some of these drugs are more addictive than others. Some people are more prone to[...]

Four Reasons You Should Pay More Attention to Alcohol Abuse.

Alcohol May Be One of The Most Commonly Abused Drugs in The World Alcohol may be one of the most commonly abused drugs in the world, and Alcohol Awareness Month is the[...]

Why are Smokers Less Likely to Get a New Job?

Statistically, Smokers Earn Less & Have a Tougher Time Finding Work Are you a smoker? Are you looking for one more reason to quit? If so, thinking about the pecuniary[...]

What Parents Need to Know About Underage Drinking.

Here Are Four Tips For Parents When Talking to Their Kids About Alcohol I am an alcoholic. Seventeen years and nine-ish months ago, I quit a 2-liter of hard liquor[...]

People, Places, and Things That Trigger Drug Use

A Subliminal Reason Why Cravings Come Seemingly Out of Nowhere You remember Pavlov and his dog, right? That old classical conditioning story you learned in Psych 101 where the dog[...]

Alcohol or Drug Use Can Rob Your Body of Nutrients

Learn How Supplements Can Help Heal Your Body & Your Mind You might be surprised to learn that many people with substance use disorders suffer from nutrient deficiencies. If you’re one of[...]

Are You ‘Addicted’ to Chaos?

Is ‘Chaos Addiction’ Another Term For ‘Workaholism’ or Something Different? Last year, three independent things happened that led me to write this article. Firstly, I received an email from one[...]

The Psychology of Gambling

5 Surprising Facts About Gambling Gambling is an interesting psychological phenomenon, and there has been extensive research on how psychological processes affect gambling behavior. Here are 5 interesting gambling phenomena. Ronald[...]

Yoga Good for Addicts and the Rest of Us

Yoga: Good for Addicts & The Rest of Us

There Has Been a Lot of Debate About Yoga There has been a lot of debate about yoga. Is it just good exercise or does it have an impact on[...]

Teens & Marijuana Addiction

How to Spot When The Adolescent in Your Life May Have a Problem I frequently give talks about marijuana at schools. If the audience includes parents, the most common question is a variation[...]

10 Reasons Why Some of Us Are So Vulnerable to Depression

Stuck in Negative Thoughts They Can’t Escape, Many Fall Prey to Sadness People’s thoughts and attitudes explain why some develop depression following stressful life events. The following list provides an overview of various vulnerability[...]

Can Compulsive Internet Use Affect Adolescent Mental Health?

A New Study Looks at Internet Compulsion & Mental Health in Young People The Internet is everywhere these days. Or at least it seems to be. With over three billion[...]

Train Your Brain to Release Stress.

Feel Better Faster With New Techniques From EBT Stress is getting to us! New data are showing that stress is getting under our skin and causing even more serious problems than[...]

Can You Be ‘Addicted’ to Water?

A Brief Look at Psychogenic Polydipsia, Hyponatraemia, And ‘Aquaholism’ In May 2015, I went to the cinema with my oldest son to watch Mad Max: Fury Road. The reason I mention[...]

Recovery (like Addiction) Relies on Neuroplasticity

There’s Nothing Chronic About This “Chronic Brain Disease.” The experts at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) are very clear: “Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease.” (Here’s the NIDA party line in a[...]

4 Ways to Be There for Someone Recovering from Addiction

It Can’t Be About Your Expectations For Them When a loved one is in crisis, it can be hard to know what to say. It can feel safer to do nothing in[...]

What Makes Teenagers Abuse Drugs and Alcohol

What Makes Teenagers Abuse Drugs & Alcohol?

A new study explores the roots of drug and alcohol use in teenagers. Drug and alcohol abuse has always been a major problem for many young people. According to the 2014 Monitoring[...]

Why We’re Addicted to Our Smartphones, But Not Our Tablets

Our Smartphones Are Shifting From Device to Dependency Remember all of the wisecracks about executives and their BlackBerry addictions? Back then, constant contact was limited to the few and the[...]

How to Stop Kids From Binge Drinking

Know How to Do it, But Need The Social Push The United States has come a long way in encouraging people to smoke less or quit. We need a similar[...]

Are You an Achievement-Addicted Person?

What is Achievement Addiction? How Do You Know If You Have It? One of the most powerful motives that humans can possess is the drive to achieve. Typically, we consider[...]

Making Progress in Writing & Recovery

Writers & Loved Ones Should Embrace “Progress Not Perfection” I write and I recover from a loved one’s addiction. Granted there are significant differences between the two, but several similarities. I[...]

6 Strategies to Communicate With Anger Addicts

How to Deal With Angry Controlling People Anger can tyrannize relationships. One woman I treated had stopped having any male friends because she was afraid of her partner’s unrelenting jealous anger. If she[...]

Cheating Yourself? I Hear the Advice, I Do What I Want

People Have to Be Met Where They Are (At All Levels) A Depressing Video I recently watched a video about the use of new technology to change health behaviours in the elderly.[...]

What Really Happens When a Couple Splits?

And Why We Tell Ourselves Just What We Need To Hear “Beth” and “Rob” were happily married. You could feel their harmony. Talking with them, you never got that awkward[...]

3 Ineffective Ways I Tried to Manage and Enjoy My Drug Use

Alert: If You’re Trying to Manage Your Drug Use, You’re Not Enjoying it Anymore As an active addict, I was an amazing storyteller. “I don’t have a problem” was one[...]

Alcohol in the Human Body: An Odyssey!

Dr. Sadaqat Ali: Unlike anything else we eat, alcohol is absorbed differently, is eliminated differently, and affects us all in a different way as well. More information on all of[...]

Are More Intelligent People More Likely to be Alcoholics?

