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 think of shopping, sexual activity, video games, and gambling at an alarmingly high rate? How about “compulsive hoarding?” Is hoarding an addiction or purely a compulsive[…]
Tag Archives: Treatment
01
Dec
Dec
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 in binge drinking and to get drunk. In an earlier post, I show that consistent with the prediction of the Hypothesis, more intelligent individuals consume larger quantities of alcohol[…]
01
Dec
Dec
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 when they are with families that are very likely to cause them mental and physical health problems later in life. In fact, the relationship between these factors[…]
Willing Ways Articles
People, Places, and Things – How Important are Drug-Related Triggers For Relapse?
01
Dec
Dec
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 12-step programs they’re simply referred to as “People, places, and things.” But no matter how you refer to them, drug-associated cues, or “triggers” as they[…]
01
Dec
Dec
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 of legendary saxophone player Stan Getz. I was so close to both of these men since I was practically born and when they died I[…]
29
Nov
Nov
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 experienced both phases in their healing process from alcoholism. When an alcoholic is “sober” from alcohol without attending a mutual-help program, therapy, medication management, and/or treatment then they are in a[…]
29
Nov
Nov
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 that what is contained in the little box in their purse or pocket is more important than what is right in front of their face[…]
29
Nov
Nov
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 you walk into the kitchen and open the fridge door, out of the corner of your eye you spot your iPhone. Suddenly you are no[…]
26
Nov
Nov
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 well. Indeed, not only do we individually spend huge amounts of time, energy, and money becoming and staying happy, corporations spend equal amounts of these[…]
24
Nov
Nov
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. That means each one of them brings a unique combination of traits, challenges, and problems to the equation of the relationship and even therapy. Therefore,[…]