There is little doubt that compulsive shopping can cause severe impairment and distress, two key criteria for formal recognition as a mental disorder. But the rest remains up for grabs: Is compulsive shopping a biologically driven disease of the brain, a learned habit run amok, an addiction in its own right or a symptom of….
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The young woman in the bikini top and bottle tan was having a good time in the bright afternoon sun. Gyrating opposite the Muscle Beach Gym on the boardwalk at Venice beach, she chanted her mantra in an eastern European accent. “The doctor is here! The doctor is here!” Sitting behind her in a beach….
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We all know that music can alter your mood. Sad songs can make you cry. Upbeat songs may give you an energy boost. But can music create the same effects as illegal drugs? This seems like a ridiculous question. But websites are targeting your children with so-called digital drugs. These are audio files designed to….
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Puffing on a first cigarette is a rite of passage for many teenagers, but whether it is enjoyable may be partly down to genetics, researchers suggest. University of Michigan scientists have identified a gene variant found more often in people who said their first cigarette produced a “buzz”. These people were much more likely to….
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It is often difficult for the family to admit something is wrong Telling your drug-addicted child he or she isn’t welcome at home unless they get treatment or abides by the house rules is painful for any parent. “But it may be the critical move that eventually saves a child’s life,” said addictions expert Dr…..
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Before you take your next drink or smoke that cigarette, consider this: alcohol and tobacco are among the top causes of preventable deaths in the United States. It’s not surprising that these substances are often used together. In fact, the results of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on….
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Derek Laughlin, a 40-year-old former crack addict from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, found the cravings unbearable. Hours into treatment last year at a Surrey, B.C., short-term detox centre, on a staff-supervised walk around the block, he fell behind the group to search the pavement for discarded cigarette butts. Overcoming his crack habit was tough, but simultaneously….
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It’s a success story in an area with too few success stories. When she was 19 years old, Kim Selby came to Humboldt County to grow pot. Then she became addicted to methamphetamine. Today, she is off the drug and runs a clean and sober house for women in Fortuna. The nine women who live….
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The recent flurry of findings on marijuana’s health risks may have baby boomers wondering, “How can that be?” Chances of getting into legal trouble aside, is it possible their kids might be in danger of heart or mental health issues when they themselves turned out just fine? Researchers have learned plenty about pot in recent….
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Ohio teen started Valium at age 11; new law may help With his homework in his hand, the kid would hop off the bus, walk half a block home and grab the mail. “I’ve got stuff to do,” he’d tell the baby sitter as he closed the door to his room and ripped open the….
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