The Case for Recognizing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a Purple Heart Injury Receiving a Purple Heart in recognition of a veteran’s bravery and sacrifice is a cherished honor among military families. Traditionally given out by the Pentagon in the name of the sitting president, Purple Hearts formally recognize the physical injuries and sacrifices an […]
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: 3 Reasons You Can’t Ignore Trauma When you face difficult times, you have two options: work through the difficulty you’ve encountered or try to avoid it. For many who have lived through a traumatic experience, going around or burying traumatic memories can feel like the only feasible […]
Six Ways to Maintain Your Sobriety at a Thanksgiving Celebration I first tried to quit drinking on November 11, 1995. By Thanksgiving of that year, I was clean, but I was scared to death of facing a holiday dinner without a drink. I remember standing by the bar in my grandmother’s house, downing Diet Coke […]
Yale researchers have pinpointed a different brain response between male and female smokers by analyzing dynamic brain scans. This study marks the first time that PET (positron emission tomography) scans were used to create “movies” of how smoking affects dopamine, the neurotransmitter that triggers feelings of pleasure in the brain. This could lead to developments […]
With ongoing criticism that public health may be harmed because too many trial results remain hidden away, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has proposed new rules that require researchers in industry and academia to post findings of all studies funded by the federal government on a publicly available website. In a bid […]
I have a very specific agenda when it comes to addiction treatment research. I believe that any therapy or medication which shows promise in treating addiction should be tested for efficacy and safety. At present, many such treatments are not tested because they do not have the potential to make anyone a great deal of […]
The chemical methamphetamine hydrochloride is generally simply known as methamphetamine. Common street names for methamphetamine include crank, speed, meth, crystal meth, ice and crystal tea. It has been a popular drug of abuse for many years in its conventional, powdered form, which is usually snorted or injected. Methamphetamine differs from amphetamine in that, at comparable […]
Binge drinking is defined as consuming at least four drinks for women and five drinks for men in a single drinking session, at least once every 14 days on average. New research suggests that binge drinking at college is associated with high status and these drinkers are happier with their college social experience than their […]
South Africa, a giant in the global drug trade, is at breaking point with the number of child addicts reaching an all-time high. Research has found that substance abuse in South Africa is double that of the global average and ranked in the top 10 countries concerning the amount of alcohol being consumed each year. […]
This past week, I presented a paper at the 2nd Canadian Conference on Positive Psychology. The paper was titled, “From Despondency to Hope: Ending Addiction for Good Using a Positive Psychological Approach.” Positive Psychology is a relatively new field of psychological research and intervention. The University of Pennsylvania describes positive psychology in this way: […]