Are Smarter People More Likely to Harm Themselves With Drugs & Alcohol? Dr. Kanazawa has reissued his assertion that more intelligent people binge drink and get drunk more, according to[...]

Dealing with addicts Taking a Lethal Combination of Cocaine and Alcohol

This article is from a video by Dr. Sadaqat Ali, titled: “Dealing with addicts taking a lethal combination of Cocaine and Alcohol” Mixing drugs have never been a good idea. People mostly mix the drugs that are[...]

Teach Your Teen About Alcohol

One in Five Teens Will Get Into a Car With A Driver Who Has Been Drinking You might think high school drinking is probably harmless. But consider these numbers. In a 2015 survey of[...]

Harmful Drinking The Mystery Unfolds: Dr. Sadaqat Ali

Alcohol is a Selectively Addicting Drug. A nightmare for some. Dr. Sadaqat Ali Most of us have been exposed to alcohol at one time or another. Drinking is in fashion all[...]

An Interview with Dr. Sadaqat Ali on the Issue of Alcoholism

Most alcoholics don’t even know they have a problem. So what are the signs of alcoholism and when should you, as a family member, start worrying that you might have[...]

Alcohol Hangover: Hanging Over The Commode or What?

Some people wake up “the morning after the drinking” with a throbbing headache, a sick nauseous stomach, and a fluffy tongue. Veisalgia is the little-known medical term for this condition,[...]

Escaping or Accepting?

On Accepting Your Feelings, Rather Than Attempting to Escape As far as I’m aware, there has been no time in the history of the human race when the majority of human beings attempted to[...]

The Dopamine Reward System: Friend or Foe?

Getting Dopamine From Your Best Connections Not Your Worst Vices Dopamine is trending as the most popular neurotransmitter. And why not? There are days I think it rules the world or[...]

Does Addiction Recovery Require a Change in Consciousness?

Change is Possible. If You Need Help With Substance Abuse, Seek it Does Addiction Recovery Require a Change in Consciousness? For the last ten days, I’ve been at conferences hosted[...]

TV Binge Watching Disorder

Confessions of an Unabashed TV Junkie As those of you who follow developments in the field of psychiatry and diagnosis know by now, the American Psychiatric Association with its release in 2013[...]

How Do Drugs Hijack Your Brain?

Smaller Gray Matter Volumes are Linked to Likelihood of Certain Drug Addictions Over the years, I’ve witnessed a handful of close friends destroy their lives because of an addiction to drugs. Of all[...]

8 Reasons It’s So Hard to Overcome a Tough Childhood

Understanding What Prevents Healing Can Be The First Step Toward Recovery Trauma experienced in childhood has a special ability to wound, especially when it includes emotional, physical, or sexual abuse or neglect. The falloutechoes through[...]

Is Surfing the Internet Addictive?

New Research Suggests Non-specific Internet Use Can Be an Addictive Experience When Internet addiction was first proposed as a psychological disorder in the 1990’s1, it wasn’t taken too seriously. These days, however,[...]

The Psychological Damage of Alcohol Abuse Can Be Lethal

The Psychological Damages of Alcohol Abuse Trump The Physical Risks A new study from the University of Colorado at Boulder reports that the psychological and social consequences of heavy drinking outweigh the physical hazards of alcohol abuse. This is especially true[...]

Why Changing Eating Habits (Permanently) is So Hard

Most of Us Can Change What, When, & How Much We Eat. For a Little While Most of us can change what, when, and how much we eat for a[...]

Addiction: A Systems Perspective

Addiction Creates & Amplifies Imbalance; Recovery Counteracts It Addiction is a disorder of the brain’s reward pathway mediated by dopamine and other neurotransmitters. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) defines addiction[...]

Can We Exercise Too Much?

Compulsive Exercise Can Result in Exercise Dependence I have always called myself an extreme health nut. I thought it was a positive, a good thing… eating really really overly healthy and cutting[...]

How Many People Are Addicted to Exercise?

The Truth About Exercise Addiction Many people become physically active to look and feel better and to get healthy. But physical activity may become addictive for a small number of[...]

Why You Shouldn’t Shop When Sleepy

A Creative Study Shows The Cost Of Going to The Market Tired Imagine you just pulled an all-nighter studying for an important exam, worked a double shift through the night,[...]

Addicted to Being Right!

Our Body Makes a Chemical Choice About How to Best Protect Itself I’m sure it’s happened to you… You’re in a tense team meeting trying to defend your position on a big[...]

Are You Mentally Strong Enough to Combat Stress?

Building Mental Strength Provides Protection From The Harmful Effects of Stress The cumulative effects of chronic stress creep up on you slowly. Initially, you may be able to shrug off minor health issues and sleep difficulties and explain[...]

Why The Internet is So Addictive

When We Escape Reality We Are Left in a Virtual Abyss The Internet can be one enormous escape hatch. When life becomes too hard and stressful, when relationships become too[...]

ADHD and Substance Abuse

Investigating The Connection According to a new report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), ADHD is linked to a marked increase in substance abuse. This data adds to an increasingly[...]

Addiction is Not a Failure of Willpower

Does New Work on Willpower Reinscribe Old Moral Beliefs About Addicts Willpower is a popular subject these days. Channel your willpower in all the right ways and you can transform[...]

Parenting a Substance Abuser

What To Expect on This Emotional Roller Coaster Parenting is an inherently guilt-inducing endeavor. Whether it’s a skinned knee or a failing grade, parents find it hard to resist blaming themselves[...]

Is Love an Addiction?

You Want to Be Together All The Time. Is That Wonderful or Obsessive “Too much of a good thing is wonderful” —Mae West Romantic love has often been considered a type[...]

