Addiction | Substance Use Disorders | Treatment
New Research Findings on Adverse Childhood Experiences and Brain Development
The connection between adverse childhood experiences and brain development and of that connection on a person developing a substance misuse problem is the result of brain research of the past 10-15 years. Jane Stevens reported in her article, “Traumatic Childhood Takes 20 Years Off Life Expectancy,” published today by Lawrence Journal World and News, the…
Read MoreSPECT Scans Showing the Brain Can Change When Substance Abuse is Stopped
SPECT scans are the result of new technology. In the case of understanding and treating substance abuse and/or addiction, they can be of particular help in providing the “visual” evidence (in conjunction with a complete clinical evaluation, of course) of what alcohol abuse, drug abuse and/or addiction does to the brain’s ability to function. In…
Read MoreSPECT Scans Showing Impact of Alcohol Abuse on the Brain
This post was originally published in 2009. A lot has changed since then, so I’m sharing the link to the Amen Clinics’ (the providers of the SPECT Scans I originally used in this post) website section, “Drugs and Alcohol Addictions.” There you will find examples of their scans and information on how/why they do them…
Read MoreAlcohol Abuse is the Bigger Problem
There’s a range of drinking patterns – use, abuse, dependence (alcoholism) – and it’s alcohol abuse that is the biggest problem. Following the various articles and blogs that contain my google keywords: drunk driving, alcohol, underage drinking, alcohol abuse, alcohol research, alcohol and the brain, codependency, etc., brings me so may tragic stories of what…
Read MoreImpacts on Children of Growing Up With Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Impacts on children of growing up with alcohol abuse and alcoholism can be life-changing. It can actually change the wiring of a child’s brain (neural circuitry) and thereby change how that child views and copes with the world. These brain changers are primarily related to the impacts on the developing brain of the verbal, physical…
Read MoreEverybody Drinks
Everybody drinks – time and again, you hear students and adults say something like, “It’s normal. All kids drink.” And, often, researchers (myself included) focus on how many young people are drinking. The 2002 to 2006 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, for example, found that in 2006 almost one in five people aged…
Read MoreMrs. Marty Mann – Helping Alcoholics
Mrs. Marty Mann – the first woman member of AA – dedicated her life to helping alcoholics. As I mentioned in a previous post, I am reading an excellent biography on Mrs. Marty Mann, written by Sally Brown and David R. Brown, titled Mrs. Marty Mann, The First Lady of Alcoholics Anonymous. This a fascinating…
Read MoreMrs. Marty Mann – First Woman to Join AA
A biography of Marty Mann – one of the first woman to join AA and a heroine in the fight to de-stigmatize the disease of alcoholism. I’m reading a great book by Sally Brown and David R. Brown – A Biography of Mrs. Marty Mann, The First Lady of Alcoholics Anonymous. Not only is it…
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