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Action on Addiction takes action to disarm addiction to see that people are free from addiction and its effects. Their approach to this mission is multi-dimensional and covers everything from prevention to recovery.

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Singin' in the WaneEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Barbara Ehrenreich has nothing against happy people; it's self-serving pseudoscience she questions. In her newly released book, Bright-Sided How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America, she pillories disinformation's more insidious perpetrators, so that those few of us who have managed to avoid total bliss now have something to snarl at besides our mirrors.Combining academic research and field work, (1) she traces the history of American mood swings from the dour Calvinism of the Puritans, through the "irrational exuberance" that preceded the sub-prime mortgage catastrophe. From there, she skew...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - October 13, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Lynn Phillips Tags: Addiction Bad Science barbara ehrenreich breast cancer breast cancer patients calvinism date book dr martin seligman gobbledygook good cheer happiness happiness studies hormone replacement therapy irrational exuberance jimmie c Source Type: consumer

Bad Father, je t'accuse: MacKenzie Phillips and The KissEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The recent revelation by MacKenzie Phillips that she had slept with her father for the better part of a drug-addled, Stockholm-syndromed decade of her so-called life has stolen the thunder of the U.N. General Assembly, health care reform, and the G-20. Who cares about the fate of the world when a story of such lurid, mythological dimensions is unfurling right before us on Oprah and the internet? Put another way, what tells us more about how messed up the universe is than the story of a guy who drugs and rapes and then has a continuing sexual relationship with his own daughter—who then turns around and tells us all about ...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - September 25, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Wednesday Martin, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Gender Parenting accusation Confession denial denials drug addict drug addiction fate of the world father father having sex genevieve waite health care reform incest john phillip john phillips kathryn harrison Source Type: consumer

Don’t Allow Methamphetamine to Ruin Your LifeEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Methamphetamine - it's marketed to youngsters every day by drug dealers as an easy way to tune out. That is why it is so important to reach young people in a preventative way that will resonate with them. And that is exactly what The Meth Project, started in Montana, has done. After all, foster care kids, many individuals in prison, and scores of addiction treatment patients all have one thing in common in Montana - methamphetamine. But what is unique about the Meth Project is that they didn't assume they knew best how to reach young people. Instead, they conducted focus groups to really understand how to connect with the ...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - September 2, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Harris B. Stratyner, Ph.D., CASAC Tags: Addiction Behavioral Economics Creativity addiction treatment behavior survey caron treatment centers decline foster care kids HBO launch marketing techniques methamphetamine montana attorney general montanameth national attent Source Type: consumer

The Various Ways High-Functioning Alcoholics Hit BottomEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
"Only an alcoholic thinks that they need to hit a lower bottom in order to be alcoholic."                                                                                        ~sober alcoholicEach al...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - August 17, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Sarah Allen Benton, L.M.H.C. Tags: Addiction alcoholic alcoholism high-functioning hitting bottom rock bottom Source Type: consumer

Food For ThoughtEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In the past few weeks, I have been interviewed by the media about the tragic death of Michael Jackson. Mr. Jackson's untimely death was an opportunity to educate people about the dangers of prescription drug use gone horribly wrong. Here was a brilliantly talented individual who brought so much joy to peoples' lives. True, he was human, and like all of us had his share of issues - but what a teaching moment his death offered. My career has spanned some 30 odd years and it still amazes me how people can destroy their lives in what is usually an innocent initial moment. As I sit in my home in Connecticut and contemplate the ...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - July 21, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Harris B. Stratyner, Ph.D., CASAC Tags: Addiction clinician connecticut initial moment long island long island sound michael jackson microwave oddity prescription drug researcher strange level tragic death untimely death Source Type: consumer

Health Care Reform for Overshoppers: The Centrality of Self-Care (Part II)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In the last posting, we saw how important self-care is for the overshopper who wants to stop. We noted that overshoppers, who often juggle several roles, tend to relegate self-care to the back burner (or take it off the stove entirely), and we focused on anticipating, rather than reacting to, personal needs. Today, I want to flesh out these observations. So take a deep breath-and then an honest look at the basics of your physical comfort, health, and safety. How well are you doing in these areas? What aren't you taking care of? Would it be a good idea to• write a list of emergency contacts and post them on your refrigera...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - July 15, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: April Lane Benson, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Depression Happiness Health Personality Relationships Self-Help Therapy compulsive buying compulsive buying disorder compulsive spending overshopping shopaholics shopaholism shopping addiction Source Type: consumer