10 Keys to Happier Living Based on Self-Acceptance

“learning to Love Yourself” Might Actually Be “The Greatest Love of All.” A March 2014 survey by psychologists who study happiness identified “ten keys to happier living” and daily habits that make people[...]

Sugar Addiction: It May Be Very Real

Consumption of Refined Sugar May Actually Be “Addictive,” Research Indicates Scientists and doctors have been coming to the conclusion that sugar, even in relatively small but consistent amounts, may not[...]

When Not to Be Nice

The Late Dr. Harriet Braiker Continues to Teach Us When And How to Say No “Niceness is the psychological armor of the people-pleaser.” ~ Harriet B. Braiker Do you act on a[...]

What Science Tells Us About Treatment of Addiction

A Response to a Recent “debunking” of The 12-Step Program By John F. Kelly and Gene Beresin In a recent National Public Radio show on WBUR Radio Boston, Dr. Lance[...]

What is Healthy Distraction?

How Distraction Can Help Prevent Relapse In Relapse Prevention 101, one of the techniques recovering addicts learn is a distraction. Many are already familiar with the unhealthy version of this[...]

Preventing Relapse Among Addicted Youth

5 Approaches That Work in Relapse Prevention Relapse rates for addiction are notoriously high, falling between 40 and 60 percent according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The relapse rate is[...]

Basic Emotions and Basic Psychological Disorders

Eight Basic Emotions That Underlie Eight Psychological Disorder Clusters I have written in past about the basic structure of emotions and identified eight basic emotions- four of them paired together viz. Fear-Disgust;[...]

Parenting Away From Addiction

You Have an Opportunity to Parent Such That Your Children Do Not Become Addicts I am the father of two small children, an infant, and a preschooler. And although I[...]

Fear Itself

Addiction, Recovery & a Path to Prevention The practice of prevention—keeping young people safe and alive—often relies heavily on outcome-based evidence of educational approaches and initiatives, not to mention the[...]

Why Do Shopping Addicts Keep Spending Their Money?

Out-of-control-shopping i Primarily Driven By Poor Credit Card Management Did you know that approximately 10 percent of adults in western countries are believed to have a compulsive spending disorder? Their[...]

The Common Denominator of All Addictions

Drug, Alcohol, & Behavioral Addictions Have One Thing in Common: Compulsion I said I’d use the next few posts to share what I learned at a recent conference on behavioral addictions.[...]

13 Reasons Why Setbacks Should Never Stop You

How to Turns Steps Backward into Leaps Forward You’ve been working hard to eat better, but one day you binge at Taco Bell. Or, you’ve tried to quit smoking several times, and[...]

Is Addiction a Disability or Just Unacceptable Behavior?

When Should Addicts Be Protected By Disability Laws? In Oregon, a police officer was fired in 2011 for driving an unmarked police car under the influence while off-duty. He refused a field[...]

Neuroplasticity and Addiction Recovery

Understanding How The Brain Heals Creates New Treatment Options For Addicts We used to think that the brain, once damaged, could not repair itself. Breakthroughs in neuroscience have shown that this is[...]

Addiction and Depression

Simple Tools to Help Addicts & Others Push Back Against Depression Symptoms Depression is probably the most common co-occurring disorder addicts present with. Unsurprisingly, addicts frequently feel demoralized and hopeless about[...]

The Workaholic Breakdown – The Loss of Spirituality

The Loss of Spirituality Makes It Doubly Hard to Recover From Workaholism When work becomes the “sacred cow,” personal and often professional values change. Faith often weakens because little energy[...]

Relapse

Relapse Does Not Have to Be Part of Addiction Recovery Generally, when an addict is sent to or voluntarily enters treatment, s/he is told to expect relapse, that returning to[...]

Anxious: 4 Examples of Anxiety Treatments that Calm Nerves

Stress, Anxiety, Nerves…Trade in Your Worries For Confidence & Courage Whether what you worry about marriage problems, money problems, relationship tensions, kids, health, work, or yet another negative situation that seems[...]

Does Willpower Play a Role in Addiction Recovery?

We Tend to Oversimplify Concepts Such as Powerlessness & Willpower By now, the research is clear: Addiction is a chronic brain disease, not a matter of willpower. This means that, contrary to old stereotypes, people[...]

Weight Control: The Biological Brain, The Psychological Mind

Not All Abusers Are Created Equal

Pathology is Often The Missing Piece When Looking at The Domestic Violence Just as not all victims are the same, not all perpetrators of harm are the same either. There[...]

The Hourglass Shape of Addiction

Everyone is an Individual, Until Addiction Squeezes us Into Its Narrow Neck I’ve recently started interviewing people who responded to my request for addictionbiographies—formy next book. These people offered to share[...]

The Genetics of Quitting Smoking

Smokers’ Biology Affects Their Chances of Quitting With or Without Medication Here at A3, we’re big supporters of scientific progress in addiction treatment. It may be true that addicts need to want recovery[...]

Bipolar Teens and Their Drugs

Strawberries & Cream, Bipolar Teens & Weed: Which is The Winning Combo Teenagers push the limits. It’s developmentally programmed. As school-aged children, we tend to do as we are told. Then,[...]

Addiction: A Matter of Choice?

High Levels of Dopamine Take The Freedom Out of Free Choicea Nobody chooses to be addicted. But as people become increasingly hooked, they may increasingly choose to take the pill or the[...]

How Ordinary People Become Extraordinary Liars

The Trip Down Liars Lane There was a time when I thought I was going to write a book called How Ordinary People Become Extraordinary Liars. It never happened. I did,[...]

Dreams and Recovery from Addiction

Help From The Unconscious After more than thirty—five years of working with my own and other people’s dreams, I am convinced that all dreams come in the service of health and wholeness. Even the[...]

