Depression Is Not a Normal Part of Growing OlderMental HealthBy The RanchMay 22, 2013Aging is the general term used to describe the physical and mental changes that occur when human beings reach and pass the middle stages of life. Some of the changes associated with this process are unavoidable; however, many of these changes stem from the effects of avoidable mental or physical health problems, not from aging… Details
Breaking the Pattern of Love AddictionArticles>Addiction TreatmentBy The RanchMay 20, 2013The most commonly occurring love addicts are people who become habitually obsessed with the impossible idea of a perfect lover or companion, and remain desperately attached after a relationship begins. These love addicts may be referred to as “typical love addicts,” “obsessed love addicts,” or “codependent love addicts” and are driven by an unconscious motivation… Details
When Your Teen Lies About Drug UseArticles>Drug AddictionBy The RanchMay 18, 2013As a parent, there is such a thing as overkill: hovering like a helicopter parent, restricting independence because you worry, never trusting your child. Being a good parent means finding a balance between trusting your child to make the right choices and keeping him safe from danger. Few things are scarier than the idea of… Details
Nature or Nurture? Why Do People Do Drugs?Articles>Addiction ResearchBy The RanchMay 16, 2013There are dozens of reasons people choose to use drugs, and even more reasons that drug use – or any substance use – may lead to substance abuse and eventually dependency. Some people are biologically predisposed to substance abuse and dependency, both of which are diagnosable and treatable disorders according to the DSM-IV. Despite a… Details
What If I am Addicted to Two or More Drugs? What Will Rehab Do for Me?Articles>Addiction TreatmentBy The RanchMay 14, 2013Being addicted to more than one drug presents unique challenges for rehab centers. Generally speaking, it’s more difficult because there are two different foreign chemicals being introduced into the individual’s body, so both have to be considered separately from a medical perspective. Although the psychological requirements for individuals addicted to multiple drugs are roughly the… Details
Recovery Myth-Buster: “Two-Stepping” Will Keep You SoberArticles>Alcohol Abuse and AlcoholismBy The RanchMay 12, 2013The 12-step program has a set number of steps—you guessed it, 12. Yet it is not uncommon to find meeting groups in which many of the members have never worked the steps. They attend meetings, they talk about their inability to control their drinking, and perhaps they even try to be of service to the… Details
The Difference Between Food Aversion and AnorexiaArticles>Eating DisordersBy The RanchMay 9, 2013Having a food aversion and having anorexia nervosa are two very different problems. Both can be painful. Both can make you dangerously thin. Yet, food aversion is often temporary and usually not life-threatening to the person, while anorexia can last for years and can cause death. It is possible for the two illnesses to overlap,… Details
People With Mental Illness More Likely to SmokeArticles>Addiction ResearchBy The RanchMay 6, 2013Anyone who has not lived as a hermit in a cave for the last few decades knows that smoking is bad for your health. In spite of this knowledge, many people still choose to engage in the habit of inhaling nicotine through cigarette smoke. Often, those who start want to stop, but the addiction to… Details
Resentment: The Addict’s EnemyArticles>Early RecoveryBy The RanchMay 3, 2013“Resentment is the Number One offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have also been spiritually ill. When our spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 64)
When Psychosis Hits HomeArticles>Mental HealthBy The RanchMay 1, 2013Finding out that a loved one has a psychotic disorder can be just as frightening as hearing your medical doctor use the dreaded word “cancer.” Both types of illness elicit feelings of dread and fear. In an instant, you know that life is never going to be the same because your whole world has just… Details