What's the Most Dangerous Addiction?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I previously answered the question, "What's the hardest addiction to quit?" It turns out that the same addiction is the most dangerous.Michael Jackson died at age 50, and long term prescription drug abuse is suspected. In other words, it often takes a long time to kill yourself with drugs (if that's how MJ died).Here's the quick way to get killed through addiction, as exemplified by two superb physical specimens who died in their thirties this month.Former NFL football star, Steve McNair, 36, known for his leadership and toughness by playing despite numerous injuries, was found dead next to Iranian-born girlfriend, 20-year...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - July 13, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Stanton Peele Tags: Addiction NFL Source Type: consumer

The Kid Is Not My Sun?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Tanning addiction is, and isn't just that.When Michael Jackson's skin kept getting lighter and lighter -- allegedly an effort to even out the white blotches caused by a case of Vitiligo -- it was commonly (and flippantly) said that he was "addicted to plastic surgery." Similarly, when Caucasians take to beaches and tanning beds and brown themselves like rotisserie chickens despite dermatologists' warnings that overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) light can cause skin cancer, the media is inclined to say that they are "tanorexic," "tan-oholic" or "addicted to tanning."Should we take those diagnoses seriously?It's easy to see wh...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - July 9, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Lynn Phillips Tags: Addiction aesthetics blotches british journalist cancer chickens donatella versace folly lizard martin bashir michael jackson obsessive pursuit overexposure plastic surgery race self hatred self-destructive behavior self- Source Type: consumer

“It’s Gotta Come Out Some Way”Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Recently, an acquaintance was sharing some problems she was experiencing when she stopped and said, "Sorry that I'm laying all this on you." I replied, "Don't be sorry - you need to vent. I have to remind myself that this stuff has to come out some way, whether through talking or throwing up." We both laughed, and while it was amusing, I was completely serious - things are going to come out one way or another.<!--break-->I know this from years and years of practice. I instinctively want to do anything that feels better than dealing with uncomfortable feelings. As it is, I never need a reason to compulsively eat so if...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - July 7, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Adia Colar Tags: Addiction Creativity Eating Disorders Happiness Health Self-Help crying Source Type: consumer

Blogaholism-Is It In You?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Has blogging become too big a part of your life? Do you wake up in the middle of the night in order to write down an irrepressible idea to share with the blogosphere, which you believe to be sitting at the edge of its collective screen, awaiting your next offering? Do you believe that what you have to say is of critical importance to mankind? Do you count the number of hits to your most recent post and are you jealous of those who have more views or posts to their blog than you do?  Do you spend more time blogging, rather than talking about your day? Do you know where all the Dunkin Donuts and Starbuck's wir...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - July 6, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Lawrence Rubin, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction blogs child compulsion denial home myspace recovery school substance abuse Source Type: consumer

The Toughest Addiction to QuitEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Headline: Former Washington Mayor Marion Barry has been arrested and charged with stalking a woman.  Remind you of any other politicians?When Marion Barry's arrest was announced on various news media, each recapitulated how Barry had previously been videotaped - and arrested for - smoking crack, as though that were his main addiction. But he was addicted to something worse.  Barry took the crack offered by a former mistress in the employment of the police after she repeatedly rejected his sexual advances. Crack was a poor second choice to Barry's jones for this woman.People forget Barry's remarkable story - ...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - July 6, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Stanton Peele Tags: Addiction adiction sex addiction Stanton Peele Source Type: consumer

Summertime: Wedding Season, Vacations- Meaningful Times or Excuse to Drink?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
"It's the summer, why not have a good time and get drunk?""I'm on vacation, who cares how much I drink?""It's a wedding, let's celebrate, where's the alcohol?"These are just a few of the excuses that many high-functioning alcoholics (HFAs) and even social drinkers may use when it comes to drinking heavily during the summertime, at 4th of July parties, weddings, cook-outs, sporting events, outside concerts and beach parties. In our culture "celebrations" are often intertwined with drinking alcohol. For normal drinkers this may not pose a problem, however for HFAs this may be a time when their drinking either stands out or ...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - July 2, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Sarah Allen Benton, L.M.H.C. Tags: Addiction alcoholic alcoholism celebration high-functioning holiday recovery sober Source Type: consumer

Michael Jackson's Death Won't Reduce Abuse of Prescription MedsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
As when Elvis died, medical commentators (like friend and spiritual advisor Dr. Deepak Chopra) hope that Michael Jackson's death while taking many medications will discourage prescription abuse. But, has addiction to meds decreased since Elvis' death? In 2007, Drug Czar John Walters announced that prescription drugs were the fastest growing drugs of abuse, second only to mj use among young people.Here are the chief reasons Jackson's death will have no impact on our increasing reliance on such drugs:More kids are prescribed mood meds. Michael Jackson got prescriptions from the readily available pharmacopeia of pain and mood...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - June 30, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Stanton Peele Tags: Addiction Deepak Chopra Stanton Peele Source Type: consumer

