6 Healthy Highs (That Don't Involve Drugs or Alcohol)

Elements' David Sack, MD in the Huffington Post

When you want to feel good, drugs and alcohol are a tempting solution - quick relief with relatively little effort. But the thing about the big highs is that they are inevitably followed by the big lows, not to mention long-term health problems, potential legal consequences and the ever-present threat of addiction.

Fortunately, there are several healthy ways to feel "high" without relying on drugs or alcohol - and they come side effect-free courtesy of Mother Nature.

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As 'Vaping' Rockets in Popularity, Will It Help Smokers Quit Tobacco, Hook Young Addicts or Mask Marijuana?

Elements Behavioral Health | October 30, 2013

Because the health impacts of e-cigarettes are unknown, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is poised to announce first-time proposed regulations over the sale of electronic cigarettes. An FDA spokeswoman said the agency is seeking to regulate the devices by defining them as a tobacco product, on the grounds that they often contain nicotine, derived from tobacco. This comes fresh off this fall's report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that e-cigarettes had been tried by double the number of middle and high school students in 2011-2012. Despite the overall percentages being relatively low, and even lower among non-smoking youth, the fact that any juveniles were experimenting with a potential nicotine delivery system fueled widespread calls, including by more than 40 state attorneys general, for FDA action.

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Media, Parents, Peers Influence Teen Alcohol Use

Promises | November 7, 2013

Underage drinking, defined as the consumption of alcohol by anyone below the age of 21, is a widespread illegal activity in the U.S. In addition, minors who drink commonly engage in binge drinking, a form of alcohol consumption that significantly increases the chances for harmful or fatal outcomes. In a study published in 2013 in the Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, researchers from three U.S. institutions examined the factors that influence teenagers' attitudes toward alcohol intake. These researchers found that several factors work together to help form the outlook of any given teen.

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All About Men and Infidelity: Ten Reasons Why Men Cheat

Elements' expert Robert Weiss, LCSW, CSAT-S in Psychology Today

The simple truth is that men are somewhat different than women when it comes to cheating, and a lot of that difference arises from the fact that men tend to define infidelity rather loosely. Most men would say that utilizing porn as a sexual outlet while in a primary, committed relationship is not cheating. (Most women would disagree, and for some anecdotal proof of this, heterosexual male readers should just ask their wife or girlfriend what she thinks.) So does viewing porn count as infidelity? If it does, then a whole lot of men are cheaters. What about sexting? What if the person you're sexting with doesn't live anywhere near you and there's no chance you'll ever hook up in-person? How about video chat? And while you're video chatting does it matter if your or the other person's clothes are off? How about if you are complaining to this other person about your current relationship? Etc.

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Addiction Is Not a Matter of Choice, Right Step's Dr. Jason Powers Says in Texas School Appearance

Right Step | September 20, 2013

Many of us have heard the story of the starving lab rat that will choose cocaine over food and water, and, just last month, how Oreos light up a rodent brain's "pleasure center" more than cocaine or morphine. Armed with such studies, researchers in neuroscience have brought popular opinion around to the realization that addiction is, indeed, a disease. The science behind addiction was the topic of a recent talk at Alamo Heights Middle School in Texas by Dr. Jason Z.W. Powers, chief medical officer for Right Step and author of "When the Servant Becomes the Master," which lays out the new science and what it means for those suffering from addiction.

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Women Can Become Addicted to Cybersex, Too

Sexual Recovery Institute | November 12, 2013

So all your friends and your mother are certain that only men can become hooked on sex, any kind of sex, but especially cybersex. They seem to be missing the obvious, though, aren't they? Women have been buying up sexual fantasy in the form of romance novels for ages - and most of those are downright salacious! And what is cybersex if not fantasy? Perhaps it's the base element of raw sexual need that makes some people think certain women just aren't as vulnerable to sexual addiction. Don't women want cuddles before sex, they ask? But no matter your gender, and regardless of the kind of sexual addiction you may experience - voyeurism, exhibitionism, anonymous sex, etc. - this form of addiction at its very root is, according to expert and author Robert Weiss, an intimacy disorder.

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Addiction and Domestic Violence

The Recovery Place | November 6, 2013

Domestic violence and substance abuse are issues that can affect anyone regardless of race, age, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, etc. While it is frequently indicated that perpetrators in domestic violence studies have a high level of alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence also increases the probability that victims will use alcohol and drugs to cope. However, drug and alcohol addiction don't necessarily cause domestic violence, and vice versa, but there is a very distinct correlation between the two, often co-occurring and exacerbating each other.

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