Some years ago, I witnessed a commercial smoking cessation program based on what the company called Aversion Therapy. The two owners placed their clients in a very small enclosed space then forced them to chain smoke until they became sick.…
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The latest news for smokers who want to quit is that a variety of nicotine replacement therapies are available. People who want to free themselves from cigarettes can now consume nicotine in less harmful forms, such as sprays or gums,…
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Sean at 18 was tall, handsome, and a highly competitive track star at Talihina High School in Talihina, Oklahoma. He was eye-turning good looking and in great physical shape. Sean did not drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes or cigars; however,…
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Nicotine is a “feel-good” drug. It works on your brain’s pleasure zone and within ten minutes, you have a nicotine high.
I recall days as a single working mother when a cigarette seemed a reasonable solution to stress. Now I…
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With the new millennium, the old adage that “nothing escapes change” has never been truer. Dramatic social, economic, political, and technological changes continue to rock our personal and collective destinies.
Change is happening faster, but coping with it has not…
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For more than 60 years, the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous have worked for many people with alcohol and other drug problems. Today, the therapeutic value of the steps extends far beyond the field of addiction.
Physicians, therapists and other…
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Bob is driving a boat with a few friends on the lake. All have had a few beers. Suddenly, one of Bob’s buddies stands up, tipping the boat and throwing him off balance and overboard. The friend hits his head…
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Today the word “addiction” is applied so loosely and to so many different things as to become almost meaningless. Listen for this word in daily conversation and you’ll hear about much more than alcohol and other drugs. People also talk…
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The perception of marijuana as a harmless drug gained steam during the ’60s and ’70s. Rock groups and other pop culture figures from that era unwittingly characterized the drug as benign.
Now, several decades later, that soft perception–a misperception–continues, even…
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As John Mac Dougall, manager of Spiritual Care at Hazelden, points out, abstinence is but one element in recovery from addiction. Many people quit drinking or another addiction only to start practicing it again. They don’t realize that quitting is…
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