Candace Plattor is The Official SelfGrowth.com Guide to "Addiction and Recovery". You can find complete information on Candace Plattor and her products by visiting Candace Plattor.
If you or a loved one has a gambling addiction, you can probably understand the title of the article. Left untreated, a gambling problem or severe gambling addiction can create tremendous pain for the gambler or the family of the gambler.
What happens when a gambling addiction goes untreated? ... Views: 2648
What do you do if your loved one relapses?
"It's the same old story, the same old song and dance."
-Steven Tyler/Aerosmith
The above bit of lyrics, from a song by Aerosmith is a good analogy for an addict that chooses to try some more "controlled using" (better known as ... Views: 4239
Yeah, when he hits bottom he'll be ready. A user has to hit bottom before he will change. Sooner or later she will hit bottom. Then she'll be ready to get some help.
Raise the Bottom.
This whole idea of "hitting bottom" is out of date. Some people will wait years-even decades-for their ... Views: 1267
I have been looking at a book by Claudia Black, “My Dad Loves Me, My Dad Has
A Disease” (A Child’s View: Living With Addiction, full of pictures and writing by children), and remembering the children of addiction, and the mentally ill. I have seen five-year-olds acting like little adults, ... Views: 1826
How can you tell if your child is using drugs? It is difficult because changes in mood or attitudes, unusual temper outbursts, changes in sleeping habits, changes in hobbies or other interests are common in teens. These changes often signal that something troubling is going on and may involve ... Views: 2175
WHAT THE TALES TELL US WE NEED TO DO
What do the tales tell us we need to do to find our hearts and become what we are meant to be? What Bruno Bettelheim says for children is equally true for adults.
“Fairy tales, unlike any other form of literature, direct the child to discover his ... Views: 2806
EDITOR'S NOTE: We were so touched by this letter sent to us by one of our Intent visitors on the danger of prescription drug addiction that we felt it was worth sharing with the rest of our Intent community. This person's letter is a response to Deepak Chopra's blog post on his personal ... Views: 760
We professionals in the field of addiction, have not even come up with an agreed upon definition for recovery. This means we can’t really study the effectiveness of various treatment modalities because we haven’t defined success.
In June of 2007, at the Betty Ford Clinic, a team of top notch ... Views: 1015
TEEN GAMING ADDICTIONS ON THE RISE IN U.S.
Study Finds 10 Percent of Children Addicted to Online and Video Games
HUNTSVILLE, Ala.- Parents often joke that their children and teens “Just can’t tear themselves away from their video games.” Studies show parents it’s not a joking matter. ... Views: 1533
Unlike for alcohol or drug addiction, there is no formal diagnosis for Sex Addiction in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic Statistic Manual (DSM IV). According to Chester Schmidt, chair of the DSM-IV Sexual Disorder Work Group, there is “no scientific data to support a concept ... Views: 1951
An Alcohol Rehab center is seldom associated with humor; alcohol rehab does not lend itself well to levity; for most it is a serious, serious issue. It is about overcoming an addiction; overcoming a seemingly insurmountable problem; however as is true for a lot of other things, a dash of humor ... Views: 1235
“I’m so glad we’ll have a smoker in the White House!”
That’s what a nurse exclaimed in my presence at a dinner party last December, a month before President Obama’s inauguration.
I kid you not. A nurse. And obviously a cigarette addict.
It’s a good thing I hadn’t had a glass of wine, or ... Views: 823
When someone makes a decision to get the help that they need to quit drinking and using other drugs, everything begins to change. As an addict’s body begins to detox and as she is consciously trying to interrupt the momentum of addicted use of a chemical (including alcohol), she goes through ... Views: 4646
One of the most frequent questions that I hear from family members is, “Why do I need to be in counseling, when she is the alcoholic/addict? The family members that do come into treatment willingly and eagerly at the beginning are most often motivated to “help” the addict. The idea that ... Views: 3028
Early recovery is a time of self-assessment and problem identification. You have to know what is not working in order to begin to fix it. One of the first tasks, right after learning basic craving management techniques is spending the time and energy to identify the roles that chemicals have ... Views: 2460
Hi there everyone!!
You've heard of living in the moment and the Power of Now, right?
Does it make sense to live life that way 100% of the time?