Making Mountains Out of Molehills and Ending Up in Hell!

Catastrophizing is a Pattern Of Thinking That Distresses & Debilitates There’s a small stain on the carpet. What if someone hacks into my computer and steals my bank details? Will[...]

Social Phobia = Shyness

Tackling The Misconceptions About Social Phobia Social phobia, also known as Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), is not simply extreme shyness. Many people experience some shyness and discomfort, especially in new situations or[...]

Addiction and Magical Thinking

The Value of Reality We’re a society of addicts. Just look around you. There are smokers, drinkers, drug abusers, degenerate gamblers. Then there are the slightly less obvious examples: compulsive[...]

Toxic Relationships in Eating Disorder Recovery

The Risk of Cross-addictions in Early Recovery A leading cause of eating disorder relapse is getting into a relationship too early in recovery. Early recovery is emotionally volatile; add in[...]

Boredom: The Devil and Divine Discontent

Boredom Can Drive One to Drink, Or it Can Be a Catalyst For Change Most of us know what it feels like to be bedeviled by boredom. First encountered in childhood and[...]

Does Gender Matter in the Addicted Brain’s Response to Stress?

Men, Women, Cocaine Addiction, & Stress Current research indicates that a person goes through three phases when developing a drug addiction and that particular brain region is associated with each phase. The[...]

Motivating Loved Ones to Seek Recovery

A Guide to Help Loved Ones Find The Motivation For Recovery People suffering from eating disorders are often ambivalent about recovering, which makes these types of illnesses harder to treat. Helping loved[...]

Sensitive Children: Do They Struggle With Depression More?

Are Highly Sensitive Kids More Prone to Depression Last Monday, I was invited to teach a program to second-graders about “Emotions” and how to become happier. I have led this[...]

Thinking About Craving

It’s So Basic, But It’s Not Easy to Understand I have been thinking a lot about cravings lately. What is craving, really? What’s it all about? Craving seems to amount[...]

Understanding The Dynamics of Workaholism Obsession

“Has Your Attention Become Narrowly Fixated on Your Work” Workaholism & Obsession In order to further understand one of the inner dynamics of workaholism—that perfectionism leads to obsession, and in turn, obsession[...]

Treating Depression With Deep Brain Stimulation

Experimental New Approach For Treatment-Resistant Depression A recent paper in the Archives of General Psychiatry, a leading psychiatric journal, describes a study investigating deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of depression. This study involved[...]

Is There Such a Thing as “Shame” Power?

Why Shame Can Both Help & Hurt Self-Control A recent blog post I wrote has been generating debate in the comments section: Does shame motivate self-control? And more specifically, can shame encourage people to lose[...]

Why Addictions Are So Powerful and How to Overcome Them

Meditating Our Way Away From Addictions Addictions come in many different forms. We can all think of stories of people addicted to drugs and alcohol. One of my uncles struggled with alcohol.[...]

Compulsive Choices in Addiction?

How Do I Approach Clients Who Feel Out of Control Is addiction an issue of bad choices or is it a case of biological, compulsive, necessity? If you know anything about me and my views, you[...]

How to Beat Anxiety Naturally

You Can Beat Anxiety Without Popping a Pill We are a society obsessed with quick fixes. It’s natural to want to feel better and less anxious but an increasing number[...]

Do You Suffer From Scale Addiction?

Food Addiction’s Not The Only Addiction For Dieters For many, weight loss is a traumatic affair, and one of the most common afflictions of serial dieters is a condition I refer to[...]

Overcoming Chronic Resentment and the Abuse It Causes

Overcoming Chronic Resentment and the Abuse Ii Causes

Choose Between Resentment And Healing; You Can’t Do Both Recovery from relationships that have suffered chronic resentment is long, complex and fraught with setbacks, whether the couple breaks up or[...]

Make an Exercise Obsession Healthier by Eating More

How Eating Well Can Increase Performance & Happiness The question of what can make a healthy commitment to something like a sport turn into an unhealthy obsession – and what[...]

Can You Really Become Addicted to the Internet?

New Study Finds Many College Students Are Addicted to The Internet Imagine what it would be like not to have access to the Internet or your cell phone for 24[...]

Understanding the Root of Self-Destructive Behaviors: Why?

Can You Be Self-destructive But Love Yourself Overall If you polled a large group of people and asked them if they liked themselves, the great majority would tell you “yes.”[...]

Talking to Kids About Teen Smoking: How to Do it Right

If You Know The Rules, You Can Help Teens Stop Smoking Newsflash: Kids don’t like being preached to – especially when it’s done hypocritically A recent study assessed the impact parents have[...]

Is Gambling Addictive? What Do addicted Gamblers Look Like?

Casino Gambling, Unlike Drinking, Has No Redeeming Social Value The new American Psychiatric Association diagnostic manual, DSM-5, scheduled for publication in May 2013, for the first time specifies that an activity not involving a[...]

Can You Understand, Tolerate, and Overcome Your Social Anxiety

So Many Are Self-medicating Their Social Anxiety Shauna was a young, attractive, articulate woman. She also was very perfectionistic and self-critical. After every social encounter, she would analyze what she[...]

Failure Can Become Freedom

Failure Can Become Freedom: 5 Tips for Overcoming Impulsivity Losing your fear of failure can be very freeing. Being a failure phobic can lead to avoiding risk, which is necessary for success.[...]

How Mindless Leaders Can Create Workplace Problems

Why We Need Mindful Leaders Most leadership books and training programs focus on how leaders can achieve more—do more, better, faster, with spectacular results. We’ve become obsessed with continuous improvement at increasing[...]

Do Personality Disorders Ever “Go Away?”

