Do you love hot and spicy foods? Given the choice at a restaurant, do you ask for more heat, not less, in your order? If so, it could be that you are also more prone to alcohol abuse. A study conducted through South Korea’s Busan National University found that key ingredients in spicy foods work […]
Spicy Food Lovers More Likely to Suffer from Alcoholism Read More »
Decades of scientific research have made clear that addiction is not a moral failing, a character flaw or a sign of weakness, but rather a chronic brain disease. Still, it typically falls under the umbrella of behavioral health. Some suggest that this classification is contributing to the stigma surrounding addiction. Is “behavioral health” a stigmatizing
Addiction: Behavioral Health Issue, Mental Health Disorder or Something Else? Read More »
Have you had enough of stumbling around in a drug-induced fog? Are you fed up with letting everyone you care about down as a result of your addiction? Do you feel like now is the time to either put up or shut up and do something positive to change your life? Maybe the time is
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
Discerning the Difference Between Binge Eating Disorder and Overeating Read More »
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
When the brain tells us that what we are putting into our mouth is a poor, maybe even an unhealthy choice, why do we go ahead and bite? Some suggest that eating is not as much about what we know as it is about how we feel. The brain is sending one message and the
Addiction to drugs, alcohol and/or tobacco causes many hardships for the person who abuses them. Apart from relationship problems and mental health problems, addiction often produces a number of health challenges because of nutritional deficiencies. Some of these nutritional deficiencies are caused by the substance itself while others result from the behavior patterns associated with
Nearly everyone is familiar with and understands to some degree the concept of a substance addiction – abuse of and dependency on chemicals such as nicotine, alcohol, illicit drugs, and even prescription medications. More difficult to comprehend is the concept of a behavioral or “process” addiction – compulsively engaging in a potentially pleasurable activity such
How Can a Behavior (Sex, for instance) Become an Addiction? Read More »
Addiction is notable for the toll it takes on an individual’s health and relationships. However, while these losses feature prominently in the costs of addiction, they only tell part of the story. Typically, addicts and their families also pay a heavy financial cost, both in terms of the money spent on the substance or activity
It is often difficult to get a designation of and recognition for new addictions. The psychiatry and therapy communities as well as the wider public can be slow to admit to the reality of certain problems. However, it is tough to ignore the fact that people can become obsessed with and even addicted to the
