The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, when applied to the recovering anorexic, bulimic, or compulsive overeater, lead the addict out of addiction and into a new life of sanity and recovery. In themselves, the steps are a complete program and solution for food-related diseases and disorders. The “Tools of Recovery” build upon the steps, implementing […]
Illegal substances are often used as a way to self-medicate against the stresses of daily life. For some segments of the population, the stress of daily life is anything but normal. For those who serve in the military, for instance, deployment can introduce extended periods of high risk for physical injury and emotional trauma.
“Adventure is not outside man, it is within.” – George Eliot, the pseudonym of novelist, translator and religious writer Mary Ann Evans, one of the leading writers of the Victorian era (1819-1880)
How we look at events or situations plays a significant role in how we feel and behave. This is particularly true when it comes to alcohol and drug addiction. Consider the last time you got angry: Your negative feelings were likely triggered by a thought – e.g. “That driver shouldn’t have cut me off!” This
The Powerful Role of Cognitive Thinking Errors in Addiction Read More »
Soldiers returning from deployment to a combat zone often experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD can occur any time an individual is involved in or a witness to a disaster or tragedy. The experience can be anything from witnessing an assault to involvement in a car accident.
Last year 45.6 million Americans were diagnosed as having a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder. One in five adults suffers from mental illness. The 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health recently revealed statistics on the mental health of the nation’s citizens.
You might think that recovery is all about going to meetings and staying out of trouble. It is that, but it is also a lot more. The truth is that being in recovery is hard work, probably a lot more work than we ever imagined it would be. It’s so easy to get caught up
What You Think Matters: How It Benefits Recovery Read More »
Obesity is a national concern. Far too many Americans are struggling with being overweight today. For some, the problem may be a serious one and yet fall short of the definition of a mental health disorder. Binge eating is not currently a formal disorder, but it is expected that it will be listed as a
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In the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), binge eating will, for the first time ever, be listed as a disorder. This designation shows improvement in how eating disorders are being taken more seriously than in the past. Research shows that the brain acts similarly in all addictions, whether
Electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, is a behavioral health treatment that has a somewhat negative connotation in popular culture. Thanks in no small part to books and movies, such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, many people came to believe that ECT side effects were overwhelmingly harmful and that the therapy itself was prone to