Do Symptoms of Personality Disorders Change Over Time? Personality disorders involve long-term, problematic behaviors that typically are first exhibited during adolescence and cause marked distress and impairment. The very definition of personality disorders[...]

Managing Chronic Pain

A Surprising Treatment For Chronic Pain I have a small cohort of patients who suffer chronic pain so intense and unremitting it prevents them from living normally. They often don’t work, shop,[...]

If You Do Something Too Much, Is it an Addiction?

Diagnosing Addiction Can Be Tricky This week millions of families will gather together to celebrate a holiday, Easter or Passover. At some of these gatherings, an uncle or cousin will[...]

The Meeting Eyes of Love: How Empathy is Born in Us

The Mother’s Eyes Are The Refuge Where Children Confirm Their Existence. You learn the world from your mother’s face. The mother’s eyes, especially, are a child’s refuge, the mirror where[...]

Beat Addictions and Procrastination

Three Minute Refutations (TMR) Involve a Powerful Exercise For Changing Your Addictive Thinking While the Three Minute Exercise (in my book, Three Minute Therapy see pp. 9,18, 32, 40, etc.) helps you dispute[...]

Attractions of Inspiration and Attractions of Deprivation

How to Discern Which Attractions Lead to Pain & Which Can Lead to Real Love If I could only share one insight with my single readers, it would be this:[...]

The Pursuit of Happiness–Or the Quest For Wealth

The Materialistic Search For Happiness is Laden With Paradox Sadly, in our capitalistic culture today, the two aspirations denoted in the above title–to me, sharply contrasting–are frequently confused. They can[...]

Is Hoarding an Addiction or Purely a Compulsive Behavior?

Is There a Difference? What comes to mind when you read the word “addiction?” Does it make you think of repetitive use of alcohol and drugs despite negative consequences? Or do you[...]

More Intelligent People Are More Likely to Binge Drink and Get Drunk

Intelligent People Are More Likely to Do Stupid Things Not only are more intelligent individuals more likely to consume more alcohol more frequently, but they are also more likely to engage[...]

The Five things Most likely to Ruin Your Child’s Life

Rich ہr Poor, Adverse Childhood Experiences Predict Future Problems Research on what is called “adverse childhood experiences” (ACEs) is showing that there is a shortlist of five things that happen to children[...]

People, Places, and Things – How Important are Drug-Related Triggers For Relapse?

Drug Associated Triggers Are Powerful Re-activators of Addictive Behavior In cognitive-behavioral therapy they’re a big part of the “Five W’s” = When, Where, Why, With, and What. In the various[...]

A Myth About Alcohol, Drugs, and Creativity

Creativity Can Thrive Without Alcohol & Drugs My entire life I grew up around creative people. Indeed, my godfather was John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie and my godmother was the wife[...]

Ways to Slow Down Without TV

Tv is Not The Root Of All Evil. For Kids, It Might Be A recent joint study(link is external) on the effects of TV viewing on young children by the Universities of[...]

Social Media Addiction: Engage Brain Before Believing

Are We Addicted to Social Media or to Headlines That Make Good Copy When you see headlines about social media addiction, take a deep breath. Exhale. I know this sounds radical,[...]

Being “Sober” Versus Being in “Recovery”

What’s The Difference Between Being “Sober” Versus Being in “Recovery”? There is an important distinction between being “sober” and being in “recovery”. The differences are clear to those who have[...]

Confessions of a Smartphone Junkie

Protecting Our “Humanware” By Changing Our Smartphone Behavior I AM A SMARTPHONE JUNKIE. I am not embarrassed by this since nearly everyone I see in my world appears to think[...]

Feening For a Technology Fix

Technology – The Midnight Snack That Consumes You! Imagine this, you wake up in the middle of the night to get a drink of water or a late-night snack. As[...]

The Meaning of Deja Vu

What is Deja Vu & How Do I Recognize & Use it in My Life “Deja Vu” is a common intuitive experience that has happened to many of us. The[...]

Mindfulness Meditation & Addiction

Causes For Addiction & How Mindfulness Meditation Can Help With Them One of the first steps in dealing with addiction is to discover the emotional cause of it, whether it is fear, depression, anxiety,[...]

Correlation, Causation, and Association

Let’s Clear Something Up, Correlation isn’t Causation, But It’s Important! A comment posted by a reader on a recent post reprimanded me for suggesting that marijuana caused relationships to go bad. In this instance the[...]

Why We Need Silence to Survive

We Need Silence–for All Our Senses–to Live Well I blogged earlier about how chronic, even low-level noise boosts stress levels, which in turn trigger health problems such as hypertension(link is external). My awareness of this in my[...]

Breaking Old Habits

Managers have been known to remove their hair in dissatisfaction with why workers can’t change their behaviors and dispose of old habits. Recent brain research gives us more precise reasons[...]

Craving: When The Brain Remembers Drug Use

What Are Cravings & How Should One Cope? What are drug-use cravings? I agree with these descriptions and the idea that cravings are strong memories that are linked to the effect of drugs[...]

Getting Rid of Sugar Addiction

Thousands of years ago, humans tended to consume sugar found naturally in food and it did not cause many problems. Now things have changed over a period of several years,[...]

Children of Addiction

Thirty years ago I began working with children impacted by addiction in their families. Addiction in the family is a legacy that continues to thrive, although today we have a much better understanding of[...]

Why Teens Addict: The Elusive Search For Happiness

Addiction, Happiness & Youth Happiness. We all want it. If you were born in America you learned early that happiness is not only your right but a national obsession as[...]

Chronic Personality Problems in Problem Relationships

How Can Chronic Personality Problems Impact Problem Relationships? A large portion of abusers (although not all) have some similar identifying disorders, traits, or diagnoses. They are not all created equal.[...]

