Movie Review: Revealing ‘The Skeleton Twins’ in the ClosetCulture & MediaBy Promises Behavioral HealthDecember 25, 2014Every family has its secrets, and the Dean twins, Maggie and Milo, are examples of what happens when the skeletons in the closet gradually start rattling. This is the premise of the movie “The Skeleton Twins.”
Helping Vs. Enabling an AddictAddictionBy Promises Behavioral HealthDecember 24, 2014When you love someone, it’s natural to want to help. Parents help their children with everything from finances to relationship advice. Siblings offer love and support to each other whenever it’s needed.
What Dentists Can Do About Eating DisordersEating DisordersBy Promises Behavioral HealthDecember 18, 2014Dentists may be medical professionals, but they are also specialists. Typically, patients will not turn to their dentists for help with ailments that don’t involve teeth, gums or general oral health. However, some illnesses, such as the eating disorder bulimia nervosa, affect oral health. As a result, dentists and dental hygienists may be positioned to…
How to Stay Sober While TravelingAlcoholismBy Promises Behavioral HealthDecember 16, 2014Many recovering alcoholics and addicts do a lot of traveling during the holiday season, and traveling can be challenging when you’re trying to stay sober. You’re away from everything and everyone that’s familiar, and it may seem like alcohol is everywhere. Vacations are supposed to be a time for relaxing and having fun, but instead…
Is Internet Addiction a Comorbid Disorder?Behavioral AddictionsBy Promises Behavioral HealthDecember 13, 2014Internet addiction is a commonly used term for an unofficially defined form of non-substance-based behavioral addiction that centers on a personally and socially damaging pattern of Internet use. A comorbid disorder is a condition that appears at the same time as one or more additional health problems and contributes to a disproportionate worsening of general…
Exercise, Mindfulness and Meditation: In Through the Side DoorMental HealthBy Promises Behavioral HealthDecember 11, 2014The physical benefits of regular exercise are easy to understand, well-documented and obvious to almost everyone. Lift weights and you get stronger muscles. Do aerobic exercise and you get a more efficient cardiovascular system. Do sports, or take dance or martial arts classes, and you become more coordinated and physically aware.
Rising Overdose Deaths Hallmark of a Heroin EpidemicDrug AddictionBy Promises Behavioral HealthDecember 9, 2014From the early days of opium to the modern age of prescription painkillers, people and opiates have had a long and tumultuous relationship. Although prescription drug abuse is one of the main health concerns in modern-day America, the rise in abuse of drugs like OxyContin and Vicodin is fueling another epidemic: addiction to heroin. In…
Leading Trauma Expert Offers Hope to Survivors of Complex Trauma in New BookUncategorizedBy Promises Behavioral HealthDecember 4, 2014Christine A. Courtois, PhD, ABPP, national clinical trauma consultant for Promises Treatment Centers and Promises Behavioral Health, releases her latest book titled It’s Not You, It’s What Happened to You: Complex Trauma and Treatment.
Is My Partner a Sex Addict?Sex AddictionBy Promises Behavioral HealthDecember 3, 2014While it’s true that a diagnosis of sexual compulsivity—another term for sex addiction—is generally only self-ascribed (arrived at by the addict him or herself) or with the help of a trained therapist, it can be important for loved ones to understand the signs. When we find ourselves romantically involved with a sex addict, our lives…
Alcoholism, Polydrug Abuse Create Different Brain AbnormalitiesAddictionBy Promises Behavioral HealthDecember 1, 2014Alcoholism is the well-known term used to describe a physical dependence on the (typically unrestrained) consumption of alcohol. Polysubstance or polydrug addiction is a lesser-known term used to describe a simultaneous addiction to at least two substances, including any combination of alcohol, illicit/illegal drugs and mind-altering medications. In a study published in September 2014 in…