Drunk and drifting: How alcohol affects mind wanderingEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Why do people drive drunk? People know that drunk driving is dangerous. We educate people in school and through public service announcements. Most sober people will tell you that they would not put themselves behind the wheel of a car when impaired. Yet the newspapers report deaths from alcohol-related accidents. It is hard to go a week without reading about a high-profile athlete or politician who has been arrested for drunk driving.How does this happen?<!--break-->A paper in the June, 2009 issue of Psychological Science by Michael Sayette, Erik Reichle, and Jonathan Schooler suggests one contributing factor. They l...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - June 29, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Art Markman, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction drunk driving metacognition metamemory mind wandering Source Type: consumer

Can love be addictive? Ask Mark Sanford - or his wifeEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Mark Sanford's wife has made clear just how far "gone" her husband, the governor of South Carolina, was over his affair with his Argentinean lover.  Vice President Biden should consider appointing Jenny Sanford director of the new National Institute on Addictive Diseases.Mrs. Sanford discovered the affair earlier this year. Yet, her husband pleaded repeatedly for permission to visit his lover. "I said absolutely not," reported Mrs. Sanford - a deeply religious woman. "It's one thing to forgive adultery. It's another to condone it."Conservative politicians generally don't ask their devout wives for permission to fornic...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - June 27, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Stanton Peele Tags: Addiction love addiction Stanton Peele Source Type: consumer

Memories of Michael, Music, and MTVEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
       Goodbye, Michael. I didn't know you and yet I did. My earliest memories of you were as the little brother in the Jackson Five. I remember your cherubic smile, the rhythmic beat of Motown, and your sweet high pitched voice singing..."I'll be there." You surpassed your brothers and became a solo phenomenon. The MTV generation emulated your moon walk, the one handed glove, and your jackets. Million of kids grew up adoring you. They were all trying to dance backward and be like you.        Your wild gyrations and sweet soprano brought us joy. Your cinematograph...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - June 26, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Jann Gumbiner, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Creativity Depression choreography cinematography gyrations handed glove jackson five little brother live forever memories michael jackson motown mtv mtv generation music nbsp phenomenon pitched voice rhythm Source Type: consumer

What's the Story?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This chapter is both far from new while also one that's new everyday. Every morning I have the privilege of beginning another day in recovery.My name is Adia and I am recovering from bulimia, bulimarexia, overeating, overexercising - in essence, a dysfunctional relationship with food and my weight. Here are the cliff notes and a few questions I've been asked before:<!--break-->• around age 11, I began eating disorder behaviors in an effort to manage my weight• my eating disorder (which I will refer to interchangeably as "ed" and "e.d.") became much worse by the time I was 13• I went through a number of differen...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - June 23, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Adia Colar Tags: Addiction Eating Disorders Health Resilience Spirituality Bulimia recovery treatment of eating disorder Source Type: consumer

Marijuana, Sleep and DreamsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Marijuana affects dreams. Stoners say they don't have dreams but if they stop smoking for a few days, they are flooded with dreams. Is there any psychological reserach supporting this?Sleep and wakefulness are both parts of a normal daily rhythm. Fish, cats, humans, and many other living things have daily cycles of activity and rest. This daily cycle is called a circadian rhythm. "Circadian" comes from the Latin root "circa dies" and means about a day. Both external and internal events can influence circadian rhythms. Morning light and alarm clocks trigger wakefulness. When isolated from normal time cues, the daily human c...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - June 22, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Jann Gumbiner, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Child Development Sleep adolescents alarm clocks brain activity brain waves circadian rhythm circadian rhythms dreams drugs electroencephalogram eye movements latin root marijuana marijuana users passive state r Source Type: consumer

The Link Between Violence and Substance AbuseEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Ever wonder why man at times can be so inhumane to his fellow brothers and sisters? Throughout history, we have seen random acts of violence: war, domestic violence, rape, street crimes, turning over cars after a sporting event along with looting and burning, cruelty to animals, shootings, stabbing, robberies of many sorts. You know the one thing (and this is a fact) that can be common to all of these senseless acts - alcohol and drugs. I didn't say they always are - but sadly they are often the one contributing factor that is common to destructive acts - how horrible! In the year 2009, given all the violence in our world,...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - June 18, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Harris B. Stratyner, Ph.D., CASAC Tags: Addiction Source Type: consumer

