Does Addiction Run in Your Family? How to Talk to Your Kids About Their Risk

Elements' David Sack, MD in PsychCentral

If you've lived through a family member's addiction, whether a grandparent, aunt, cousin, sibling or your own, you intimately understand the gravity of the disease. But your children, blissfully unaware of their family history, may not take drugs and alcohol as seriously as they should - that is, until you make them.

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The Toll of Caregiving - When the Strain of Caring for Others Leads to Substance Abuse

Promises | June 17, 2013

For some, the burden of caregiving can seem unbearable - whether you're caring for an elderly parent with Alzheimer's or parenting a child with cerebral palsy. It is, without question, a challenging way to live: attending to your loved one's personal hygiene, going back and forth to doctor's appointments, preparing meals and ensuring he or she eats, and so on. The stress is serious enough that it causes some caregivers to turn to alcohol or drugs in a desperate attempt to cope. This can turn the tables on a caregiver - putting them in the position to need care in the form of alcohol or drug rehab.

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The Staggering Costs of Alcohol and Drug Addiction

Elements | June 7, 2013

Both alcoholics and drug addicts struggle with the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical consequences of their substance abuse. But what, exactly, is the difference between an alcoholic and a drug addict? The simple fact is: there is there is no difference. Both alcohol addicts and drug addicts fall under the same definition of "addiction" or as some call it, "substance abuse disorder."

Society's perception of these substances is in part the driver for the drug's popularity and availability. Alcohol, for example, is widely available and its use is often encouraged in many settings. As a result, alcohol is the most widespread drug, just after nicotine, and is responsible for more deaths and more trips to the hospital than all other drugs combined. Part of the issue is this social acceptance. Alcohol is so widely used and encouraged, that many addicts do not even realize they have a problem.

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Sex Delivered as Fast as a Pizza? There's an App for That!

Sex Addiction Expert, Robert Weiss LCSW, CSAT-S in Psychology Today

Casual sex is nothing new. People have sought the intense dopaminergic stimulation offered by new, unexplored sexual partnering since the dawn of time. So whether married or single, in pre-history or the digital age, men and women have always enjoyed (some more guiltily than others) the pleasurable pursuit of no-strings-attached sex. In modern times, heterosexuals who were in the mood for new and now tended to frequent places like singles bars, swingers clubs, brothels, and the like, while homosexuals (especially the men) found themselves cruising in bars, bathhouses, and hidden alleyways. This is probably similar to the ways that horny cave-people searched for booty - hanging around in overgrown copses and out-of-the-way grottos. The point here is that hooking up for mindless sex for the sake of pure animal lust and pleasure is and has always been (with a few exceptions) a natural and healthy part of life.

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An Interview with Tip McKay, Director of Alumni Services

Right Step | June 7, 2013

"Hey man, come in from the cold. You're welcome here." These are Tip McKay's words for anyone struggling with addiction.

It's a cold Tip knows all too well. Many years ago, he was in the grip of addiction himself. Like many others, his recovery journey had ups and downs. He completed an intensive outpatient program but felt over-confident in his ability to stay sober. Knowing that he was at high risk of relapse, at his coin out ceremony his counselor said, "See you soon."

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Parents Can Reduce Underage Drinking With the Right Approach

The Ranch | May 24, 2013

The consumption of alcohol has become something of a rite of passage for young men and women looking to make the transition into adulthood. Under the mistaken impression that drinking equates with maturity, adolescents frequently begin experimenting with alcohol in peer group settings, where violating taboos is often encouraged and supported.

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