Addiction | Substance Use Disorders | Treatment
Why Can’t An Alcoholic Have One Drink
Why can’t an alcoholic have one drink? This question baffles not only the alcoholic (now diagnosed as a person with severe alcohol use disorder) but their family members and close friends, as well. The answer is in the details that explain the brain disease of addiction (aka brain disorder) – whether it’s an addiction to…
Read MoreUnderstand Brain Maps | Change a Habit | Change Your Life
Understand brain maps and you can learn how to change a habit, change your life. Now that’s a bold, somewhat bizarre statement. Nonetheless, it holds the key to the power each of us can wield over the health of our brain and therefore the quality of our life. Here is a very basic explanation. How…
Read MoreWhy Addicts | Alcoholics Lie, Cheat, Steal
Why addicts | alcoholics lie, cheat, steal from those they love the most – WHY? why? WHY?!?*% – becomes one of the many pressing questions that swirl through the minds of those who love them. At first loved ones are baffled and question themselves, wracking their brains to replay conversations and actions taken, “Maybe I…
Read MoreHere’s to Neural Networks!
Neural networks form the basis of our brain and body’s communication system. In other words, they are how neurons in the brain – called brain cells – “talk” to one another and then to and from others throughout the body via the nervous system. Two important pieces in this “talking” process are neurotransmitters and receptors.…
Read MoreSober Up Fast – Is It Even Possible?
Sober up fast? Is that even possible? The short answer is, “NO.” But what about throwing up, taking a walk around the block, drinking coffee, or taking a cold shower? Doesn’t that work? Still, “No.” In fact, the only thing that can sober a person up is TIME. Why time? It has to do with…
Read MoreDied by Suicide – Language Matters
It is died by suicide. Not committed suicide. This distinction matters, and it personally matters to me. I had a relative who died by suicide. “The phrase ‘committed suicide’” …ignores the fact that suicide is often the consequence of an unaddressed illness (like depression, trauma or another mental health issue). It should be regarded in…
Read MoreCo-occurring Disorders Require Co-Occurring Disorders Treatment
Co-occurring disorders require co-occurring disorders treatment. So what are they? Co-occurring disorders means having a substance use and two or more other mental health disorders (aka mental illnesses) at the same time. (Substance Use Disorders are commonly referred to as alcoholism, addiction or drug or alcohol abuse.) A person with anxiety, depression and alcoholism (aka…
Read MoreChildren of Alcoholics | Guest Author Darlene Lancer
Children of alcoholics grow up – obviously. But what is not fully understood is the trauma they may have experienced growing up with a parent with severe alcohol use disorder (aka an alcoholic) and how that trauma affects their lives unless treated. Frequent guest author, Darlene Lancer, JD, MFT, explains this in her post below,…
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