Health Care Reform for Overshoppers (Part I): The Centrality of Self-CareEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
As the president and congress turn their attention to problem elements of our health care system-notably, skyrocketing costs and inequities in access-it's a particularly good time to remind overshoppers about their own health care. And they need reminding: research has shown that compulsive buyers are often woefully deficient in managing their health care, and in other kinds of self-care as well. Yet self-care is central. It's what keeps you going, physically, emotionally, even financially. Self-care is not selfishness, a fixation on self to the exclusion of others. It's a proper attention to personal needs so that the sel...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - June 17, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: April Lane Benson, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Depression Happiness Health Psychotherapy Relationships Self-Help compulsive buying compulsive buying disorder compulsive shopping compulsive spending overshopping overspending shopaholics shopaholism shopping addic Source Type: consumer

Why some phase out of college binge drinking and others are alcoholicEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
"College drinking . . . to me it was all about getting drunk. I can actually recall being afraid that I wouldn't be 'drunk enough' for a concert, or for a football game. I would drink almost frantically and of course in haste. Sometimes, this provided a great buzz . . . other times it would hit me like a ton of bricks and I would end up throwing up on my boyfriend's comforter. You never knew." ~Lauren, college graduate"Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights I would black out, not know how I got home, and I would leave my credit card out."~Andrea, college graduate"College partying consisted of drinking at parties/bars and co...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - June 16, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Sarah Allen Benton, L.M.H.C. Tags: Addiction alcoholic alcoholism binge drinking high-functioning alcoholic Source Type: consumer

Should Insurances Pay for Therapy?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
What are your thoughts on and responses to the question: Should health insurance providers pay for psychotherapy, and why?  This is one of the most widely discussed and hotly contested debates in the field of mental health.  So, I thought we'd try a little blogging experiment here and collect as many of your comments and opinions as possible on this issue.  If we can get get together enough responses, I'll follow-up with a post synthesizing your answers and add a few thoughts and opinions of my own. Some related issues that could come up: For what conditions?  For how long?  For what treatme...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - June 11, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Jared DeFife, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Anxiety Depression Eating Disorders Happiness Health Integrative Medicine Politics Psychiatry Psychotherapy Self-Help health care health insurance HMO insurance companies mental illness and treatment Source Type: consumer

The Overly Empathic White KnightEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
<!--break-->Rescuer Subtypes: The Overly Empathic White KnightAfter reviewing the commonalities and differences among rescuers, we created four subtypes - the overly empathic white knight, the tarnished white knight, the terrorizing/terrified white knight, and the balanced rescuer. These subtypes are not discrete entities but represent our observation of clusters of characteristics that can overlap. In this blog, we will focus on the overly empathic white knight.The overly empathic white knight fears emotional distance. This fear can be triggered by many sources, such as separation, loss of love, or loss of approval....
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - June 10, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Mary C. Lamia, Ph.D. and Marilyn Krieger, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Happiness Personality Relationships Self-Help codependency Source Type: consumer

The Amy Winehouse DeathwatchEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Imagine being hailed as one of your generation's most talented artists. Imagine being held in such high esteem that your record company pays for you to stay at deluxe island resorts for months on end.Imagine that your record company's expenses also include salaries, room and board for your six minders.Imagine all this -- being wealthy, blessed with two loving parents and millions of fans ... and being just 25 years old.In other words, imagine being Amy Winehouse.These last few months, far from her London home, she's been on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, where Universal Records hopes she'll dry out, write, and record. ...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - June 4, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Anneli Rufus Tags: Addiction alcohol alcoholism Amy Winehouse St. Lucia Universal Records Source Type: consumer

Is Marijuana Harmful?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
When President Obama was soliciting ideas to improve the economy, the most popular suggestion among youth was the legalization of marijuana. This was based on the assumption that maijuana is harmless. But, is it? Facts for Teens. An excellent source of facts for teens can be found here. Marijuana influences everybody a little differently. Some people like it because it makes them feel relaxed. Others, feel paranoid. Some people say it helps them tune into music. Food tastes better. Time slows down. But, just about everybody agrees, marijuana alters perception. The way marijuana affects each individual will depend on: how s...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - June 3, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Jann Gumbiner, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Child Development Parenting adolescent adolescents drugs marijuana teens Source Type: consumer

