Reduce your Risk of Cancer? Stop Drinking Alcohol
By now, we have all read or heard that the pandemic has caused a surge in alcohol sales. We also know or intuit that misuse of alcohol can result in a substance use disorder. And after an overindulgence, we might begin to understand that alcohol touches and can damage every system in the body. […]
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 […]
Eating & Substance Use Disorders – Why They Coexist
Did you know that 50% of individuals who struggle with eating disorders also misuse alcohol or other drugs? This is a rate 5 times higher than the general population. Similarly, 35% of individuals who misused or were dependent on alcohol or drugs have also had eating disorders – a rate 11 times higher than […]
Mrs. D- From New Zealand with Love
One of the positives from the 2020 social distancing mandates was the development of new technology for making connections. Video conferencing tools made it possible to commune with far flung loved ones. And in the case of Sanford and Lotta Dann (known to many as Mrs. D), Zoom made it possible to “meet in […]
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 […]
Breakthrough: Methamphetamine Use Disorder Medication
The New England Journal of Medicine (January 2021) has published the results of a successful clinical trial, using two approved medications for the treatment of methamphetamine use disorder. There is currently no approved medication to treat addiction to methamphetamines. Behavioral interventions are the best available treatment at this time. Pharmacotherapy Treatment for […]
Continuum of Care, MAT, Telehealth: Limelight Interview
The “continuum of care” in addiction treatment describes a system in which individuals enter treatment at a level appropriate to their needs. As monitoring progresses, they step up to more intense treatment or down to less intense treatment as needed. Care is individualized and incorporates the following, no matter the level in which a […]
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 […]
Synthetic Opioids – Increases in Overdose Deaths 2020
A December Health Alert from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), says overdose deaths accelerated in 2020. The largest increases were from March to May, which coincides with widespread measures taken to slow the spread of COVID-19. Approximately 81,230 drug overdose deaths occurred in the US from May 2019 to May 2020. […]
