Anatomy of Addiction Episode 1: Brain Science (101)
We are inundated with information about the rise in alcohol sales during the pandemic. The opioid epidemic and drug overdose deaths are headline news. Likewise, there is breaking news daily about the co-occurrence of substance use disorders and anxiety. Brain Science 101 But what exactly is addiction? How do you know if you […]
8 Reasons Lake Michigan is Good for your Health
Why do we gravitate toward water? Why is it so hypnotic to watch the waves? There is a reason every stretch of waterfront is laden with houses and parks – it’s where we want to be. Those who live near the ocean swear by the healing powers of the salty sea. And there is […]
Age, Mental Health & Alcohol Use During COVID-19
Two new surveys by Preventive Medicine (Volume 145, April 2021, 106422), “aimed to examine whether age modified the association of anxiety and depressive symptoms with alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic”. Almost six-thousand people in the U.S. responded to their online questionnaires. Age, Mental Health and Alcohol Use 29% of respondents said they […]
Raising Awareness – Mental Health Disorders in the Workplace
Feeling stress in the workplace since the pandemic began? You are not the only one. A recent Report from The Standard Insurance Company, says half of all workers are struggling with a mental health issue. And more than half say their mental health has been negatively affected during the pandemic. Additionally, work from […]
Mixing Medications With Alcohol? Harmful Interactions by NIH
Since April of 2020 we have experienced a unique set of circumstances as relates to our physical and mental health. With the pandemic came physical distancing and isolation: a sense of being on our own to handle our problems. And with isolation came an increase in both the use of telehealth and the purchase […]
Substance Use, Mental Health, COVID-19 – the Connection
A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Report verifies what we have been hearing and reading over the past ten months of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has negatively impacted our mental health. But with nearly a year of social constraints and disease diagnosis, the data coming in are showing some interesting new […]
Finding Joy in an Unsettled World
I was sitting on a bench at Kirk Park taking in the fall colors, when a couple passed by. I watched them walk along the path toward Lake Michigan. A gale was blowing and they linked arms and bent against the wind off the water. The beach is eroded at Kirk Park, and there is […]
Healing After Suicide – i understand Book Interview
What better time than National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month to speak to Vonnie Woodrick about her new book? Vonnie and her children created the nonprofit organization, i understand in 2014 to change the way we talk about suicide. And to address the stigma and language surrounding what is the terminal effect of a mental illness. […]
