Parenting Under The Influence

Children raised in such families are more likely to be exposed to violence, to initiate their own substance use at an earlier age, and to have mental health problems in childhood.

I happened across this article in a recent issue of The Guardian:

‘I was peeing blood constantly’: my ketamine hell – and what made me stop

The story is of a type that seemed instantly familiar: young man with troubled childhood ( bad enough that he considered harming himself ), begins experimenting with drugs as a teenager, and is instantly attracted to the escape it brings… but as time passes, his life falls apart and he nearly dies, before eventually finding his way to sobriety.

It’s the sort of story you might hear at any one of thousands of recovery support meetings around the world, in person or online. Except that in this instance, the protagonist then embarks on a career as a professional recovery speaker — traveling his homeland, spreading the message, using himself as an example.

It’s not that the story isn’t moving — it is — just that the format is so well known.

Especially in America, beginning with the Temperance Movement of the late...

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Numbers Game

“Significantly lesser quantities of drugs are smuggled directly into the United States by traffickers using maritime conveyances than by traffickers using overland routes.”

Numbers Game

“Significantly lesser quantities of drugs are smuggled directly into the United States by traffickers using maritime conveyances than by traffickers using overland routes.”

Another Round with Ibogaine

Apparently, some of the more level headed members of the medical community are already expressing concern about the possibility that, because of the aforementioned “national priorities”, psychedelics will avoid the usual scrutiny from experts.

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The Storytellers

One young man explained that he avoided speaker meetings because the “drunkalogues” he heard triggered in him an awful craving for a drink.

Gambling, Teen Style

I suspect many parents would be surprised to learn that ”The students in the audience…are all too familiar with the explosion of apps that make it easy to bet on individual plays, international politics and awards show flubs.”

Medical MJ for MH

I know what the science says, and if asked, I can share that. But I don’t expect anyone to say, “whoa, I never knew! thank God you told me!”, and then immediately quit smoking pot.

Life in a Hot Spot

Make it a continuing effort, using strategies based in evidence, and harnessing the power of human interaction-- instead of relying on a burst of anti-drug education, however intense.

The Storytellers

One young man explained that he avoided speaker meetings because the “drunkalogues” he heard triggered in him an awful craving for a drink.

PAP or Pill?

Those humble antidepressants have their own advantages, of course. For one thing, they’re likely to be cheaper, more readily available.

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Overdiagnosed?

She wasn’t seeking medication for the disorder. She was simply using ADHD as a way to understand some of the mysteries of her past behavior.

Overdiagnosed?

She wasn’t seeking medication for the disorder. She was simply using ADHD as a way to understand some of the mysteries of her past behavior.

Parenting Under The Influence

Children raised in such families are more likely to be exposed to violence, to initiate their own substance use at an earlier age, and to have mental health problems in childhood.

Is This Recovery?

...there are other folks out there like these— pretending to sobriety yet still secretly using, and hoping to avoid the sort of trouble that haunted them in the past.

Officers in the House

...with law enforcement agencies taking on vastly different roles, planning and practicing our response appears more important than in the past.

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A Novel Approach

...the author, who grew up in and around the region, chose to use its earnings to found Higher Ground, a home for recovering women.

A Novel Approach

...the author, who grew up in and around the region, chose to use its earnings to found Higher Ground, a home for recovering women.

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