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Archive for April, 2009

Harold’s Blog: The Power of the Pen

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

journalingWhen it comes to true recovery, it’s important to write it all down.

It’s one thing to take a searching moral inventory, it’s another thing to commit those negative traits and past mistakes to paper. There’s something about writing something down that makes it so real, so permanent.

I had fear of putting certain things on paper where someone could discover those secrets I’d protected for so long. It was only when my pain became great enough that surrender became easier. Eventually, everyone struggling with an addiction is either going to fight to the bitter end or pick up the tools. I chose to pick up the tools.
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Smoking for Two

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

stopsmokingNew study shows link between prenatal smoking and behavior problems in children and teens.

Are some kids just born bad? Not necessarily, but researchers have found links that contribute to the development of disruptive children and rebellious teens.

“That prenatal exposure to smoking combined with a specific genetic variant places children at greatest risk for behavioral problems,” according to a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Quoting a NIDA press release on March 4, 2009: “These findings illuminate how the interaction between genes and the environment can mold behavioral patterns very early in development,” says NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow. “This research provides a foundation for studies of the impact of these interactions on brain development during pregnancy.”
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At Home with Prescription Drugs

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

Teen in medicine cabinetTeens trade street drugs for what they can find in the bathroom medicine cabinet.

It’s not the street corner but the bathroom down the hall where many teens are picking up some of their favorite drugs today.

Prescription drugs have become the second most popular drug after marijuana among 12- to 17-year-olds, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA). What’s worse, the drugs are often taken in high volume or in conjunction with alcohol to achieve the desired high. Painkillers such as OxyContin and Vicodin are among the most popular choices.

“Over 45 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds who abuse prescription pain relievers get them for free from a friend or relative,” SAMSHA says. Another 11 percent of these teens buy them from friends or relatives, and an additional 10 percent take them from friends or relatives without asking.” (more…)

Alcohol and Gum Disease

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

dentist working on teethResearchers find a link between heavy drinking and this growing health problem.

We’ve all heard the warnings about gum disease: It can be a precursor to heart disease, lung disease and diabetes. So you brush and floss, but what else can you do to keep your mouth healthy? Cut down on your alcohol consumption.

For the first time, researchers have proven a connection between heavy alcohol consumption and an increase in the risk of developing gum disease. Oral biologists at the University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine found the link. (The also found that a diet low in antioxidant vitamins puts you at risk, too.)
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Harold’s Blog: No Room for Resentment

Monday, April 20th, 2009

no-room-for-resentment-w200Hanging on to past hurts only hurts you and your chances of experiencing true recovery.

All of us have a handful of real resentments that we hang on to. The key to letting them go is to look at who we’re angry at, why we’re angry and how it’s affecting us. Then there’s the hardest question to answer: What part did we play in it?

For addicts, we like to blame everything on the alcohol. Cheating, lying, fighting, stealing … blame it on the alcohol. I would do things when I was drinking that I would never do sober. I may have had the same desires before I took a drink, but the alcohol allowed me to act on them.
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Chemicals In the Clubs

Friday, April 17th, 2009

clubdrugTeens and young adults use dangerous drugs to enhance a night on the town.

For teens and young adults, a night on the town takes on dangerous new meaning with the ongoing popularity of “club drugs.” Used to enhance all-night partying at raves, trances, bars, concerts and nightclubs, these varied drugs can have long-lasting effects and become lethal when mixed with alcohol.

According to The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “club drugs” most often include: gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), Rohypnol, ketamine, MDMA (ecstasy) and methamphetamine. The tasteless and odorless GHB and Rohypnol are also used to aid in sexual assault and date rape.
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Alcohol and Cancer

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

alcoholic drinksJust one or two drinks can increase your cancer risk or make an existing tumor grow faster.

We all know drinking to excess is bad for us. Now there’s a reason to cut out alcohol consumption altogether: It may cause tumors to grow faster. According to a report in Medical News Today, cardiovascular physiologist Dr. Jian-Wei Gu found the connection completely by accident.
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Recovery With a Guarantee

Monday, April 13th, 2009

ribbonLa Paloma assures your success – or you’re welcome back for free.
They say there are no guarantees in life, but at La Paloma Treatment Center we’re so sure of what we have to offer that your success is guaranteed.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we promise you a life free of addiction issues (no one can do that), but we offer a limited guarantee that entitles anyone who participates in our residential program for 90 days and then engages in the Intensive Case Management program for a year to return to treatment free if they relapse.
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Noah’s Notes: Lightening the Load

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

CucumbersNoted philosopher Noah benShea shares a personal story about how caring for others impacts the burdens we carry.

Doctors say there is enough salt in one pickle to give us all the sodium we need for a year. I’d like more years, and so I consume fewer pickles. But this is a story I still gnaw on over the years. It is a story my father’s mother told over and over. And over and over. When I was younger I thought this was just the malaise of her advancing age. But it wasn’t. She was simply hoping we were listening.

The story goes that two or three times every year in the midsummer, my grandmother, and other ladies in the neighborhood, would gather at one of their homes to pack pickles. They each brought a bushel of cucumbers, dill, salt, bay leaves, jars, and their troubles.
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Heroin: Dangerously Hip?

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

heroin girlHeroin use has spiked among teens as the dangerous drug becomes trendy again.

The saying “what goes around comes around.” It’s true for fashion and other trends. Sadly, it’s also true when it comes to drug use. Heroin got a big boost in the early ‘90s as a staple in Seattle’s grunge scene. Most famous among the drug’s users was Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, who lost his battle with heroin addiction after checking himself out of a California rehab facility and returning home to commit suicide.

A New Generation of Heroin Users

Despite that cautionary tale, a new generation of young people, many of them still in their teens, are turning to heroin to get high. (more…)

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