Category: addictions

food addiction: another case of “duh” science

ok, time for another rant. looks like i can’t speak gently on this. sorry, buddha. this article in UStoday had me alternatively laughing out loud, rolling my eyes and frowning. obesity has long been blamed on weak willpower, overeating, genetics and lack of exercise. now scientists increasingly are seeing signs that suggest there may be… Continue reading food addiction: another case of “duh” science

adult children of alcoholics

researchers at the boston university school of social work found that while parental alcoholism can serve as an indicator of long-term harm to children, contrary to common beliefs it is not a direct cause. “the study shows that a positive family environment may be able to overcome very negative childhood experiences.” said lead author margaret… Continue reading adult children of alcoholics

chronic pain: help is there but …

i just came across a petition regarding the use of narcotics for people with chronic pain that i drafted for the canadian RSD network ten years ago. looks like things haven’t changed much. even all the links are still alive. skip baker’s story is particularly chilling. here is the petition: dear ………: we are people… Continue reading chronic pain: help is there but …

carnival of eating disorders #8

welcome to this month’s edition of the carnival of eating disorders! what are blog carnivals? they are like a readers digest of articles on just about any topic under the sun. imagine this one as a parade of blog posts – all about eating disorders. anorexia in the media at are you eating with your… Continue reading carnival of eating disorders #8

it’s hard to change a decision habit

in 2004, tilmann betsch, a german psychologist, and his colleagues assessed how intentions to deviate from habitual decisions were influenced by time pressure. it turned out that the more severe the time pressure, the more the research participants tended to maintain a routine when they re-encountered the same problem, even when they had earlier intended… Continue reading it’s hard to change a decision habit

carnival of eating disorders #7 (part 1)

welcome to the 7th carnival of eating disorders! this round, i’m trying something new. i’ll discuss the articles in a little more detail and break them up over two days. let me know how you like that! today we’ll talk about the topic of addictions and habits (or lack of them). corn products at the… Continue reading carnival of eating disorders #7 (part 1)

treating alcohol addiction

according to medicine.net, there is more and more agreement that alcohol abuse occurs on a continuum. it needs to be treated accordingly; traditional methods of helping alcoholics work for less than half of them. project MATCH, a project involving over 80 therapists, is now looking at ways to match patient preferences with different kinds of… Continue reading treating alcohol addiction

14 ways to quit smoking

one of my favourite magazines is visions, BC’s mental health and addictions journal. it always has a great cross-section of mental health “consumers” (isn’t that a strange term?) and professionals writing about issues that directly impact people with mental health concerns: from those who are living with schizophrenia, to parents of youth battling with bipolar… Continue reading 14 ways to quit smoking