There is a scene in the popular Fox Network show American Dad where Haley Smith, a casual drug user on the show, says that she has “a pot problem”. Haley’s mother Francine shrugs it off and coldly says, “Just stop it Haley” - though she’s not saying just stop using cannabis, but that she should stop making that claim. ... Read More
The Business of Gambling Addiction
For someone who isn’t suffering from or seeking out help for gambling addiction, it can be hard to see the appeal. All gambling games are probability games, which means whether it is blackjack with a live dealer, a flashy 3D slot machine, or a lottery ticket purchased from a local gas station, they are all just very ... Read More
Understanding a Loved One’s Gambling Addiction
When a friend or family member suffers from a gambling addiction it can take some time to fully understand their condition. To someone who is not addicted it seems like very expensive entertainment and it’s easy to rationalize choosing something else to do with ones money. While it is very easy to judge their lack of ... Read More
Is Your Loved One Struggling with a Drug or Alcohol Addiction?
When you fall in love and get married, or you gain a new friend, you never look down the timeline of your future and think “you know, I bet we will be a great team when one of us struggles with alcohol addiction or drug abuse”. So when the time does come, and your significant other or good friend is struggling with it ... Read More
Coping Strategies
In an interview on The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast, Dr. Cali Estes recently had a quote which is worth a moment of our time to look at: "The drinking is your solving your problem, it's your solution to your problem and that's where a lot of treatment centers go wrong: they address your drinking, they don't ... Read More
The Heartbreaking Loss of Tom Petty
Tom Petty was the best. He and his band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers defined Rock and Roll and created more classics than should be possible for just one band. Unfortunately, his October 2, 2017 opioid-related death was all too common in the rock world. Last Dance At the age of 66, the famed rock star's life was ... Read More
Head in the Stocks
It's an urban legend that there was a flood of investor suicides after the American stock market crash. Nevertheless, many investors have committed suicide after losing everything to the whims of the market. At the time of this writing, Facebook has just lost nearly $120 Billion dollars in value leaving more than a few ... Read More
Narcan Available in Florida Pharmacies
If the word Narcan sounds familiar, it's been in the news lately for saving pop star Demi Lovato's life after an overdose. It's a sort of antidote to opioid overdose. Like an epipen, it can be used to quickly administer medicine to an overdosing person. "Narcan isn’t a solution to addiction by any means," said an ... Read More