It actually wouldn't work. There are times when we want to contextualize the past, anticipate the future, and be conscious of impact that we ... Views: 3854
BREAKING THE NEAR-IMPOSSIBLE CYCLE OF ADDICTION
by
Bill Cottringer
“In the course of history many more people have died for their drink and their dope than have died for their religion or their country.” ~Aldous Huxley.
A drop dead handsome, smart young man gets a good education and ... Views: 2899
What type of person grabs your attention and motivates you? Usually it’s a person who is very passionate about what he or she is doing. She’s on fire and her excitement floods the room she is in. When she talks something inside you gets stirred - the desire also to be passionate about something. ... Views: 2084
WE ARE “CREATED SELVES”
Shakespeare said it, “This above all; to thine own self be true”.
In a journey of life recovery, a transformation to a new and more abundant life, had not one of our real problems been true to our selves and selfishly so?
For me the answer to this was yes; but I know ... Views: 1093
Whether you’re stuck in alcoholism or drug addiction, there is a way to permanently overcome your addiction. I know you’ve tried and tried to stop, but end up relapsing again and again.
What will it take to finally get you over your addiction and into the abundant life? Here are three ... Views: 4062
Alcoholism is a problem that afflicts many people around the world. Unwittingly, you yourself may have an addiction to alcohol. People often misjudge what is an appropriate amount to drink. People who categorize themselves merely as social drinkers may in fact be heavy drinkers. People who think ... Views: 922
Alcohol addiction is a compulsive need for beer, wine, or hard liquors containing a chemical which consumes the mind and body. Alcohol addiction may be present when one is seen as sweating, nauseous, shaky, or mentally unstable when not able to obtain an intoxicating liquid substance. The more ... Views: 1073
Around the world millions of people are falling into the addiction of cigarettes. In cigarettes there are 599 ingredients, the most addictive being nicotine. Just in the smoke alone is over 4,000 chemicals, causing second hand smoke to be extremely harmful to the human body as well as the ... Views: 1089
Wouldn't you like to quit smoking today? Quitting smoking can be a difficult task, but you can definitely quit when you know what's expected, you need to find what motivates you, have the social support, and write down a personal plan that you can achieve. Stopping smoking requires determination ... Views: 883
APPLES and TREES
We often hear that the apple does not fall far from the tree. Did that ever come home to roost this week.
I received a phone call from my adult son late yesterday afternoon. In this economy, he has gone through a rough patch with employment even with an MBA and Chef ... Views: 1236
Addicts and bullies all have one thing in common, they believe something is wrong with them. This article explains the root cause of such activities and how addicts and bullies can begin to overcome the challenges they face.
According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, one in ... Views: 991
Addiction is not only an unhealthy habit, but it can also have adverse affects on one’s personality. When a person becomes addicted to a behavior or habit, he or she slowly undergoes a transformation in personality. To understand how addiction affects personality, it is important to first ... Views: 1738
When people think of addiction it is often associated with illicit drugs and alcohol. While this is true of many addicts, addiction comes in all shapes and sizes. In fact, according to addictions expert and school speaker Scott Gallagher, addiction can mean a number of things.
“The first ... Views: 719
One of the dangers associated with addiction is the potential for one addiction to evolve into another. According to school speaker and addictions expert Scott Gallagher, addiction presents itself in numerous ways, all of which are unhealthy.
As someone who has struggled with addiction for ... Views: 832
Giving up taking prescription narcotic pain relievers is not to be taken lightly. It is a soul-searching, can I do this mentality. The process is a long one; be ready to be ill for over a month. If you are working, it would be great if you could just take as much vacation, sick and personal time ... Views: 990
Alcoholism is a serious problem affecting nearly 18% of all Americans at some time in their lives. There are several factors which can make a person more susceptible to an addiction to alcohol. These include a family history of alcohol addiction, a personal history of mental illness, high levels ... Views: 801
Alcohol addiction is a serious problem that affects millions of people each year. It is important to recognize the warning signs of an addiction. Let's take a look at some of these signs and symptoms, and the steps necessary to stop the abuse of alcohol.
