What is Addiction According to the American Society of Addiction, Medicine addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Addiction is characterized by an inability to consistently abstain, imparted behavior control, subject to cravings, diminished recognition of a significant problem related to one’s behavior, [...]
You know someone suffering from addiction; you scold, you cry, you punish, you continually step in to help pay the rent, make excuses for missing school or work—the seriousness of your behavior, though motivated by love and compassion, leads the addict toward death. Does that sound harsh? If you understood [...]
Addiction to drugs or alcohol is a medical problem that often causes profound shame and embarrassment. These feelings are even more intense when the individual is in law enforcement, a profession that depends on self-discipline, control and cooperative action. These individuals may be particularly reluctant to admit the depth of [...]
The relationship between work-related environments and substance abuse is not new. There are several models (mostly focused on work stress and alcoholism) that examine this dynamic. To begin worker substance abuse is a serious public health issue. The ramifications of substance abuse, either alcohol or other drugs, (also known as [...]
Addiction is nearly ubiquitous in contemporary society. It seems that everyone knows someone with an inability to control their dependency on some substance or medication or alcohol. While the battle for overcoming addiction lies with the person afflicted with the addiction, there is also a battle that rages for the [...]
Codependency is a term that's often used in the mental health profession and among people who work with addicts. However, as it's not an officially recognized disorder or mental illness, it isn't listed in guidebooks such as the DSM (there is a listing for Dependent Personality Disorder, but that isn't [...]
Cocaine is still a major health and safety problem. More than 36.8 million Americans over 11 years of age have used it at least once, according to the White House's drug task force. More than 40% of teenagers nationwide have ready access to the drug, as well as 20% of [...]
Addiction in the criminal justice system has been studied for decades leaving some of the brightest minds in the field banging their proverbial heads on the wall in frustration. Addicts are some of the most difficult people to motivate and work with and then add the criminal justice system element [...]
The history of addiction and addiction treatment is as old as human history. Records from the Greeks indicate that those suffering from alcoholism were treated in specific homes. During the Middle Ages, recipes for dealing with hangovers were plentiful ranging from mixtures to drink, to using salt water to wash [...]
There is every reason why alcohol, women and its impact on their health should be discussed. Research has demonstrated for decades that women's bodies respond differently to alcohol than men's, and, for the average woman, the results are negative. Alcohol is processed differently in men and women’s bodies. In women, the [...]
