Topic: addiction

Cool Online Conference Alert: Using Yoga To Overcome Addiction

Cool Online Conference Alert: Using Yoga To Overcome Addiction

If you’re interested in yoga or addiction recovery, you might want to clear your schedule for this weekend’s Recovery 2.0 Beyond Addiction Conference. The conference, which is free and happens completely online, is designed for people to “get inspiration + tools for successful recovery, optimal health and a life of fulfilling purpose beyond addiction,” according to the website. More »

Babies Born Addicted To Junk Food? It’s (Sort Of) A Thing

Babies Born Addicted To Junk Food? It's (Sort Of) A Thing

The old adage that pregnant women are “eating for two” is so much truer than the pre- neuroscience-obsessed eras knew. A new study of pregnant women with poor diets found mothers can actually pass on a junk food “tolerance” to unborn children, setting them up for a lifetime of being less sensitive to opioids and needing more salty/sweet/fatty food than others to get the same feel-good response. More »

Correlation vs. Causation: Do More Sex Partners Really Lead To More Substance Abuse?

Correlation vs. Causation: Do More Sex Partners Really Lead To More Substance Abuse?

According to TIME’s health blog, more sex partners = higher risk of drug addiction and alcoholism. But according to the actual study they’re citing, there’s simply a correlation between number of sex partners and later substance abuse. And when you don’t make the distinction (or think critically about what the study does and doesn’t reveal about sexual behavior and addiction), you get a so-called health article that basically reads like slut-shaming, instead of useful news about health research. And this is why everyone should learn how to tell the difference between correlation and causation (because unfortunately, not even reporters can always tell the difference). More »

Death By Painkiller Overdose Up For 11th Year In A Row (But Politicians Are More Concerned With Birth Control)

Death By Painkiller Overdose Up For 11th Year In A Row (But Politicians Are More Concerned With Birth Control)

According to a new study from the National Center for Health Statistics, death by prescription drug and painkiller overdose increased again in 2010, for the 11th consecutive year. A total of 38,329 people died of drug overdoses, and the study authors attribute the majority of deaths to opioids (which include painkillers like Morphine, Oxycodone, and Methadone). Sadly, the statistics aren’t all that shocking anymore: For over a decade, we’ve seen alarming death rates stemming from painkiller addiction and mismanagement of prescription drugs, but it’s still not all that hard to get and abuse prescription drugs. More »

This Is Your Brain On Fatty Foods

This Is Your Brain On Fatty Foods

A new study analyzing what happens to your brain when you eat fatty food confirmed that not only are donuts and fries not great for your arteries; they’re also not the best brain food, either. They found that junk food actually changes your brain, spiking certain chemicals and and possibly causing symptoms of anxiety and depression. And the worst part is that cutting yourself off from fatty food can also cause withdrawal. More »

ANTM Star Jael Has A Terrifying Meth Addiction–And It’s Ruining More Than Her Face

ANTM Star Jael Has A Terrifying Meth Addiction--And It's Ruining More Than Her Face

I’m not a big watcher of daytime TV, and I definitely have no love for Dr. Phil. But I may actually try to watch his show tomorrow, because the star of a program I did used to love in college–America’s Next Top Model–is going to be on it. Jael (full name: Jael Strauss) who many of us remember for her raspy voice, her edgy look, her beautiful pictures…and her pretty irritating attitude in Cycle 8, has apparently been addicted to meth for years, and it’s entirely changed the way she looks. But worse than that, it’s ruined her life. More »

Heroin Chic: More 20-Somethings Using Heroin, Report Says

Heroin Chic: More 20-Somethings Using Heroin, Report Says

WTF, Gen Y? Certainly everyone our age has seen enough movies and heard about enough addicted celebrities to know that things go along swimmingly for your average drug user until they start using heroin. Then you’re having sex with strangers and stealing your mom’s TV and hiding suppositories up your bum maybe getting stabbed by your ex-girlfriend (RIP Elliott). This is not a route you want to take. Yet taking it more people are, across the country and at younger ages. More »

Smoking While Pregnant Shockingly Common

Smoking While Pregnant Shockingly Common

A new study from the the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) found that far from being a relic of the Mad Men era, pregnant women who smoke are still alive and (arguably) well in 21st Century America. In fact, a whopping 20% of pregnant white women admit to smoking cigarettes, followed by 14.2% of pregnant black women and 6.5% of pregnant Hispanic women. More »

Mom’s Disturbing Face Makes Us Wonder: Does Excessive Tanning Mean Mental Health Issues?

Mom's Disturbing Face Makes Us Wonder: Does Excessive Tanning Mean Mental Health Issues?

Yesterday’s story about the New Jersey mom who was accused of taking her 5-year-old daughter into a tanning booth had a lot of you enraged. Aside from questioning what type of parent Patricia Krentcil must be, some questioned her state of mind–just look at her, right? She’s only 44, but could easily pass for decades older. Clearly she is not taking good care of her skin–and possibly her daughter’s, but does excessive tanning mean she must have mental health issues? You tell us. More »