The onset of the pandemic in 2020 led to a substantial increase in mental health challenges. In their August 2020 report, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that the “prevalence of symptoms” of anxiety and depression were more than three times higher than they were a year before. Roughly 40% of respondents to their...
Addiction drops you in a dark prison of mazes, and everyone who falls into it comes out a different way. The path to addiction is different for everyone, which begs the question just what causes addiction anyway? Is it genetics, or is it environment? Just as addiction is very complex, so is the answer to...Continue reading
By Laura Fenton When people find that they are having addictive thoughts, they often do one of three things: they either try to argue themselves out of them, attempt to distract themselves, or treat these thoughts like a challenge that need to be overcome. Therapists are showing, however, that there can be great value from...Continue reading
He shoots…he scores! March Madness might be a great way to reconnect with your alma mater or discover a new Cinderella team. But if you’re not careful, it’s also a time of the year that can raise your blood pressure and impact your health. And, it doesn’t always matter if you’re a coach or a...Continue reading
For today’s young men, drugs, alcohol, and addiction aren’t quite the same as they were when we were their age. And just over the past decade, attitudes towards substance abuse have changed, and so have the drugs themselves. Information and Education One of the best ways to protect our kids from substance abuse and addiction...Continue reading
While the types of people who use drugs are varied from all walks of life, the core desire is the same—looking to escape something and feel better. This is understandable—dealing with our feelings can be difficult. Even people who claim their drug use is purely recreational—that desire is there, even if it just escaping ‘normal’...Continue reading
Some individuals possess what are called concurrent disorders. Individuals with concurrent disorders possess both a mental health illness as well as an addiction. Some individuals who are depressed drink to mask their depression. Conversely, many alcoholics become clinically depressed over time because alcohol is a depressant and it changes their brain chemistry to produce chronic...Continue reading
Years ago, in a bold attempt to release some of my own inner turmoil, I set out to gain a better grasp on the issue of addictions. John Bradshaw’s now legendary work with addiction, family systems and the shamed “inner child” had moved me deeply and sent me scurrying to the first series of codependency...Continue reading