Do You Have a Digital Addiction?

Are You Digitally Addicted? Hours-long Internet surfing that contributes to severe weight loss or gain, obsessive e-mail checking, and freaking out (beyond the initial few minutes) when your cell phone[...]

The Visible Need Not Apply

Healthy Behavior Comes in All Kinds of Packages I would personally like to thank Congress and, most especially, President Obama, for finally passing a national health care package, as imperfect as it[...]

Parenting: Raise Excellent — Not Perfect — Children

Are Your Children Perfect, or Just Excellent? Perfectionism is one of the most destructive diseases among American children today. Perfectionism is a double-edged sword. One edge of the sword drives[...]

Going to Extremes

New Studies Reveal That Too Much Exercise Can Be Detrimental to Your Health The subject of beauty, especially as it radiates outward from the recesses of our minds, behavior, and life[...]

Excessive Optimism Leads to Even More Drinking

A significant piece of everybody’s self-concept is a feeling of how we contrast with others in our behaviors and practices. A typical perception is that numerous individuals are excessively hopeful[...]

Heads I Win; Tails You Lose

“gambling is a Principle Inherent in Human Nature” — Edmund Burke “One of the healthiest ways to gamble iswith a spade and a package of garden seeds.”Dan Bennett Compulsive or[...]

5 Steps To Changing Any Behavior

Taking Advantage of The Way The Mind Works to Yield Change 5 Steps To Changing Any Behavior: From quitting smoking to eating healthier to exercising regularly to getting more organized, most of[...]

Adolescent’s Development in High Tech Era

When a teenager does cross their teens and become an adult? It is a question that usually leaves teens and parents both confused. As it can be seen in California[...]

Are You Ready To Practice Mindful Eating?

Getting Old is a Bitch. Besides It Requires Mindful Eating I once took my dog Penny to see a canine behavior specialist. The problem was that Penny, having been adopted[...]

A Healthy Substitute For Willpower

Can We Do Better Than Relying on Simple Willpower? I have always loved bourbon, and as a graduate student, I loved it regularly. Back then, I drank with friends routinely.[...]

The Diabolic Secret Powers of Junk Food

Junk Food Has Learned to Fool Humans Into Ever-increasing Consumption It seems too clever, too diabolic to be true. A recent study shows that foods high in saturated fat —[...]

Understanding Codependency: How to Help an Addict

Loving — But Not Helping — An Addict Not too long ago, Melody Beattie barged into a therapy session I was leading, knocked the door off its hinges, and overturned the coffee[...]

Avoid Depression:10 Reasons to Get & Stay Sober

Making the decision to give up an addiction may seem like a simple act to those who have never struggled with the issue. The truth is that sobriety is a[...]

Cultivating The Seeds of Compassion, Conscious Connection, and The Self

You Are Not Alone In the Buddhist wisdom traditions, there is a teaching about the three poisons — craving, aggression, and ignorance. These three poisons are associated with three objects[...]

How to Increase Productivity: 5 Writing Practices

We all want to be as productive as possible. But we’re also human. We get distracted. We procrastinate. We don’t bring our “A-game.” So in an era of high expectations,[...]

Narcissus and Echo: The Myth and Tragedy of Relationships With Narcissists

Narcissus and Echo were tragic Greek characters in a story told by the Roman poet Ovid in Metamorphoses. This poignant myth crystallizes the tragic problem of relationships with narcissists. Sadly,[...]

Relationships! Boo or Woo

The quest for affection is an incredible spark of humankind. Love is all-inclusive: it’s something a large portion of us take a stab at and it’s a piece of what[...]

You are You! Never Compare!

You are you! Never compare! Leo Babauta skillfully discusses contrasts in reference to making comparisons in his one of well-known blogs on Zen Habits. He records some solid, supportive systems[...]

Gratitude or Attitude – The Right Food For Your Body?

In the first place, when our figure appearance is unwanted, we see a great deal of recognition about what we don’t have. We don’t have lashing legs. We don’t have[...]

How to Say You Do!

Individuals we grip interfacing are the ones who matter are most significant over our existence. They are our ideal, our sustenance plan. Up till notwithstanding we detract them for secured.[...]

Gaslighting 101: Signs, Symptoms, and Recovery

Gaslighting is a malicious and hidden form of mental and emotional abuse, designed to plant seeds of self-doubt and alter your perception of reality. Like all abuse, is based on[...]

5 Actions That Help in Strengthening Your Cognitive Strength

The antiquated Greeks perceived the association between the brain and the body. It’s required a long investment for the Western drugs to receive this idea, yet science keeps on demonstrating—again[...]

Why Romance Turns Toxic

To codependents, love is perhaps the highest ideal. Relationships give our lives meaning and purpose. They enliven and motivate us, validate our self-esteem, and soothe our fears of loneliness. Too[...]

Three Vital Behaviors to Adopt When Your Child Bullies You – The Do’s of Parenting

Raising a child never has been an easy task, especially in today’s modern world. With increased exposure to the world, today’s children are becoming quite unmanageable. They throw tantrums, refuse[...]

How Bullies are Raised at Home

In present times, we know that children usually disrespect their parents. They remain angry and hold grudges against their parents, which they exhibit from their behaviors such as, arguing, using[...]

Busting Lies: The Ultimate Technique

Truth is such a significant thing in everybody’s life that everybody battles for it. Diverse procedures are being utilized to identify truth and a portion of the strategies have been[...]

Increase and Decrease in Cravings

Craving means to want something that you want to have or like to have. It’s not a need of a person it’s something a person wants. A powerful and strong[...]

