Understanding Love and Romance Addiction: What Is an Addictive Relationship?

It's Cheating | August 11, 2011

Addictive relationships are characterized by unhealthy dependency, guilt and abuse. At times despairing of their cycle of unhappy affairs, broken relationships and liaisons, the romance addict may try a "swearing off"period, not unlike the anorexic stage of an eating disorder. They may decide that not being in the game at all will solve the problem, only to later find the same issues reappearing whenever reattempting intimacy.

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Book Review: Healing the Addictive Personality by Dr. Lee Jampolsky

Addiction Treatment Magazine | August 10, 2011

Many books have been written about addiction and treatment. Each author has a different slant, or take, on the subject of addiction, what can be done about it, various treatment options, and so forth. Many are poignant biographies, telling the author's story in painstaking and heartbreaking detail.

In Healing the Addictive Personality, Dr. Lee Jampolsky offers a bit of personal reflection as well as some eye-opening and, once you study the methods, relatively easy-to-understand techniques for how any individual suffering from addiction can, well, heal.

At the heart of the matter is a blend of practical and positive psychology. Dr. Jampolsky outlines everything in twenty-one daily lessons and an action plan comprising eleven weeks.

Continue reading our review of Healing the Addictive Personality...

An Interview with Chester Williams, Promises' Court Liaison & Transportation Coordinator

Elements | August 11, 2011

Drug Rehab, Day 1: Greeted with Respect and Compassion

When individuals come to Promises Treatment Centers, Chester Williams' reassuring face is one of the first of many reminders that they've made the right choice. With more than 25 years sober and a compassionate approach tempered with real-world experience, Chester has a way of setting people at ease from the start.

As Transportation Coordinator, Chester is often one of the first Promises team members that patients meet. He picks patients up and drops them off at the airport, escorts them to appointments, and assists them in making a smooth transition home.

On the day patients enter Promises' southern California drug rehab program, they are typically brimming with emotion. Some are nervous and edgy, others are angry and scared. Most have taken one last drink or gotten high before bidding farewell to drugs and alcohol forever.

Whatever condition they arrive in, Chester approaches them with a blend of empathy, respect and lighthearted humor.

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Psychiatric Disorders that Often Co-Occur with Borderline Personality Disorder

The Ranch | August 11, 2011

Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) frequently suffer from other psychiatric disorders as well. When this occurs, they have a "co-occurring"or "comorbid"disorder. The reason borderlines are particularly vulnerable to co-occurring disorders may be partially due to their particular genetic makeup.

In many instances, the comorbid disorder is diagnosed accurately, but the clinician misses the borderline diagnosis. This is unfortunate, because it is very difficult to effectively treat the other disorder if the BPD is not treated appropriately. Also, in order to effectively treat the BPD, any comorbid disorders must be treated as well. Treating the comorbid disorder properly can help speed up the treatment of BPD as well.

Learn more about the disorders that most commonly co-occur with borderline personality disorder...