Prevention | Intervention
Chronic Pain Maps in the Brain – Implications for Pain Medication Addiction
One of the most surprising, “ah-ha,” “no wonder this happened” findings of my 12+ years research has been the fact that the brain controls EVERYTHING we think, feel, say and do – everything! This means chronic pain is “felt” in the brain. I wrote about this concept in my August 29, 2014 article, “Chronic Pain and Opioid Addiction,”…
Read MoreAlcohol Awareness Month – Information and Help for the 90 Million Americans Affected by Someone’s Alcohol Misuse
I’m using Alcohol Awareness Month to share information and help for the 90 million Americans affected by a loved one’s alcohol misuse. 90 million. These are the moms, dads, husbands, wives, children, grandchildren, brothers, sister, grandparents, boyfriends, girlfriends and close friends who are affected by a loved one’s drinking behaviors; in other words, the people affected…
Read MoreSecondhand Drinking IS Childhood Trauma
There’s been a great deal of new research about the role childhood trauma plays in changing the neural network wiring of a child’s developing brain. I think Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris does one of the best jobs explaining (in 15 minutes!), “Childhood trauma isn’t something you just get over as you grow up … the repeated stress…
Read MoreSober Child With an Addicted Sibling
All too often… all too often, the sober child with an addicted sibling feels invisible, unimportant. And often, they are invisible – sort of, anyway – as their frantic, overwhelmed parent(s) asks or sends silent messages, to “be good,” “don’t cause any more trouble,” “help out with the _______,” etc. And when that sober child tries…
Read MoreMy Addicted Child – Author Larry Fritzlan
For the last twenty years, today’s guest, author Larry Fritzlan, has witnessed the transformative power of individuals and families in recovery. His passion is to help teens and young adults escape from the downward spiral of addiction, stemming in large part from his work as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and his belief…
Read MoreHolidays With a Loved One Who Drinks Too Much
Holidays with a loved one who drinks too much? Are you prepared? For the families of a loved one who drinks too much, holidays can be fraught with angst, worry and fear about what’s going to happen this year. They worry about how to keep him (or her) from drinking too much, keep his sister from…
Read MoreHow Prescription Pain Meds Can Destroy Lives – SLLiP Film
Wow… after watching the trailer (below) for SLLiP (Pills spelled backwards), I immediately wanted to watch the full 25-minute film. And I was not disappointed. It’s powerful, accurate, thought-provoking and enlightening. It’s outstanding because it captures addiction for what it is – a developmental, chronic, often relapsing brain disease; it captures what can happen when prescription…
Read MoreZero Drinking to Prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder | FASD – American Academy of Pediatrics
I was deeply troubled by the push back to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation that women abstain from drinking alcohol during pregnancy to prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. [See American Academy of Pediatrics’ Clinical Report on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) published online 10-19-15]. The push back was the topic of Nancy Shute’s October 26,…
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