Addiction and Brain

A question arises if addiction is a disease or not, Addiction to drugs is known as a disease said by the National institution of drug addiction. Addiction is known as[...]

Bipolar Disorder and Depression

A revolutionary medicine tells that an easy way to distinguish between severe depression and bipolar disorder can easily be done by electrocardiogram (a display of a person’s heartbeat by electrocardiography).[...]

Changing Eating Patterns

People nowadays have very unhealthy food habits and it is very difficult to change these habits. Most all of us, can switch our eating depending on our quantity, timings, and[...]

Learning and maintaining your structure is a way for long life

Learning & Maintaining Your Structure is a Way For Long Life

Obesity and getting fat is an increasing problem people are facing nowadays. Many of the people don’t have good eating habits, some eat loads of junk food, some people eat[...]

Worries of children and helping them overcome it

Worries of Children & Helping Them Overcome it

A 7-year-old girl always used to complain that she’s not well and doesn’t want to attend school, her mom used to keep her home and after some time she used[...]

Discover Your True Authentic Self

Codependents often wonder what is normal. They feel insecure and wonder how others perceive them. Many tell me they don’t really know themselves. They’ve become people-pleasers, editing what they say[...]

Do I have to Lose Me to Love You?

As codependents, we lose ourselves in relationships, unaware that losing our Self is the greatest despair. When the relationship inevitably ends, it’s devastating, because we are lost. We lack autonomy[...]

Healthy Weight Loss Tips are a Smart Choice

An article was written byFurry Foi, Clinical PsychologistEdited by: Dr. Ajaz Qureshi How to motivate your own self to begin the weight loss journey.I am writing it just because people[...]

Are Your Parents Toxic?

Toxic relationships include relationships with toxic parents. Typically, they do not treat their children with respect as individuals. They won’t compromise, take responsibility for their behavior, or apologize. Often these[...]

Deprogramming Codependent Brainwashing

Codependency is based on false, dysfunctional beliefs that are learned from our parents and environment. Recovery entails changing those beliefs, the most damaging of which is that we’re not worthy[...]

Love Bombing as a Narcissistic Attachment Style

Getting hit by a love bomb feels glorious! The lavish attention and affection seem to answer our prayers. We’ve found Mr. or Ms. Right―our soul mate; unsuspecting that we’ve been[...]

Christmas Blues? Holiday Depression

The stress of the holidays triggers sadness and depression for many people. This time of year is especially difficult because there’s an expectation of feeling merry and generous. People compare[...]

New Years’ Resolutions

Why bother to make resolutions and then feel disappointed or guilty for breaking them? Do you get excited and resolve to change, but within days or weeks lose interest and[...]

Beware of the Dark Triad

Think of the Dark Triad of Narcissism, Psychopathy, and Machiavellianism as the Bermuda Triangle – it’s perilous to get near it! The traits of all three often overlap and create[...]

The World’s Healthiest People Don’t Go to The Gym

Ask us to skip the gym and we will do it without any hesitation and with a list of never-ending excuses. So if you equate the gym with being fit,[...]

What is Imposter Syndrome?

Have you ever felt like an imposter or fraud? You’re not alone. Particularly in a professional setting, people may have this feeling, but lack the words to describe it. This[...]

Valentine’s Day Traps

Valentine’s Day is fraught with landmines and expectations, often unrealized, and whether you’re in or out of a relationship, the grass isn’t always greener. Is your situation described here? Read[...]

What is Codependency?

Codependency is sneaky and powerful. You may not be aware that it’s the root cause of your problems. Focusing thinking and behavior around someone else is a sign of codependency. We[...]

Life’s Ups & Downs

From the birth of a human being to his death, various events occur in his life, including thousands of happy moments and thousand of moments of grief. During this life, he makes many intentions and decisions. Yes, he acts[...]

Family Importance | Why The Role of The Family is Important to Recover an Addict?

In which Dr. Sadaqat Ali has very thoroughly described the importance of the drug addict’s family in their treatment and their important action. He says:You have to provide leadership to bring about change in any organization, or to change a country, or[...]

Crucial Conversation | To Solve a Problem Should We Create Another Problem?

Whenever conflicts arise between human beings, they are usually not resolved in one meeting. It requires at least five and at most twenty-one meetings. We should try not to create another problem if we have a problem.[...]

New Research on Quarantine Stress & 5 Ways to Feel Good

“New research on quarantine stress and 5 ways to feel Good” The researchers found that the most common psychological symptoms associated with quarantine were depression, stress, bad mood, irritability, insomnia,[...]

For What Reason Do Young Men Engage in Risky Behaviors?

“For what reason Do Young Men Engage in Risky Behaviors?” It’s notable that teenagers are undeniably more careless than more seasoned grown-ups. Indeed, they even face a bigger number of[...]

Does On-Screen Time Really Affect The Social Skills of The Children Living in This Technology Era?

“Does on-screen time really affect the social skills of the children living in this technology era?” Latest research has destroyed a long-held critical evaluation with its ground breaking results. A[...]

Drug Usage | How to Eradicate Drug Addiction From Universities & Colleges?

According to the United Nations at present, 8 million people in Pakistan are suffering from drug addiction, and every year an increase of 40,000 people. Addiction cases are found in our best universities, colleges, and schools in Pakistan. If you ever go to a campus, you will[...]

Second Marriage | Is it a Crime

In which Dr. Sadaqat Ali states the reason why people raise their fingers on the second marriage? Does this mean that doing something affects the intentions of the person doing it? In fact, no[...]

Step By Step Instructions to Tell That it’s Time to Stop

“Step by step instructions to Tell That It’s Time to Stop” “No issue is considered to the point that you can’t leave it,” said Peanuts maker Charles Schulz. Stopping is[...]

