Sobriety and New Year’s Resolutions Articles>Early RecoveryBy The RanchDecember 26, 2013It is probably not surprising that so many people decide to pursue sobriety around the winter holidays, mainly because this time of year signals both an ending an a new beginning. Nothing is more indicative of a fresh start than New Year’s, so making a resolution to quit drinking, using drugs, and/or engaging in addictive…
Study Takes New Look at Alcohol and Depression Articles>Dual DiagnosisBy The RanchDecember 19, 2013The link between alcohol and depression has long been known, but there has been much disagreement about whether alcoholism causes depression or vice-versa. The relationship between the two is alluded to by several facts, including that around one third of people who suffer from major depression also have a problem with alcoholism and that teens…
Gaming Addicted Children at Higher Risk of Mental Health Issues ArticlesBy The RanchDecember 16, 2013More than 200 million Americans play video games, accounting for over two-thirds of the population, with around 3 percent of these playing at a “pathological” level. Leftover stereotypes would have you believe that these are largely “geeky,” socially-inept teenage boys, but in fact, 47 percent of gamers are women and the most frequent game purchasers…
The “Recovery Value” of Guilt, Shame, and Remorse (Part Two) Articles>Early RecoveryBy The RanchDecember 14, 2013As written in part one of this blog, many addicts feel as if they are flawed in some deeply meaningful way and therefore doomed to a life of misery, isolation, and regrettable behaviors. These addicts, usually with histories of childhood abuse and neglect, feel as if they themselves are the problem, as if they are…
The “Recovery Value” of Guilt, Shame, and Remorse (Part One) Articles>Early RecoveryBy The RanchDecember 9, 2013Many addicts feel as if they are the problem, as if they are flawed in some deeply meaningful way and therefore doomed to a life of misery, isolation, and regrettable behaviors. Oftentimes addicts in recovery need a great deal of time before they can even begin to understand that they are not inherently defective, that…
How To Work Step Twelve Articles>Early RecoveryBy The RanchNovember 5, 2013Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. The first thing to do when you approach step twelve is to recognize the first portion of step’s language: having had a spiritual awaking as the…
Fat Talk Isn’t Just for Young Women, Research Finds Articles>Eating DisordersBy The RanchOctober 24, 2013Fat talk is a term that mental health professionals sometimes use to describe spoken statements that emphasize concerns about one’s weight or make negative comparisons with other people’s weight. While many of these statements seem superficially harmless, current evidence indicates that they contribute significantly to a state of mind called body dissatisfaction. In turn, the…
How to Work Step Eleven Articles>Early RecoveryBy The RanchOctober 21, 2013Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. Step eleven, like step ten, is not a step that is worked once and then forgotten. Instead, it is part of an ongoing…
How to Work Step Ten Articles>Early RecoveryBy The RanchOctober 7, 2013Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. Step ten in most respects is the logical culmination of the previous nine steps. In essence, the first nine steps are about stopping the bleeding of addiction, and then identifying and cleaning up the wreckage of our pasts. Step ten begins the…
Study Examines Whether Mental Fatigue Influences Gambling Behaviors Articles>Mental HealthBy The RanchSeptember 22, 2013Understanding how gambling behaviors develop into pathological gambling patterns is becoming more important as the opportunities to gamble have increased. There have been significant access changes because online gambling is readily available to those who possess a smartphone or a laptop. Given that gambling can be done just about anytime and anywhere, there are many…