Discover and Value your Unique Spirit: A Crisis Is a Terrible Thing To Waste (Part VI)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
       This is the last of six posts on how overshoppers can respond to the pressure of the economic downturn with a life-altering reality check. The underlying thesis, amply demonstrated by clinical practice, is that compulsive shopping is a smokescreen, a hopeless attempt to distract the self from (or magically fill) unacknowledged individual needs. In To Buy or Not to Buy: Why We Overshop and How to Stop, I help shopping addicts identify and acknowledge those needs. In these half dozen posts, we've explored healthier ways of fulfilling them. We've seen numerous examples of self-kind alterna...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - June 3, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: April Lane Benson, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Happiness Health Psychotherapy Relationships Self-Help compulsive buying compulsive buying disorder compulsive shopping compulsive spending overshopping shopaholics shopaholism shopping addiction stopping overshopping Source Type: consumer

Ways to Approach the High-Functioning Alcoholic in Your LifeEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Recently, I have received numerous emails and blog comments from the loved ones of high-functioning alcoholics (HFAs) who are unsure how to deal with the HFA in their life. Loved ones of HFAs are often confused about how to approach these individuals because there is often a lack of tangible losses to point to, but instead emotional consequences. HFAs typically do not realize the extent to which their drinking affects others. The fact that they are "functioning" and able to go to work, excel in academics, provide for their family and still drink alcoholically feeds their denial. They believe that their drinking only impact...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - June 3, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Sarah Allen Benton, L.M.H.C. Tags: Addiction alcoholism co-dependency high-functioning alcoholic recovery recovery program sober Source Type: consumer

Teens and DrugsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Is your son or daughter taking drugs? Not sure? Are you a teen looking for more accurate information? Well... read on.My son once told me he could get anything, meaning any drug, at his high school and this is in Irvine, California which is known for good quality, safe, and academic schools. Another teen told me that private Catholic schools actually have more drugs than inner city schools. And, he knew because he had been to both. And a third teen told me made more connections in rehab than he ever had before going in. Drugs are ubiquitous. Drugs are everywhere.According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), a very rel...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - May 28, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Jann Gumbiner, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Child Development Parenting undefined Source Type: consumer

Feeling Good--Vs. Feeling Good About Ourselves (Part 2)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
 Focusing Less on Feeling Good--and More on Feeling Good About Ourselves Once we recognize what allows us to feel good only temporarily, we can start searching for more satisfying alternatives. This could take the simple form of changing our diet from mainly junk (or "comfort") foods, to one that's more heart-healthy. Or giving up a daily routine of smoking a joint, or imbibing some beer or wine, to instead devoting ourselves to developing a personal interest, talent or skill--or perhaps even re-thinking our career path. Or we might forego a video game habit and redirect our energy toward cultivating a friendship that...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - May 27, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Leon F. Seltzer, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Anxiety Depression Happiness Personality Philosophy Self-Help liking yourself personal evolution self-affirmation self-discipline self-esteem Source Type: consumer

Use Your Emotions and Intellect to Access “True Wealth”: A Crisis Is a Terrible Thing To Waste (Part V)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this series of posts, we've been exploring ways to seize the opportunity that the economic crisis presents to overshoppers. Even before the downturn, of course, most compulsive buyers found themselves in a financial squeeze. But the new economic realities-the slashed value of retirement accounts, the credit crunch, the mortgage debacle, and the widespread loss of jobs and massive uncertainty about continuing employment-these have forced even the most ostrich-like overshoppers into a reality check.When they do, when they examine their habit with a clear mind and a compassionate heart, nearly all acknowledge that the pull...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - May 27, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: April Lane Benson, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Happiness Health Psychotherapy Self-Help compulsive buying compulsive buying disorder compulsive shopping compulsive spending overshopping overspending shopaholics shopaholism stopping overshopping Source Type: consumer

Feeling Good--Vs. Feeling Good About Ourselves (Part 1)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Feeling Good--But Not Necessarily About Ourselves I think it's safe to say that whenever we feel good about ourselves, we feel good, period. Of course, we could be sick (i.e., not feel very good), but we could still feel just fine about who we are. Barring any health considerations, our most potent safeguard against life's ups and downs is developing the most positive sense of self possible. Thus protected against the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune," we can almost always feel good--regardless of what's going on in the day-to-day drama of our lives. Too many of us unconsciously assume that the best way to foster h...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - May 20, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Leon F. Seltzer, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Anxiety Depression Happiness Personality Philosophy Self-Help addiction and mood alteration fear of failure feeling good feeling good about yourself pleasure pursuits Source Type: consumer

