Raising Kids to Be Drug-Free
If you read anything in the news about drugs and addiction, the stories are usually bleak. More young people are abusing prescription drugs and a heroin epidemic, along with overdose deaths, is sweeping the country.
How Adult Children of Alcoholics Can Embrace Father’s Day
Not everyone can say they have the best father in the world. Father’s Day is the one day a year that people are encouraged to acknowledge and appreciate their dads, but if you grew up in an alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional home, the thought of honoring your father in any way, or even the thought…
5 Top Gifts for Mom This Mother’s Day to Make Her Feel Truly Loved
Flowers are nice. Jewelry is generally appreciated. Going out to dinner is a popular favorite. But when it comes to giving Mom a gift she’ll remember long after the flowers are wilted, the jewelry is carefully stored and the meal is something of the past, many sons and daughters might consider a loving gift instead.…
Long Arm of PTSD Haunts Children of Vets
Her father’s despair seeped into every waking moment, poisoning the family. By age 5, Christal Presley routinely barricaded her dresser against her bedroom door. He could go from fetal position to fury. “I’m going to the river, and I won’t be back!” he would yell, grabbing a gun. “For the first two years of that,…
Children of Alcoholics Choose Alcohol Abusers as Partners
Adult children of alcoholics are people who grew up in a household with at least one parent affected by alcoholism. A significant minority of all U.S. adults come from such a background. In a study published in January 2014 in the journal Addictive Behaviors, a team of American researchers assessed the chances that young adult…
Born to Drink: Alcoholism and Genetics
The links between alcoholism, genetics and family history are not easy to understand. What we know for sure, though, is that there is a connection. This does not mean that if you had an alcoholic parent, or if both of your parents suffered from alcoholism, that you are destined to become one as well. It…
Family History, Childhood Trauma Increase Suicide Risk for Men
Researchers and mental health professionals have known for a long time that men and boys have elevated chances of dying from suicide, even though they make suicide attempts far less often than women and girls. Researchers and doctors have also identified many of the risk factors that increase the likelihood of suicide. According to the…
Can you Trust a Recovering Addict with your Kids?
Perhaps the most difficult aspect of repairing a relationship with a recovering addict is rebuilding trust. It can take just one or two incidents to lose trust, but many, many more to regain it. After all your experiences with this person when he was using, whether it is your spouse, a friend, or a sibling,…
Child Abuse Linked to Alcoholism, Drug Addiction
Children who have experienced abuse and maltreatment show changes in important parts of their brains. These changes are linked to depression, drug addiction, schizophrenia and other mental health problems, according to a new study from Harvard University.
Those With Eating Disorders Need Extra Support During the Holidays
For most people, one of the best things about the holidays is the food. Platters of all flavors of Christmas cookies, pumpkin pie, turkey and stuffing, fudge and other candies combine their fragrances throughout the house and workplace almost continuously from Thanksgiving through the New Year.