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Archive for May, 2009

Ten Tips for Tough Times

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

serenityNoah benShea, noted philosopher offers inspirational ideas for moving through difficulties.

1. Being broke is not the same as being broken, losing money is not the same as being lost, and finding your balance is not something you can do on a balance sheet.

2. Don’t confuse having less with being less, having more with being more, or what you have with who you are.
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Infidelity in a New Age

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

infidelityThe Internet has ushered in new ways to cheat and left us looking for new ways to define just what cheating is.

Technology has changed our world irrevocably. It’s also changed our definition of infidelity. It used to be that sexual contact with another partner was what we considered cheating. Now, the Internet has opened up a new world of porn, webcams and sexually-charged chatting. It’s made it necessary to redefine just what constitutes cheating. Does going to a strip club count? Looking at pictures? Exchanging fantasies online? Or does physical contact have to take place in order for it to be considered cheating?
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Harold’s Blog: Ego Has to Go

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

egoblogThere’s no room for ego in the recovery process.

Learning to leave your ego at the door is the step in recovery that separates the men from the boys. I like to think of ego as standing for “Edging God Out.” But it wasn’t easy for me.

I was an egomaniac with an inferiority complex. I could talk the talk, I never backed down from a fight, but I was also so fearful. I would only wear certain clothes because I wanted people to see me in a certain way. Ego played such a tremendous part in my life as an alcoholic.
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Snorting Danger

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

hcv_w2001New study shows that Hepatitis-C virus may be transmitted through the noses of drug users.

For someone who snorts their drugs, the main safety concern has been the drugs themselves, but it turns out there’s a new danger. For up to 20 percent of people contracting the Hepatitis-C virus, the method of transmission has been unknown, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Now researchers believe that contaminated drug-sniffing implements may be the culprits for infecting a number of drug users.

The Infectious Research

The NIDA helped fund a trial that tested the hypothesis of nasal contraction of HCV. Investigators took samples of mucus and of straws used in typical drug use from 38 intranasal drug users with HCV infection. Blood was detected “in 74 percent of mucus samples and on eight percent of the straws used for sniffing. In addition, they detected HCV in 13 percent of mucus samples and on five percent of the straws. Only eight percent of the samples contained both HCV and trace amounts of blood.” (more…)

Sex Addicts and Celibacy

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

Smiling couple portrait.While treatment is important for those with sexual addictions, in this case abstinence is not the goal.

Overcoming addiction usually means sobriety. But for recovering sex addicts, sobriety rarely means celibacy as the long-term goal.

Sex addiction occurs when sexual behavior is compulsive and uncontrollable, and when it continues despite negative consequences and damage to relationships, others and the addict. This includes excessive engagement with cybersex, pornography, prostitution, sex with minors, unhealthy sexual activities, masturbation, S&M or other similar sexual behaviors.
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Can Video Games Kill?

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

videogameVideo game addiction continues to rise, and in some cases, it can even be deadly.

Around the world, boys and girls, men and women are staring at computer and television screens, holding various “controllers” in their hands, and experiencing alternate worlds through alternative personalities.

With “gaming” going mainstream on the international scene, video game addiction has been on the rise. “It’s a clinical impulse control disorder,” an addiction in the same sense as compulsive gambling, says Kimberly Young, PsyD, on WebMD.
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Searching for a Bargain High

Friday, May 8th, 2009

heroinWhile heroin may be cheaper than beer, this inexpensive high ultimately has a very large price tag.

Everyone is looking for ways to save these days. Clipping coupons, packing your lunch, buying in bulk, watching the sales and checking out local consignments stores are all great ways to stretch a dollar. This new trend toward thriftiness is having some negative effects, though, when it comes to drug use.

Those in search of a cheap “high” are bypassing alcohol and other legal substances for street drugs that are selling at bargain prices.

A Cheap Heroin High

A single dose of heroin can be cheaper than a six-pack of beer and provide a much more intense high, a fact that isn’t lost on young people eager to experiment. Of course, unlike beer, heroin doesn’t come with a label listing the ingredients and there’s no FDA oversight so you’re never quite sure what you’re getting. Purity can range widely and that fluctuation alone can be deadly. For teens and twentysomethings who think they’re invincible, warnings don’t do much to scare them away.
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Harold’s Blog: Take the Good With the Bad

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

goodandbadWhen you take that moral inventory, don’t forget to include what’s good about you.

In any 12-step group, part of the recovery process includes taking a searching moral inventory of ourselves. That’s a scary thought for most of us. Addiction has made all of us do things we’re not proud of, and so often we beat ourselves up over the past. But before you get too busy focusing on all your downfalls, don’t forget to factor in your good traits, too.

It is important to take an honest look at ourselves – both the good and the bad. The things we don’t own up to or deal with are only going to hurt our chances of staying sober. But it’s important to remember we’re so much more than our mistakes. We all have a place here, and the process of recovery isn’t meant to destroy us. Instead, it allows us to discover who we are and why we do what we do.
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Treatment Alumni

Monday, May 4th, 2009

alumniYou’ve graduated from your program. Now what? Plug into recovery resources.

When you complete residential treatment for an addiction there is a well-deserved sense of accomplishment, but the journey is far from over. You may have graduated from full-time treatment, but instead of throwing a tasseled cap into the air, your focus should be on plugging into an “alumni association.”

Post Recovery Options

Some who are new in recovery opt for a sober living house, a place where they can ease back into the “real” world and try out their new freedoms in a regulated environment. For others with jobs or young children waiting, this isn’t an option, but they can still find community in a variety of ways. (more…)

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