Types of addiction can range from addiction to specific substances such as alcohol, cocaine, oxycodone, or meth to process addictions such as shopping addiction, compulsive gambling, and sex addiction. Although the type of addiction may differ, these different compulsive behaviors often show similarities in underlying behavioral problems, history of trauma or abuse, escalation of the problem behavior, and some form of withdrawal if the drug or activity is not available.
By Leslie Thompson
For years, it was commonly believed that marijuana was not addictive—and many recreational users still believe this to be true. People thought that because marijuana is natural and has very few side effects, unlike other illicit drugs, developing a dependency on the substance was improbable. However, as further research has been performed, evidence indicates that marijuana is indeed addictive and can lead to major physical and mental health problems down the road.
By Meghan O’Dell
Addiction invaded our home in 1991. It slithered in and sat down at our dining room table, grew large and fat, fed on our misery, laughing, mocking us with its power. It claimed Jeff when he was just a fourteen-year-old boy. I did everything I could think of to save my son, but in the end I could do nothing, not really, to extricate him or to free our family from addiction’s claws.
This is one of Libby Cataldi’s many gripping, vivid descriptions of the way her son Jeff’s addiction affected her family. In Stay Close: A Mother’s Story of Her Son’s Addiction, Cataldi chronicles her family’s descent into drug addiction and eventual rise into hope and recovery.
Michael Jackson’s death has made the drug propofol—a powerful anesthesia usually only used in hospital settings—a household name, but it has also raised awareness of the growing problem of propofol abuse among doctors and nurses.
By Suzanne Kane
To millions of fans and others around the world, Michael Jackson was nothing less than a music phenomenon. Over the course of three decades his music and lyrics touched, shocked, outraged, perplexed, and inspired people from every walk of life.
Whether you lived in bustling New York City or a third-world country, Michael Jackson’s music eventually made its way into your life. How he lived, and how he died on June 25, 2009, will similarly be forever etched in our consciousness. It cannot be otherwise, given the plethora of publicity about this admittedly reclusive and, some would say, tortured genius.
Is there a lesson to be learned from the life and death of Michael Jackson? What does an analysis of his life teach us about how to live—and how not to? Here are some thoughts.
By Suzanne Kane
Whether you’re an alcoholic or alcohol-dependent and thinking about getting clean and sober, you’re bound to worry about what that kind of life would be like sans alcohol. There are commonly held fears about sobriety that should be put to rest once and for all. Here are some of the frequently heard comments about being sober.
A federal government report revealed that illicit drug use among Americans ages 50 to 59 has increased from 5.1 percent in 2002 to 9.4 percent in 2005. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) said the increase occurred because some baby boomers—those born between 1946 and 1964—continue to use drugs as they get older.
Although exercise is essential for a healthy lifestyle, extreme exercise may be physically addicting. New research shows that rats given a drug that produces withdrawal in heroin addicts went into withdrawal after running excessively in exercise wheels. Rats that ran the hardest had the most severe withdrawal symptoms.
Journalist Joshua Lyon, who was once addicted to prescription medications, tells his story and investigates the phenomenon of online pharmacies in his book, Pill Head: The Secret Life of a Painkiller Addict. Featured on NPR, Lyon’s book chronicles his struggles with prescription painkiller addiction.
By Susan J. Campbell
Cigar use is something that doesn’t often come up when tobacco prevention or cessation is discussed. Smoking cigars, however, can have significant adverse effects on the user’s health. Those who smoke cigars regularly have 4 to 10 times the risk of dying from oral, esophageal, or laryngeal cancer.
Because of these health risks, the National Drug Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) January 2009 report provides a summary of data collected on young adults aged 18 to 25. As this age group has the highest rates of past-month cigar use, it also represents the demographic at greatest risk.
