Addiction Treatment Blog by Addiction Experts » Author - MKW
Can a Specific Gene Lead to Depression?
There are a number of possibilities for someone to become depressed. Some believe it is hereditary, some believe it was brought on by a traumatic event; others even believe they were born with it. Regardless of the cause, scientists have been searching for a possible cause of depression. Time Magazine posted an article reveling a new study has confirmed that evidence of a particular gene involved in transporting serotonin, a brain chemical critical to mod, may … Read entire article »
Filed under: Conditions and Disorders, Latest News, Life, Recovery, research, Treatment
Willie Nelson Arrested for Pot Possession…Again
Willie Nelson, an American country singer-songwriter, author, poet, actor and activist, was arrested and charged with marijuana possession after six ounces was found aboard his tour bus in Texas. His bus was pulled over in Sierra Blanca, Texas at a boarder patrol checkpoint when the officer smelled pot. Nelson, along with three others were arrested on the spot. The El Paso Times reports that agents at a checkpoint searched his bus, called the Honeysuckle Rose … Read entire article »
Filed under: Celebrity, Drugs, Latest News
Holiday Tips for Dealing with the Family Alcoholic or Addict
Holidays are a joyous and memorable time, bringing families and friends together to celebrate. Of course, these holidays are also filled with food, parties, and alcohol. All the festivities can be a great time….unless there is an alcoholic/addict in our life. The holidays are a time to have the family together, which for most is desirable. And of course, everybody hopes, desires, and promises that everything will go as planned. But due to the dynamic characteristics … Read entire article »
Filed under: Addiction, Drugs, holidays, Life, Love and Relationships
Keith Richards’ Memoir
Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones guitarist and songwriter, recently came out with his new memoir, Life, one of the most interesting revelations about recovery that involves the role of music, his work and passion, in the rocker’s decision to give up heroin and cocaine. For much of his life, he used these drugs to fuel his work– many of the Stones’ greatest songs were written during the peak of Richards’s drug use. He still drinks copiously and smokes marijuana and cigarettes. Drugs had caused a number of problems in his life– he’d suffered the death of a child and the drug-related deaths of several friends and band makes, but when heroin threatened his ability to make music, he was finally willing to quit. Media accounts of drug problems rarely mention the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Addiction, Celebrity, Drugs, Latest News, Life, Recovery, Spirituality, Treatment
Old and Stoned
Imagine your grandmother or grandfather getting high…sounds crazy right? Well recently, accidental overdoses and pain-pill addiction in the over-50 crowd has sharply increased due to opiate medications coupled with liberalized pain-treatment policies. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has shown that between 1992 and 2008, the over 50 population being treated for addiction has doubled, from 102,700 to 231,170 — with these numbers being low estimates. Since an electronic tracking system for prescriptions is still in development, these statistics are outdated, always a couple years behind. Especially in recent years because tough economic times have traditionally shown to increase addiction rates. The despair of economic hardship leads people to medicate their pain with pills. Other SAMHSA finds confirm that: “The share of people in the addicted population who … Read entire article »
FDA Warns on Caffeinated Alcoholic Drinks
In October 2009, nine underage college students at Central Washington University were hospitalized after drinking Four Lokos, leading to a national controversy about caffeinated alcoholic beverages. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has posed these beverages as a “public health concern” and could be seized under federal law. The FDA has been performing a year-long study, which concluded that the caffeine added to the malt liquors was an “unsafe food additive.” These caffeinated alcoholic beverages mix as much as three cups of coffee with three cans of beer. A 23.5-ounce can of Four Lokos contains either 6 or 12 percent alcohol by volume, depending on state regulations. The caffeine in these beverages mask the effects of alcohol, leaving drinkers unaware of how intoxicated they are. It has been nicknamed “blackout … Read entire article »
Filed under: Latest News
The Mystery of Beer Goggles
So we’ve all heard of beer goggles, the phenomenon when alcohol makes someone who may not be attractive appear beautiful. I think I can assume that pretty much everyone, or at least any alcoholic, can say that they have been the victim of beer goggles. Alcohol reduces our inhibitions, dulling our ability to make clear choices. Along with this, it distorts our ability to recognize asymmetrical faces. It has been established in previous research that those with symmetrical faces are preferred and found more attractive. To find if alcohol actually interferes with the ability to distinguish faces, Lewis Halset of Roehampton University in London and his colleagues designed an experiment involving images of faces that were tinkered with to make them perfectly symmetrical or subtly asymmetrical. The participants were university student … Read entire article »
Filed under: Latest News, Life
Washington State Enforces New Rules for Prescribing Painkillers
The New York Times is reporting that Washington State is apparently the first in the country to develop regulations to prevent doctors from prescribing dangerously high doses of painkillers. NYT writes, “The effort, in Washington State, represents the most sweeping attempt yet to stem what some experts see as the excessive use of prescribed narcotics, and it is being closely watched by medical professionals elsewhere. Among other things, Washington would apparently become the first state that would require a doctor to refer patients on escalating doses of pain killers for evaluation if they were not improving.” In Washington, prescription drug overdoses have become an epidemic, surpassing motor vehicle crashes among people ages 35-45. Experts in pain treatment and drug abuse prevention say the growing use of long-acting pain killers like OxyCotin, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Addiction, Drugs, Latest News
Pro-Anorexia Pretzel Ad Under Fire
A recent poster spotted around New York City has been branded by the eating disorder association as the pro-anorexia pretzel. The slogan “You Can Never Be Too Thin” has sparked a national outrage leading many to graffiti add-ons such as “Actually you can” as well as other X-rated comments. Pretzel Crisps, the company advertising these ideas, has responded to the controversy, saying, “We in no way advocate unhealthy weight loss or want to promote a bad body image. We appreciate your feedback and apologize if the ad offended people. We are listening to feedback and making some adjustments to the campaign.” They did change the slogan, but with another dubious slogan: “Tastes as good as skinny feels.” Although they took action to change the slogan, they seem to have misunderstood that these … Read entire article »
Filed under: Conditions and Disorders, Eating disorders, Latest News
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