What Is Dry Drunk Syndrome?   Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) coined the term dry drunk to describe a person who is no longer consuming alcohol but still exhibits behavioral and emotional problems of an alcoholic. Some of these behavioral and emotional problems include irritability, impatience, impulsivity, and passing judgment on others. Some dry drunks exhibit grandiose...Read More

  Addiction Downward Spiral When individuals first begin using alcohol or drugs, they may at first experience pleasure and relaxation. It can even seem to some of these individuals like they have found the perfect solution to all their problems. Alcohol and drugs can make life easier in the beginning. They give shy people the...Read More

Addiction Stereotypes   The word stereotype often conjures up negative beliefs about a group of people; however, a stereotype is more a widely held fixed idea about a person or thing. Many stereotypes are related to a group of people including addicts. Regardless of the definition there are dangers associated with stereotypes. First, stereotypes are...Read More

Is Workaholism a Real Problem? Workaholism does not get much attention in the psychiatric community but for those individuals who are addicted to work, there are common characteristics that are shared with other addictive disorders. The workaholic may exhibit feelings of dissatisfaction with their psychological, physical, and social lives. A workaholic may spend excessive time...Read More

Shopping Addiction A shopping addiction is a behavioral addiction. There are no chemicals to ingest or alcohol to drink, yet shopping addiction is a viable disorder. It can interfere with activities of daily living, destroy relationships, affect how one works, and ruin finances. The addiction to shopping is like a substance use disorder in that...Read More

  Substance abuse treatment might include group therapy sessions. Many individuals do not enjoy group therapy, as they think they cannot share problems openly and confidentially. Others may not like talking about intimate issues in front of others. There are advantages to group therapy that often cannot be found in other types of treatment. Group...Read More

Treatment for Gambling Addiction   Gambling addiction is a problem affecting over seven million Americans. The urge to gamble is so powerful that many gambling addicts will resort to illegal activity or immoral behavior to fuel the addiction. Gambling addiction is not about money or the lack of resources to fund gambling activities. There are...Read More

  What If I Drink Alcohol and Abuse Cocaine? If you drink alcohol and abuse cocaine, you have what is referred to as concurrent addiction.This occurs when an individual is addicted to one or more substances at the same time. Alcohol and cocaine are often used together to counteract the effects of each. Cocaine provides...Read More

The White Elephant   The term white elephant refers to a large obstacle that one tries to get around. It also means that there is a big issue that everyone is aware of but chooses to ignore. The white elephant in the room has been used in substance abuse treatment and recovery to describe the...Read More

What If I Drink Only on the Weekends Some people may only use drugs or alcohol during special occasions or on the weekends and ask if they need treatment for an addiction. There are some questions you can ask yourself to determine if treatment is needed. Do you think about drugs or alcohol when not...Read More