Darwin's RegretEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
My mind has changed during the last twenty or thirty years... Now for many years I cannot endure to read a line of poetry… I have also almost lost any taste for pictures or music… My mind seems to have become a kind of machine for grinding general laws out of large collections of facts... If I had to live my life again I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week… The loss of these tastes is a loss of happiness, and may possibly be injurious to the intellect, and more probably to the moral character, by enfeebling the emotional part of our nature. The Autobiography of...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - May 15, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Barbara L. Fredrickson, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Evolutionary Psychology Happiness Personality Work Charles Darwin workaholism Source Type: consumer

See and Hear Your Way to Solvency: A Crisis Is a Terrible Thing To Waste (Part IV)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this series of postings, we've been coloring the landscape of self-kindness, examining healthier alternatives to shopping. The catalyst for this is the current economic downturn I refer to in the title and the way its dramatic ratcheting up of financial pressure is forcing overshoppers to, well, take stock of their habit. When they look beneath the surface, at what the appeal of shopping is really about for them, they find unmet personal needs.Finding creative ways to meet those needs is what self-kindness is all about. Invent or pursue positive activities that satisfy your needs, and the pull of addictive habit drops s...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - May 14, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: April Lane Benson, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Happiness Psychotherapy Relationships Self-Help compulsive buying compulsive buying disorder compulsive shopping compulsive spending overshopping overspending shopaholic shopaholism shopping addiction Source Type: consumer

The Other Side of The CoinEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We have all heard, witnessed and experienced first hand how the economy has hurt American society and the world at large - but what about the other side of the coin? I just received a phone call about a half hour ago from a patient that stated that he had decided to go inpatient for addiction treatment. He wanted to know how soon I could get him into Caron Treatment Center - his logic was refreshing and quite frankly moved me spiritually - what one might call a "God shot." Since he had already lost so much money in the market, he decided that the best investment he could make in his future was to stop drinking and also dec...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - May 13, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Harris B. Stratyner, Ph.D., CASAC Tags: Addiction Source Type: consumer

Watching Easy Targets SquirmEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Ladies' Home Journal claims in its June cover story that Paula Abdul admitted having spent twelve years addicted to painkillers before breaking the habit recently in rehab. The LHJ story includes extensive quotes attributed to the pop singer/dancer/choreographer/American Idol judge. Yet in interviews and a statement to the media released yesterday, Abdul fiercely denied having said any such thing.Someone's fibbing. But who? The LHJ article includes long, specific quotes attributed to Abdul. The article is bylined, and LHJ isn't exactly the National Enquirer. What gives?But the question of was-she-wasn't-she-addicted pales ...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - May 10, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Anneli Rufus Tags: Addiction Media Ladies ' Home Journal Paula Abdul Peter McQuaid Source Type: consumer

Tilda Swinton Saves the Free World: Redemption Through ActionEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Goldie Hawn has been giving interviews about children's endangered mental health, which she feels can be remedied by brain chemistry. Of course, we are already medicating children and adolescents up to their gills on this basis. But Goldie wants to make use of the prefrontal cortex, which she claims lights up when children are relaxed, by introducing rest periods throughout the school day.Hawn believes we need to pay more attention to children in order to rescue them from their modern malaise. Our own Hara Marano, however, in "A Nation of Wimps," conclusively makes the opposite case - that our children are already the most...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - May 9, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Stanton Peele Tags: Addiction Chris Matthews Goldie Hawn Hardball Winston Churchill Source Type: consumer

Mary Has No MoneyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
On May 25th, 2007 Mary looked in the mirror. She was in the last bloom of her good looks. It was Indian summer. Lodged somewhere deep in those hair follicles and joints, there was the knowledge that the beautiful auburn hair would soon go gray and her skin would get looser as her mother's had before her. This knowledge that time, even with its softest velvet gloves, would deal her a blow, lent depth to her presence. It gave her a long, beautiful shadow. But that was for others to enjoy.For her it was painful to apprehend that the last embers of youth will evaporate as sure as the leaves change color in the fall. Just like ...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - May 4, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Simon Y. Feuerman, Psy.D., L.C.S.W. Tags: Addiction behavioral economics creativity depression happiness relationshios resilience self-help work Source Type: consumer

Who would pay Penelope Cruz to quit smoking?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Some premises we don't examine, we just assume. Such as the premise that everyone wants us to be healthy. Well, our mamas and papas want us to be healthy, because they love us. Our friends, children, lovers, all share the same desire, to keep us near them, and in good health, because they care. We cannot expect our employers, our physicians, or our health insurance companies to have the same warm fuzzy feelings for us. But we do believe our health is in their best interest. Our employers want us to be productive; our physicians have taken the Hippocratic oath to "prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to ...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - May 4, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Talya Miron-Shatz, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Aging Behavioral Economics Happiness Health healthcare smoking smoking cessation Source Type: consumer

