Addiction and brain circuits and the impacts of mind-altering substances on the brain – just one of the BrainFacts from BrainFacts.org. The Society for Neuroscience has joined forces with The Kavli Foundation and GATSBY to create “a public information initiative,” BrainFacts.org. To give you an idea of its website’s contents, the navigation tabs are: About… Continue Reading
Monthly Archives: July 2011
Understanding WHY Early Use Is a Key Risk Factor for Alcoholism
by Lisa Frederiksen As I’ve written in other posts, the key Risk Factors for developing the disease of addiction (whether to drugs or alcohol) are: genetics (if it runs in the family, genetic predisposition); social environment (where heavy drinking is viewed as “normal” and encouraged); childhood trauma (verbal, physical, emotional abuse – which “wires” unhealthy… Continue Reading
Plan to Celebrate National Recovery Month in September
by Lisa Frederiksen Each September, thousands of treatment and recovery programs and services around the country celebrate their successes and share them with their neighbors, friends, and colleagues in an effort to educate the public about recovery, how it works, for whom, and why. There are millions of Americans whose lives have been transformed through… Continue Reading
Two-Part Interview: Lisa Frederiksen with Gabrielle Antolovich on Drug Addiction, Alcoholism & Help for Families
by Lisa Frederiksen Understanding the chemical and structural neural network changes that occur in a drug addict or alcoholic’s brain, as well as in the brain of the family member or friend who has been coping with a loved one’s substance misuse can go a long way to changing how we treat, prevent and intervene…… Continue Reading
Healthy Living, Healthy Brains – Aids in Recovery
by Lisa Frederiksen I read these two book reviews by Nancy Dickenson, appearing in the July 20, 2011, Los Altos Town Crier, and thought readers may be interested as both sound like excellent resources for healing the brain — something especially important when recovering from addiction and/or secondhand drinking/drugging (SHDD). One book is titled, Living… Continue Reading
Mindfulness – Taking Care of Heart and Soul
Mindfulness is one way of taking care of one’s heart and soul. This care is so important, not only for those in addiction or secondhand drinking recovery, but for anyone wanting a more peaceful, joyful life. To that end, I’ve been following these three blogs, which were brought to my attention by Cathy of TreatmentTalk.org.… Continue Reading
A Different Approach to Underage Drinking Prevention
by Lisa Frederiksen You would think that college students who had blackouts, missed classes or got into fights after a binge drinking episode would try to cut down on their alcohol consumption. But many of them continue to binge drink because they perceive the positive social benefits of drinking to outweigh all of the negative… Continue Reading
Talking To Teens About Sex; Talking To Teens About Alcohol & Drugs
Talking to teens about sex can feel like a minefield for parents. Compounding the difficulty is the importance of talking with teens about alcohol and drugs before, during and after teens enter puberty. The following is a partical “copy and paste” of my letter to fellow parent and caregiver subscribers to the newsletter provided by The… Continue Reading