Alcohol is a part of many people's ... Views: 951
Some people think think that it won't happen to them or their family, but the problem is that addiction is just as common as anything else. A compulsive type of personality is easy to fall for a varied number of types of addictions without recognizing or even understanding what's going on with ... Views: 723
W hen I was a kid I couldn't understand how my alcoholic Mother could " do this to me".
I used to say " What kind of a Mother would treat her kids this way?" From the embarrassment of her being on the kitchen floor during a dinner party with her friends as my dad hissed at her "get up!" to ... Views: 749
My Mom is an alcoholic.
Words that were so hard for me to say out loud. It was forbidden to say it at home and the words seemed stuck. For years we pretended everything was great with our little perfect family. Dad made good money, they traveled, socialized every weekend, had nice cars and a ... Views: 3873
Codes of ethics and standards of practice are set forth by professional associations such as the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC). Such codes define principles of ethical behavior required by the profession. ... Views: 10320
When addictions expert Scott Gallagher visited as a school speaker, he asked teens he worked with to list their top “addictions”. Learn more about what they said and how Scott’s program helps kids eliminate and prevent addictions - everything from bullying to video games. More than that Scott ... Views: 1618
Recently a client asked me what Self-respect meant to me. She also shared her own definition and it got me thinking that my readers might benefit from considering this question and exploring their own definitions. Have a read of my off-the-cuff answer to my client and then please take a moment ... Views: 24336
Crystal Meth is simply methamphetamine, which is very popular among drug users. This is generally crystalline in structure, whose street names are "icy" and "cristy". This is a very addictive type of drug. Statistics have shown that 42 percent of those who have tried it for the first time feel ... Views: 2258
We are all addicted to some form of chemical released in our bodies. In may be a socially accepted addiction such as requiring praise in your life, approval from others or being part of a team. Some addictions would be labeled positive and some negative, but they are all addictions never the ... Views: 1278
1. Meth addiction is a complex but treatable disease that affects brain function and behavior. Drugs of abuse alter the brain’s structure and function, resulting in changes that persist long after drug use has ceased. This may explain why drug abusers are at risk for relapse even after long ... Views: 1577
Perhaps no drug has invited as much heated debate and ferocious argument as marijuana. Marijuana has been a source of fierce pro and against positions mainly because it is considered by many to be the least harmful of drugs; and whether or not marijuana addiction is an actual threat is debated ... Views: 2856
Question:
Addiction is defined as “the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, such as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.” What makes so many of us prone to addiction in its various ... Views: 746
When facing the loss of most of one’s structure in situations like vacation or business trips, relapsive thinking can return, even in established, stable recovery. The relapse thoughts can include some of the below, but this is not an all inclusive lists. When planning a vacation or business ... Views: 3807
Alcohol is a word that appears so much in our daily lives and culture that it is difficult for a non-alcoholic to imagine a life of alcohol addiction. Yet, no matter how much one may despise the term and the addiction, psychiatrists describe an alcoholic as one who exhibits any or all of these ... Views: 1892
Dick Cavett was quoted as saying "It is a rare person who wants to hear what he doesn't want to hear" and Oscar Wilde said "To love ones self is the beginning of a lifelong romance”. Emerson said "Where there is no vision, people perish".
I hit a point in my life where balance became a real ... Views: 1228
There are many reasons to stop taking psychiatric drugs. One reason is to restore the range of normal human emotions that allow us to experience life. Psychiatric drugs blunt emotional responses, creating a zombie-like effect. In handling grief and pain, we are able to process and understand ... Views: 1114
A child living at a meth lab is exposed to many dangers and to the ongoing effects of chemical contamination. The chemicals used to cook meth produce toxic fumes, vapors, and spills. A child living at a meth lab may inhale or swallow toxic substances or inhale the secondhand smoke of adults who ... Views: 3410
Opiate addiction is an insidious problem that has plagued society for centuries, but perhaps never more so than today. A two-edged sword, opiates can heal or destroy.
An opiate is any drug derived from the opium poppy plant. The main opiates are morphine, heroin, and codeine. Thebaine and ... Views: 2763
"Character isn't inherited. One builds it daily by the way one thinks and acts, thought by thought, action by action. If one lets fear or hate or anger take possession of the mind, they become self-forged chains." -- Helen Douglas
How do you feel about anger, in yourself and in others? How do ... Views: 1339