Is AA Necessary for the Alcoholic?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A few weeks ago, I posted a blog about anxiety. I said that some people deal with anxiety by funneling their sprawling worries into more manageable problems. Said again, extreme anxiety can lead to obsessive-compulsive tendencies. For example, someone with a potentially overwhelming fear of death can avoid the very thought of death by focusing on some highly-controlled behavior, like memorizing train-station timetables. Someone who's haunted by suicide in her family can avoid the emotional realm by clinging to a lawyer's logic in all areas. In one line of that blog, I went on to claim that "some people [also] overcome drug...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - May 3, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Ilana Simons, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Anxiety Creativity Depression Diet Happiness Health Media Personality Psychiatry Psychotherapy Relationships Resilience Self-Help Social Life Spirituality Trauma Work AA alcoholism drinking genetics of a Source Type: consumer

We Need to Really Practice Enjoying Life NaturallyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I often wonder why it is so difficult to breathe when we are stressed. Oh, as a psychologist I understand the nature of fight or flight behavior, but as a regular "Joe" why must we always reach for a pill to deal with stress? Don't get me wrong - psychotropic medications have their place and I am grateful they exist. But nothing one takes for stress is without some side effect or risk - the details in pharmaceutical commercials that the announcer rushes through so quickly. I need time to think about my stress. What's bugging you Harris? Is there something that can be done to correct a situation that will alleviate my stres...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - April 28, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Harris B. Stratyner, Ph.D., CASAC Tags: Addiction Happiness Work mental health pharmaceuticals stress time Source Type: consumer

Social Drinkers, Problem Drinkers and High-Functioning AlcoholicsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
When the term "high-functioning alcoholic" is mentioned, various types of drinkers often begin to question their own drinking and worry if they fall into this category. Part of this confusion is that many individuals are unclear about the differences in charactersitics of social drinkers, problem drinkers and alcoholics. There is also a lack of awareness of what the true warning signs of alcoholism are.Social drinkers are those individuals who drink in low-risk patterns. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), "low-risk" drinking for females consists of no more than 7 drinks per week an...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - April 28, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Sarah Allen Benton, L.M.H.C. Tags: Addiction advice columnists alcoholism attribution attributions bella depaulo claim women cultural norms empirical evidence feminist movement imperfections life choice personal flaws predictability recovery romantic partner Source Type: consumer

Social Drinkers, Problem Drinkers and High-Functioning Alcoholics: Differences and Warning SignsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
When the term "high-functioning alcoholic" is mentioned, various types of drinkers often begin to question their own drinking and worry if they fall into this category. Part of this confusion is that many individuals are unclear about the differences in charactersitics of social drinkers, problem drinkers and alcoholics. There is also a lack of awareness of what the true warning signs of alcoholism are.Social drinkers are those individuals who drink in low-risk patterns. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), "low-risk" drinking for females consists of no more than 7 drinks per week an...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - April 28, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Sarah Allen Benton, L.M.H.C. Tags: Addiction alcoholism heavy drinker high-functioning alcoholic problem drinker recovery sobriety social drinker Source Type: consumer

The Life-and-Death Struggle over the Meaning of Addiction: Do God and Nature Back DSM-V?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
There is an earth-shattering struggle going on over the definition of addiction. Yet, not only are few Americans aware of the struggle, but hardly any psychologist or addiction specialist.The American Psychiatric Association is currently engaged in a secret pitched battle over reformulating its diagnostic manual from its fourth edition to its fifth. In the addiction area, the only small issues remaining are (a) what to call addiction, (b) how to define it, (c) what it includes.The first medically-oriented DSM was the third edition, which appeared in 1980. It was modified into III-R in 1987. The fourth edition appeared in 1...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - April 25, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Stanton Peele Tags: Addiction Christopher Lane DSM-IV DSM-IV-TR DSM-V internet addiction NIDA Nora Volkow Robert Spitzer Stanton Peele Source Type: consumer

A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste (Part III)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
        We've been exploring the centrality of self-kindness to the process of stopping overshopping. It's the all-important lubricant that keeps the engine of change running smoothly. To say it more directly, it's the stance that allows you to look clearly and non-judgmentally at your overshopping behavior and then choose healthier and more fulfilling alternatives. Thus far, we've tried to match the underlying needs that drive three categories of shopping addiction-shopping for action, spontaneity, and relaxation-with alternative activities that more healthily fulfill those needs. &...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - April 23, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: April Lane Benson, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Happiness Health Psychotherapy Relationships Self-Help compulsive buying compulsive buying disorder compulsive shopping compulsive spending overshopping overspending shopaholics shopaholism stopping overshopping Source Type: consumer

