The holiday season is stressful for many people. It can be especially stressful for someone recovering from addiction. In addition to the stress of travel, buying presents, and dealing with family, there are often holiday parties and gatherings with lots of alcohol. The holiday season is full of triggers for someone trying to stay sober.…
Bipolar disorder is characterized by periods of depression alternating with periods of elevated mood, sometimes mania that requires hospitalization. Each of these periods may last weeks or months and may change without warning. Someone can be so depressed she can hardly get out of bed and a few days later she may have a lot…
When we think of depression, we typically think of prolonged sadness, lethargy, disturbed sleep, and suicidal thoughts. However, depression has effects beyond your energy level and mood. One of these effects is that depressed people have a harder time making good decisions. Interestingly, antidepressants don’t appear to improve decision making even when they improve mood.…
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a condition caused by a traumatic event such as abuse, assault, an accident, a natural disaster, combat stress, or the unexpected death of a loved one. People suffering from PTSD often become tense, irritable, or jumpy and prone to angry outbursts. They may re-experience the trauma through flashbacks or nightmares. They…
One reason it’s so hard to quit alcohol is that it’s so readily available. Most Americans drink at least occasionally and there are many occasions when it’s expected. When quitting other substances, it’s typically a good idea to distance yourself from people who still use them, but with alcohol, that’s often not practical, or even…
Smoking kills about 480,000 Americans every year. It’s a major factor in lung cancer, heart disease, and respiratory infections. Fortunately, the rate of smoking in the US has dropped significantly over the past 50 years and fewer people than ever are smoking. This is especially true of young people. However, there is now a new…
Depression is a condition that affects the whole person. It affects the way you think, the way you feel, and your physical health. We’ve known for a while that food and mood are closely linked, but a recent review of more than 40 studies has found strong evidence that eating poorly can actually cause depression.…
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a condition characterized by flashbacks, avoidance, anxiety, disturbed sleep, nightmares, memory impairment, and excessive feelings of guilt following a traumatic event. The traumatic event could be combat in war, a natural disaster, a sexual assault, a robbery, an accident, or the unexpected death of a loved one. Studies show…
Loneliness is bad for your health. Frequently feeling lonely can raise your levels of the stress hormones, cortisol and norepinephrine. This has a number of negative effects on your health. It increases blood pressure, putting you at higher risk for heart disease, it impairs your immune system, leading to more frequent illnesses, and it increases…
Generally speaking, everyone is different and everyone has different needs in addiction treatment and recovery. However, there are significant differences in between what men and women need from treatment and recovery. While any treatment is better than no treatment, a program that recognizes and adapts to these differences will have a better chance of success.…
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