Addiction Is a Brain Disease, Not Moral Failing AddictionBy Promises Behavioral HealthMarch 2, 2014Although addiction treatment is a relatively new field, a significant body of research shows that addiction is a chronic illness similar to asthma, hypertension and diabetes. The American Society of Addiction Medicine defines addiction as “a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry.” Consistent differences in neurophysiology between addicts and non-addicts…
Mixing Drugs Can Prove Fatal Drug AddictionBy Promises Behavioral HealthMarch 2, 2014Taken alone, narcotics are deadly enough, but when an addict starts mixing drugs, it gets even riskier. Deaths from mixed drug overdoses date back decades — famously “The Wizard of Oz” star Judy Garland and American icon Elvis Presley. They should serve as cautionary tales, but the addict does not think rationally. A recent string…
Heroin Addicts Battle Drug, Insurance Denials Addiction RecoveryBy Promises Behavioral HealthMarch 2, 2014The family’s first-born son was away at college when he became a heroin addict. He was 21 and in the throes of detox at a long-term residential treatment center when his parents learned this sobering news: their medical insurance would not pay the $8,000 bill. “I used the savings bonds I inherited from my grandma…
Promises Behavioral Health Experts Speak at BFI Summit for Clinical Excellence in Chicago UncategorizedBy Promises Behavioral HealthFebruary 28, 2014Renowned physician and nutrition scientist Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, FACP, and distinguished psychologist and trauma specialist Christine Courtois, PhD, ABPP, will present at the Ben Franklin Institute’s Summit for Clinical Excellence conference in Chicago.
Tylenol in Pregnancy Tied to Higher ADHD Risk in Kids News and ResearchBy Promises Behavioral HealthFebruary 27, 2014Startling new findings have thrown into question whether decades of pregnant women taking acetaminophen products such as Tylenol for lower back pain and headaches has led to their children being diagnosed with ADHD. Kids whose mothers took acetaminophen while pregnant were more likely to develop attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, a long-term study by UCLA researchers has…
Third-hand Smoke Affects Lungs, Liver, Healing, New Study Finds Substance AbuseBy Promises Behavioral HealthFebruary 25, 2014If you can smell cigarette smoke in your house, hotel room, rental car or workplace, you may be damaging your health by exposure to third-hand smoke, a new study has found. Living, working or lodging in houses, offices, hotels and vacation rentals where cigarettes have been smoked may be as dangerous to your health as…
Positive Psychotherapy Helps Smokers Quit Substance AbuseBy Promises Behavioral HealthFebruary 24, 2014Positive psychotherapy (PPT) is the name for a type of psychotherapeutic treatment that focuses on increasing and reinforcing a person’s positive emotional states rather than focusing on easing the effects of a person’s negative emotional states. In a study published in January 2014 in the Journal of Positive Psychology, researchers from several U.S. universities investigated…
Brain Scan Can Predict Risky Behavior News and ResearchBy Promises Behavioral HealthFebruary 21, 2014Risky behavior is the general term used to describe actions that increase a person’s chances of experiencing harmful or unwanted, short- or long-term life outcomes. People with a tendency toward such actions have heightened odds of getting involved in substance use. In turn, substance use is itself a risky behavior that can produce seriously damaging…
I Smoke, But I’m Not a Smoker Addiction, News and Research, Substance AbuseBy Promises Behavioral HealthFebruary 20, 2014Cigarette smoking is a highly addictive activity practiced by millions of U.S. adults and teenagers. Doctors and public health officials commonly try to identify smokers as part of an ongoing effort to prevent the severe health complications that often accompany cigarette use and nicotine addiction. However, according to the results of a study published in…
Doctors’ Views on Drug Abuse Affect Outcomes for Addicts Addiction Recovery, News and ResearchBy Promises Behavioral HealthFebruary 20, 2014People affected by substance use disorders commonly receive treatment from healthcare professionals trained as general physicians (GPs), psychiatrists or addiction services specialists. Whatever the details of their training, these professionals contribute a critical element to successful treatment by committing themselves to their work as fully as possible. However, not all professionals involved in the field…