Everyone Is An IndividualEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
As you know, I am best recognized for my work in addiction psychology - utilizing an approach that I have termed "carefrontation." You also know, if you are a frequent reader of my blog, that "carefrontation" treats every patient as an individual - it does not look to blame someone for having a disease, but rather hold the person responsible for dealing with that disease. We all know addiction is primary, progressive, chronic, and if not treated, can be fatal. It certainly has a genetic base that goes hand and glove with biological, psychological and social aspects that interact with one's environment. This past Sunday, CN...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - April 22, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Harris B. Stratyner, Ph.D., CASAC Tags: Addiction Depression Gender Neuroscience CNN Dr. Sanjay Gupta recovery Source Type: consumer

Oy, another Copy of AARP Just Came in the MailEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This month I will no doubt receive yet another copy of AARP. It's ok I suppose - the first two years were distressing! Is it traumatic for families to see older loved ones drink themselves to death after retirement? Is it pushed into denial and rationalized as, "Well mom might as well drink. After all, she's in her 70s?" This attitude has to stop. Alcoholism is a serious disease at any age. It interferes with other medications, effects executive functioning, slows down reflexes and is often not even considered by medical professionals who rather blame diabetes or high blood pressure for their patients' health issues. Every...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - April 16, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Harris B. Stratyner, Ph.D., CASAC Tags: Addiction Aging Anxiety alcoholism baby boomers elderly Source Type: consumer

The Addicts Dilemma, Pt. 2: Transparency and Re-building TrustEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A previous post considered that one of the more difficult challenges facing those confronted with addiction has to do with the social consequences that they create for themselves by virtue of that addiction, and their addictive behavior; namely, the disintegration of trust.Re-building trust is no mean feat. It starts with faith on the part of others and is propelled by everyone concerned finding the balance point of transparency that leads to a re-invigoration of that broken trust.There are two primary challenges for those attempting to rebuild trust within the context of an addictive dynamic. The first is for the non-addi...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - April 9, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Michael J. Formica Tags: Addiction alcoholism co-dependence faith relationships trust Source Type: consumer

Assessing your drinking habits onlineEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
April is Alcohol Awareness Month which is intended to educate people and communities about the consequences of alcohol-related problems. There are over 18 million individuals or 8.5% of Americans who suffer from alcohol-use disorders. In addition, there are millions of individuals who experience the devastating effects of the alcohol problem of someone in their life. In fact, 25% of U.S. children are exposed to alcohol-use disorders in their family.April 9th is National Alcohol Screening Day and an important part of Alcohol Awareness month. This day is intended to help individuals who may not know how much is too much to d...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - April 9, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Sarah Allen Benton, L.M.H.C. Tags: Addiction alcohol awareness month alcohol screening alcohol screening day alcoholism functioning alcoholic high-functioning alcoholic recovery Source Type: consumer

A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste (Part II)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
       In my last posting, I introduced the idea that the current downturn might just be a tipping point for overshoppers, that its economic pressure might shake them out of denial and drive them to begin stopping overshopping. That they do so is essential, because compulsive buying is a square peg for a round hole, an inadequate substitute for (or a distraction from) the fulfillment of unmet needs, whether emotional, social, or spiritual. But powerful habits die hard. Although the shopping habit cannot in the long run meet your needs, it can bury them for a time; it can give you short-term re...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - April 9, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: April Lane Benson, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Happiness Health Psychotherapy Self-Help Social Life compulsive buying disorder compulsive shopping overshopping shopaholics shopaholism stopping overshopping Source Type: consumer

Letting Alcoholics DrinkEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study challenges America's AA-abstinence-only orthodoxy, including the mantra that alcoholics will end up in jail, a hospital, or dead if they don't stop drinking.Shelters are notoriously dry places that refuse intoxicated or drinking residents. A group of University of Washington public health researchers published in the April 1 issue of the American Medical Association's flagship journal (JAMA) a study finding that allowing alcoholics to drink and still to enter public homeless shelters produced indisputable benefits to society and for the alcoholics themselves.In practice, banning drinking in shelters sentences al...
Source: Psychology Today Addiction Center - April 4, 2009 Category: Addiction Authors: Stanton Peele Tags: Addiction Alan Marlatt alcoholism chronic alcoholics dry shelters homeless homeless alcoholics homeless shelters Housing First motivational interviewing wet shelters William Miller Source Type: consumer