There are any number of reasons why people use and end up becoming addicted to alcohol and other drugs: to change the way they feel—for euphoria, sedation, and anesthesia; to self-medicate depression, anxiety, insomnia, boredom, and lack of pleasure. To treat addiction, you have to understand what it is, how people become addicted, and work…
DetailsMerriam-webster defines addiction as “a compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal” or in a broader definition, “the persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful.” Historically, addiction has been defined as physical…
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The CASA Columbia report reveals that addiction and risky use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs constitute the largest preventable and most costly health problems facing the US today, responsible for more than 20 percent of deaths in the US, causing or contributing to more than seventy other conditions requiring medical care and a wide…
DetailsThe CASA Columbia report found that while almost half of Americans say they would go to their healthcare providers if someone close to them needed help for addiction, less than 6 percent of all referrals to addiction treatment come from health professionals. The report also found no clearly delineated, consistent, and regulated national standards that…
DetailsForty million Americans ages twelve and older have an addiction involving nicotine, alcohol, or other drugs, making addiction a disease affecting more Americans than heart conditions, diabetes, or cancer, according to a five-year national study released June 2012 by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA Columbia). Another 80 million…
DetailsThe following is an excerpt from the final chapter of “Finding a Purpose in the Pain” by James L. Fenley, Jr., MD”. “He that can have patience can have what he will.” —Benjamin Franklin There are three ultimate keys to the work I do and to finding a purpose in the pain: Patience Relief Peace…
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10 Positive Purposes of Emotional Pain The following is an excerpt from the final chapter of Finding a Purpose in the Pain by James L. Fenley, Jr., MD. I became increasingly aware of addicts who presented to treatment in a great deal of distress, and during the course of their stay never seemed to connect…
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Before we review the five basic childhood roles in depth, there is another list that is important to mention, and that is Claudia Black’s Three Golden Rules for Adult Children of Alcoholics: 1. Don’t Talk. (If I don’t talk, I don’t get yelled at, ignored, hit, etc.) The child is also reminded to keep the…
DetailsAt the heart of understanding the disease of addiction as a family illness is an understanding of the relationship between the addict and chief enabler. What is meant by the term chief enabler? The chief enabler is the person who is most responsible for cushioning the fall, rescuing the addict or bailing him or her…
DetailsIn the mid-1980s, alcohol and drug addiction treatment centers were almost exclusively twelve step oriented, and psychiatry had little or nothing to do with twelve-step recovery. This was easily seen at conferences, such SECAD in the early 1990s. We had to be very careful with selection of speakers and topics so as not to offend…
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