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Behavioral Health Newsletter

October 2014 Newsletter
Published by Elements Behavioral Health

IN THIS ISSUE

Legal Marijuana: Moving From 'What If?' to 'What Now?'

Pot-Proofing Kids

Going to Therapy Is a Sign of Strength

Addicts Just Want to Have Fun (in Recovery)

Addiction, Happiness, and Retraining the Brain

Why Addiction Wins Over Love

The Dual Demons of Depression and Alcoholism

Even Superheroes Shouldn't Fly Drunk

How to Party Without Alcohol

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Upcoming Events

Promises Treatment Centers Presents Workshops in London & Madrid

Join Robert Weiss, Mark Gillman, and David Brown in London on Nov. 10 & 11. Rob will then join Dr. Mark Burdick, Jose Luis Martinez, and Dr. José Miguel Gaona Cartolano in Madrid for a day long workshop on Nov. 13.

Where: London, UK
When: 11/10 & 11/11
Register: ebhevents.com

Where: Madrid, Spain
When: 11/13
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Freud Meets Buddha: Trauma, Mindfulness and Mid Life Transitions

Speakers at the BFI Summit advanced clinical training for therapists and counselors include: Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, FACP, Colin Ross, MD, David Burns, MD, Christine Courtois, PhD, ABPP, Wayne Muller, John Lee, MA, Gary Hees, MA, LPC.

Where: Scottsdale, AZ
When: 10/31 - 11/1

Visit ebhevents.com for more information and to register.

USJT 2nd International Conference on Sex and Love Addiction

Robert Weiss, LCSW, CSAT-S will be speaking at US Journal's 2nd International Conference on Sex and Love Addiction on "Sex, Tech, Intimacy and Infidelity: The Effect of Social Media and Technology on Cheating, Intimacy Disorders and Sex Addiction."

Where: Fort Lauderdale, FL
When: 11/12 - 11/14

Visit ebhevents.com for more information and to register.

Technology, Addiction and the Modern Family

This conference will focus on the best clinical practices around issues related to advances in technology.Presentations by experts including: Robert Weiss, LCSW, CSAT-S; Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, FACP; Jaana Juvonen, PhD; and Kenneth Woog, PsyD.

Where: Malibu, CA
When: 11/21/14

Visit ebhevents.com for more information and to register.

Contact Us

Elements Behavioral Health
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Legal Marijuana: Moving From 'What If?' to 'What Now?'

Elements' Dr. David Sack in Psychology Today

Yes, it may be approved recreationally only in Washington State and Colorado at the moment, but more than half the states have already given the green light to either medical marijuana or some form of decriminalization. And each day our national voice grows louder in support of giving marijuana the same status that alcohol and tobacco enjoy. Can anyone doubt that sea-to-sea legalization is only a matter of time? (And very little time at that, I predict.)

The question is no longer "what if?" but "what now?"

What will legalization look like in 5, 10, 20 years? Where will it lead us? What should we be thinking about and preparing for to minimize the bad and maximize the good?

Read more...

Pot-Proofing Kids

Elements

Kids and marijuana don't mix, yet relaxed marijuana laws are making youth access to the drug easier than ever. Calls to poison control centers are increasing, emergency room visits are up, and the young are increasingly viewing marijuana as no big deal. The reality is marijuana hurts developing bodies and brains, and our growing national enthusiasm for legalization needs to come with a commitment to protecting the most vulnerable among us.

Check out the infographic...

Going to Therapy Is a Sign of Strength

Malibu Vista | September 24, 2014

There are a lot of myths about therapy in society. There's an inherent assumption that people who see counselors or psychologists are "crazy," or that if you go to a therapist you're somehow weak; but this is far from the truth. You might be skeptical about whether you need therapy after rehab, or may even feel like you can't do it. If no one in your family has been to therapy before, you may have taken on the general opinion that it isn't necessary, or that the people you share genes with are somehow different from the people who attend therapy. Looking at the reality behind these concerns helps you jump that last hurdle and get the support you need.

Read more...

Addicts Just Want to Have Fun (in Recovery)

Elements' Rob Weiss, LCSW, CSAT-S in PsychCentral

Without doubt, recovering addicts of all types need healthy activities during recovery. For one thing, their addictions usually took up large amounts of their free-time. When they are suddenly not drinking or using or acting out, they must find a way to fill the hours. Often, during the first months of sobriety this is the recovering addict's most difficult challenge. Many, like Jack, fill the empty space with therapy and active participation in twelve step groups. However, as Jack found out, happiness requires more than just sobriety. It also requires a fun and meaningful social life.

Read more...

Addiction, Happiness, and Retraining the Brain

Promises Austin | October 2, 2014

When it comes to addiction recovery, maintaining sobriety is a balancing act of grit, perseverance and hope. While these things aren't easy to come by, they can all be achieved through a process of retraining the brain. Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to rewire itself. In addiction, more than one area of the brain is compromised: Not only is the reward pathway hijacked, but the centers of pleasure, learning and memory, and emotion are also altered.

Read more...

Why Addiction Wins Over Love

The Recovery Place | October 8, 2014

While loving someone struggling with addiction is painful and draining, it can be exceptionally frustrating watching your loved one repeatedly reject any help, love, and support offered by family and friends and instead continuing to sink further and further into their disease. However, while it may seem as if they're choosing drugs or alcohol over everything else, in many cases they simply have no choice in the matter. Addiction is a disease that causes a person's behavior to become reflexive and automatic, stemming from their physical and psychological need for drugs or alcohol. These changes in the brain's chemistry and functions reach a point where there's essentially a primal need for the substance and any control a person had is stripped away. Simply put, if your loved one were able to stop abusing drugs or alcohol on their own, they wouldn't have an addiction.

Read more...

The Dual Demons of Depression and Alcoholism

Lucida Treatment Center | October 19, 2014

Alcohol abuse and depression often go together and exist in a complicated relationship. In some cases, alcoholism causes depression or worsens the symptoms of an existing condition. For others, the symptoms of depression lead to drinking as a way to cope and self-medicate. Experts think there may even be a genetic link between depression and alcoholism, which would mean that having one condition would predict the other. Researchers are working to untangle the relationship and to develop treatments that will help with both.

Read more...

Even Superheroes Shouldn't Fly Drunk

Dr. Jason Powers, Chief Medical Officer, Right Step and Promises Austin, in HuffPost Entertainment

It's so easy to look up to superheroes and think, "Wow, if only I could be like that. All of my problems would just disappear - I could handle anything." And to be sure, being able to fly would solve an awful lot of everyday problems. Personally, I agree with my children who claim that an invisible version of the "Green Lantern Superman Hulk" would make me the ultimate superhero.

But, as any passing fan knows, being a hero always comes with its own set of problems. Superman can't get romantically involved, which stinks because as one of only four survivors of his planet, he must be lonely. The Hulk loses his temper and spends his life searching for an antidote while on the lam from Special Ops. The Green Lantern must learn to feel and overcome fear in order to defeat it.

Read more...

How to Party Without Alcohol

Clarity Way | September 18, 2014

Just because you're living an abstinent lifestyle doesn't mean you can't have fun! In fact, spending time with friends and family is a great way to establish a new life of satisfying sobriety. Here's how to have a great time without alcohol and drugs.

Read more...

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