April 19, 2018
How to Keep Cravings from Ruining Your Recovery
Fighting cravings is perhaps the biggest challenge in recovery. A craving is no mere desire. It’s the feeling that you must have something. At first, cravings are triggered by the pain of withdrawal. During detox, you know you only need to use again and the pain will stop. Later on, cravings are triggered by anything you associate with drugs or alcohol.
April 18, 2018
What Causes Cravings?
Cravings are one of the biggest challenges of recovery. A craving is the feeling that you absolutely must use or you will go crazy. Even if you know rationally that using would be bad, that you don’t need to use, and you really shouldn’t use, you still obsess over using again. What makes you stubbornly refuse to submit to your own best judgement?
April 17, 2018
Can Naltrexone Help with Alcohol Addiction?
Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist. That means it binds to opioid receptors in the brain and prevents opioid drugs from relieving pain or causing euphoria. It binds so strongly that if you take naltrexone while there are opioids in your system, you will immediately go into withdrawal.
April 16, 2018
Experiencing Survivor’s Guilt in Recovery
Survivor’s guilt is a pitfall many people face in recovery. If you decide to get help, you still likely have friends and acquaintances who still use. If you get sober, you will likely become friends with others in recovery. Statistically, some of these people are likely to relapse, possibly with tragic results. It’s not uncommon for people in recovery to have to deal with survivor’s guilt.
March 30, 2018
Tricks Casinos Use to Get Your Money
Gambling addiction is a serious problem. People who normally responsible get into all sorts of financial, and sometimes, legal trouble when their gambling gets out of control. In recent years, researchers have discovered that gambling addiction is similar to drug addiction in several significant ways. The most important is probably the dopamine produced in the brain when you gamble. It functions in much the same way as, say cocaine.
March 29, 2018
What Are the Dangers of Video Game Addiction?
For most people, video games are a harmless diversion. They play for an hour to two when they don’t have anything else to do or to relax at the end of the day. As with anything though, spending too much time playing video games can negatively affect your life.
March 28, 2018
4 Signs of Video Game Addiction
Video game addiction is a serious problem. While most people can have fun playing video games without them hurting other parts of their lives, some people become obsessed. This can have a variety of consequences, ranging from weight gain from being too sedentary to, in extreme cases, death. South Korea has had to impose a curfew on children’s and teen’s online gaming. Estimates of gaming addiction among Korean children range from 10 to 50 percent.
March 27, 2018
Do You Have Withdrawal Symptoms When You Quit Gambling?
We typically associate withdrawal symptoms with addiction to substances. Your body gets used to the presence of a certain chemical and gradually adapts to it. You need the substance to feel normal and when you quit, your system is out of balance. This causes various withdrawal symptoms which typically include headaches, irritability, nausea, insomnia, and depression. What may be surprising is that you don’t have to be addicted to a substance to feel withdrawal symptoms.
March 26, 2018
Why Gambling is So Addictive
If you gamble regularly, the question, ‘Why is gambling addictive?’ probably seems absurd. Gambling is addictive because it’s fun and exciting. But plenty of things are fun and exciting without being addictive. What is it about gambling that is so compelling that otherwise responsible people will spend all their savings then steal money to gamble more? In gambling, there is a confluence of addictive psychological factors, what billionaire Charlie Munger aptly calls a ‘jackpot’. Here are the major factors.
March 23, 2018
What if I’m not Comfortable Sharing at 12 Step Meetings?
Sharing your experiences with addiction and recovery is a cornerstone of 12 Step programmes. It allows you to tell others your story and let them know they aren’t alone. It helps you get clarity on your challenges and applause for your victories. It keeps you honest when your thinking goes astray. It can also be very difficult, especially at the beginning. If you have trouble sharing, here are some thoughts to consider.
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