10 Ways to Heal From Childhood Trauma

“10 ways to heal from childhood Trauma” There are two well-known types of traumas people are aware of. Acute Trauma and Post Traumatic Stress. Experiencing something unpleasant and reliving those[...]

Ignorance is Bliss: Why People Avoid Bad News

“Ignorance Is Bliss: Why People Avoid Bad News” Data inclinations can clarify why individuals maintain a strategic distance from valuable however unsavory news. In the event that you conveyed the[...]

What Factors Cause Conflicts in a Family Business?

“What Factors Cause Conflicts in a Family Business?” For the past two centuries, family businesses have sprung up all over the world. Advancement in technology and ease of communication are two major[...]

The Most Effective Method to Train Your Mind to Reduce Anxiety

“The most effective method to Train Your Mind to Reduce Anxiety” Practice inquire about tried perspectives that work well for you. Your psyche can be an incredible partner or an[...]

Increase Your Problem-Solving Literacy

“Increase Your Problem-Solving Literacy” In today’s world, all of us are captured in problems but in the inside of them. Do we really know what our real problems are? Let me[...]

Love Affairs, Breakups & Drugs

This Article is from a video by Dr. Sadaqat Ali, titled: “Love Affairs, Breakups & Drugs” Humans have a tendency to nurture and develop relationships on the foundation of care, sacrifice, commitment, and most importantly love. The field of science has[...]

Controlling Anger Before it Controls You

“Controlling Anger Before it Controls You” What is Anger? Anger is one of the essential human feelings, as basic as satisfaction, trouble, tension, or nausea. These feelings are attached to fundamental endurance and were sharpened through the span[...]

The Role of Denial in Addiction

“The Role of Denial in Addiction” Denial is a key obstacle to recovery. Denial assumes a significant job in Addiction. Addicts are famously inclined to Denial. Refusal clarifies why medication[...]

Psycho-Social Impact of PUBG

“Psycho-Social Impact of PUBG” PUBG is one of the most widely played video games today. According to an estimate, 227 million people play PUBG every month. People from all around the world play[...]

4 Types of Narcissism Share This Trait

“4 Types of Narcissism Share This Trait” Narcissism is many-faceted and comes in several types. Narcissists will use a variety of tactics and defenses to keep you insecure and ensure[...]

How Your Immunity Affects Your Relationships

“How Your Immunity Affects Your Relationships “ Fascinating research shows the extent of immunity’s impact on our lives. In the case of nothing else, 2020 has pointed out the part[...]

Harassment

Harassment is a form of discrimination. It involves any unwanted physical or verbal behavior that offends or humiliates you. Generally, harassment is a behavior that persists over time. Serious one-time incidents can[...]

Video Game Addiction

–Is Game Addiction / Behavioural Addiction A Disorder? A diversion disorder, go typically named “video game addiction,” is a pattern of game-playing behavior—involving online gaming or offline video games that is difficult to manage which[...]

Self Love

“Self-Love is a Deep-Rooted Practice “ Self love is a deep-rooted practice that entails that you need to take care of yourself for you to achieve your full potential. In the current[...]

Can Covid-19 Cause Psychosis?

Can COVID-19 Cause Psychosis? This week, a piece of writing within the NY Times invited tons of commentary on the news and social media: “Small Number of Covid Patients Develop Severe Psychotic[...]

How to Mend a Family Rift?

How to Mend a Family Rift? We often think of family bonds as unbreakable, no matter the circumstances. But, in fact, most American families experience an estrangement that leads to anger, sadness, and heartache. Pillemer conducted the first-ever national survey on estrangement,[...]

Make a Gratitude Adjustment

As a child, Mr. Ali absolutely hated writing thank-you notes. His aversion continued right into his 40s, until one day he knew he had to face it. When he finally[...]

Understand adolescents and their drug addiction

Understand Adolescents & Their Drug Addiction

One developmental stage that has been shown to be particularly stressful is adolescence (American Psychological Association, 2016; Arnett, 2000; Foster, Hagan, & Brooks-Gunn, 2008). Jeffery Arnett (2004) defines adolescence as[...]

How to Handle Impulsivity

Impulsivity is the propensity to act without thinking, for instance on the off chance that you exclaim something, purchase something you had not wanted to, or stumble into the road[...]

Why Don’t We Avoid Abusive Love Like the Plague?

Oppressive love swears off the guidelines of normal love, as American women’s activist essayist Leslie Morgan Steiner’s affection for Connor did. At the point when we are frantically infatuated, we[...]

How Couples Acquire The Ability to Love Like Adult. Compassionate Love is Empowered Love

We tend to fall in love through the magnificent, emotional, impulsive, and volatile limbic system of the toddler brain, which reaches structural maturity by the age of three. The prefrontal[...]

What is Anger & How to Manage it?

Anger, like happiness, sorrow, worry, and contempt, is one of the most fundamental human emotions. These emotions have been perfected over the course of human history and are linked to[...]

Reasons Why Good Sleep is Important?

A precise nighttime sleep is exceptionally crucial in your fitness. It’s simply as crucial as consuming food and exercising. Unfortunately, there’s not much discussion about sleep patterns nowadays. People at[...]

How to Save Your Child from Victim Mentality.

Parents are the most powerful source in making their children learn and unlearn the victim mindset Do you think that somebody else or some unfortunate events in your life are[...]

How to Have Emotional Maturity in Relationships?

Most people go to counseling to improve their relationships, which should come as no surprise. After all, it is the quality of our relationships that determines the quality of our[...]

Why is 25 The New 18?

Adolescence should last till the mid-twenties. The age at which teenagers are considered adults has shifted over the centuries, depending on the demands of a culture. Although adolescents’ cognitive abilities[...]