Woman loses 2 sons in one night to opioids
The day Savage is describing is June 14, 2015. Her two oldest sons, Nick and Jack, were celebrating at high school graduation parties the night before. The boys came home about 12:30 a.m. and checked in with their mom, who had been waiting up.
Opinion | Needed: Power Addiction Rehab
“It seems clear to me that our society needs to address the abuse of power wherever we see it, and it’s everywhere.”
We’re Bad at Evaluating Risk. How Doctors Can Help.
My patient and I were locked in a game of decision-making hot potato. “What would you do, Doc?” he said. We’d been discussing whether he should get screened for prostate cancer. Such questions trouble most doctors.
Changing minds: Glenn Close’s personal battle to destigmatize mental illness
When it comes to CHANGING MINDS about mental illness, and ending its stigma, few people are more motivated than actress Glenn Close. She’s been talking to Tracy Smith: Glenn Close’s character in “Fatal Attraction” is one of her most memorable roles — and is considered one of the great villains of the 20th century.
How busy hands can alter our brain chemistry
“Admiring your own handiwork” is a familiar expression containing an important truth about the mind. We handed this particular story to our Tony Dokoupil: Are you the kind of person who actually likes washing dishes? How about folding laundry? Yardwork? What all these have in common, of course, is they occupy our hands.
How to Make Work Better
Want to make a workplace where people actually want to work? There are concrete, evidence-based things every worker can do to help workplaces be places with a shared sense of purpose and work ethic.
America is on a binge — 17.5 billion drinks worth: Study
Excessive drinking can kill you — and claims the lives of an estimated 88,000 Americans per year, according to a first-of-its-kind study. That’s 1 in 10 deaths in working-age adults — and more than half are related to binge drinking. If you find this sobering, keep reading.
I’m the Girl Who Clawed Her Own Eyes Out. This Is My Story.
Just over a month ago, I could see. Or maybe I should put it this way: I had both my eyes, but they didn’t help me notice how dangerous my life had become. Then, on February 6, my world went black.
Does Recovery Kill Great Writing?
If I had to say where my drinking began – which first time began it – I might say it started with my first blackout, or maybe the first time I sought blackout: the first time I wanted nothing more than to be absent from my own life.
This Study May Find That Moderate Drinking Is Healthy. The Alcohol Industry Was Asked to Pay for It.
“This must have seemed like a dream come true for industry. Of course they would pay for it,” he said. “They’re admitting the trial is designed to provide a justification for moderate drinking. That’s not objective science.” Asked about the meetings, Dr. Mukamal did not deny he had participated, but said the slides did not convey the full complexity of his presentation.
Being a Sober Parent in a Wine Mom Culture
“Mommy wine culture is just another way some moms are coping with the pressures of parenthood – alone and without much social support beyond acknowledging that parenting is hard,” said a mother who asked to be identified as Amina S. because she participates in a 12-step program that calls for anonymity.
Catastrophic lack of sleep killing us – expert | Cape Times
A “catastrophic sleep-loss epidemic” is causing a host of potentially fatal diseases, a leading expert says. In an interview with the Guardian, Professor Matthew Walker, director of the Centre for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley, said that sleep deprivation affected “every aspect of our biology” and was widespread in modern society.
How to Build Resilience in Midlife
Last year Dr. Dennis Charney, a resilience researcher and dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, was leaving a deli when he was shot by a disgruntled former employee. Dr. Charney spent five days in intensive care and faced a challenging recovery.
It’s the age old question: I’m on antidepressants; can I still drink?
The 12 Things Your Gay Friends Don’t Want You To Know About Our New Epidemic, Crystal Meth
1. In one major study, 25% of gay men admitted to using the drug at least once. So if you know 4 gay men, one’s probably used and might still be using today. 2. Meth can be instantly addictive, like crack.
Avoid the Pathways to Psychic Pain
David Foster Wallace had a cavity. He’d never had one before-but now the dentist who’d always praised him for his pristine teeth was telling the 14-year-old boy that he was not invulnerable. “I remember him . . . being stunned and disgusted,” recalled his sister Amy Wallace.
Hard to imagine where we would be today had the blinders-on policy of the Reagan administration actually been something based on science, research, and statistics. Just say ‘no’ was a failure of epic proportions. Like all those who died of AIDS under the Reagan watch, thousands lost their battle with addiction either through death or incarceration. It’s about time we made up for lost time and got with the program.
Obama: Addiction is a preventable disease
“Regardless how individuals get into theses situations. We don’t know everything. There may be genetic components. Addictions may be different for different people. What we do know is there are steps that can be taken to get through addiction and get to the other side, and that is under-resourced.”
I am currently loving the place I find myself in recovery, safely cocooned between two beliefs: faith and science. Of course science, by definition, is supposed to be more than faith, but time and time again we find research that negates other research, so how are we supposed to believe that? Well, faith, I guess. I know my issues are far more than behavioral, social flaws. But even when ‘the program’ allows for the disease model of addiction, some people insist it’s all a matter of faith. Or of just not picking up that drink. I’ve come to believe that. But only because I have removed my ability to get high or drunk. Literally. No cash, no credit cards, full transparency with my loved one. Otherwise, until my brain reprograms itself with the help of time, behavior modification, and chemistry (medication), I would likely still be taking risks even when I desperately don’t want to. A great read.
Risky Rats Help Shine Light on Brain Circuitry Behind Taking a Chance
When people make risky decisions, like doubling down in blackjack or investing in volatile stocks, what happens in the brain? Scientists have long tried to understand what makes some people risk-averse and others risk-taking. Answers could have implications for how to treat, curb or prevent destructively risky behavior, like pathological gambling or drug addiction.
I used to struggle with doubt every time I posted a video of me singing on Facecrack not because I care what others think of my singing (they’re all first takes with me accompanying myself, not an easy thing for me to do like rubbing my belly and tapping my head!) but because I questioned my own reasoning for doing so. Do I really need external validation so badly? Perhaps reasons for doing it chance with each video, but as I become more and more clear in my path of recovery, one reason always rises to the top: IT FEELS GOOD! DOH! And it doesn’t take rocket science for me to understand the extent to which my braincells are firing when I do it. So I say, sing, sing a long, sing a song!
Singing show tunes helps fight off dementia: study
The hills are alive with the sound of music, which could help people with Alzheimer’s stave off the effects of the debilitating disease. A study by U.S. scientists has shown that the brain function of those suffering from dementia can be improved if they belt out their favorite show tunes.