All About Addiction

Helping addicts get their lives back.

by Adi Jaffe, Ph.D.

Negative Self-Talk and Addiction Recovery

Negative self talk finds its way into many people's heads and is very common in early recovery. So what is one to do? Read More

Rubber-Band Addiction Recovery: No Shame

Recovery with no shame usually involves understanding. That's why I've put together my Rubber-band recovery framework, which explain all the ups and downs. Read More

Stress About Alcohol? Heavy Drinking Versus Alcoholism

Heavy alcohol users are not necessarily addicts or alcoholics, and their stress response shows it. Read More

New Year's Eve Without Drugs or Alcohol?

Drinking and doing drugs on New Year's Eve is like a social ritual. That's why it's an extra-hard time for those struggling. Read More

Recovery = Abstinence... Or not

Does recovery have to involve abstinence? I don't think so and apparently SAMHSA agrees. Why don't we start measuring what really matters? Read More

U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Are Increasing

Prescription drug overdose deaths are increasing quickly in the U.S. The question is, what can we do about it?! Read More

Internet Addiction—Epidemic or Fad?

Internet addiction is a term used more commonly today to describe unhealthy use of online resources. But is it really a disorder of epidemic proportions? Read More

Internet Porn Addiction – Why Is Free Porn So Irresistible and What Can Love Addicts Do?

With so much free porn on the internet is it any wonder that porn addiction seems to be on the rise? Porn is no doubt healthy for many but it can become compulsive for some... Read More

Addiction Treatment for Addicted Doctors

Addiction treatment for doctors has success rates far greater than anything we see in the general population. So what's their secret? Read More

Overcoming Mental Health Problems Is More than Possible

It's possible to be successful while overcoming serious mental health problems. The key is to have a strategy that recognizes the individuals specific needs. Read More

Mindfulness, Meditation, and Addiction

In addiction treatment, mindfulness meditation has been shown to be an effective tool. This piece should give a little summary about why and how. Read More

Compulsive Choices in Addiction?

Does the fact that our brain makes choices all the time preclude some from being compulsive? Addiction seems to suggest the answer is no. Read More

Where Is Catastrophe in My Brain?

Could catastrophe be affected by a small change in a single gene that affects a type of receptor right behind your forehead? Biology is a wondrous thing, isn't it?! Read More

Recovery Support on College Campuses: Good Work or Useless Junk?

College programs offering support for students in recovery are few and far between. Part of the reason may be that they have essentially no data to support their effectiveness. Hopefully, that's about to change, but the question about the utility of on-campus recovery help is still left unanswered for now. Read More

Money or Cocaine? It All Depends on Timing

The notion that drug addicts will always choose drugs over anything else is a silly oversimplification of the condition. A recent study gives us a possible glimpse into why. Read More

Can Reality TV Be Dangerous? Prime-Time Tabloids and Consequences

Could being over-exposed actually drive someone to commit suicide? I think the answer is clearly yes, the question is simply whether being on reality T.V. is enough. Read More

Biology, Environment, or Psychology: Which Is Most Important in Addiction?

When it comes to this question, there's really no answer that ever seems to satisfy anyone. Maybe the reason is that they are so intertwined that separating them is futile. So stop trying. Read More

Stop it - You're Not Addicted to "The Bachelor"

So many people tell me they're addicted to something in life that I'm beginning to think almost no one knows what addiction really is. Here's a reminder. Read More

Changing Your Life and Livelihood Is Hard but Worth It

When things are headed the wrong way, the most sensible thing to do is stop, evaluate, and turn (if not turn around). Too bad it's often also the most difficult thing to do. Read More

Talking to Kids About Teen Smoking: How to Do It Right

Talking to kids about problem behaviors is important but it has to be done right to avoid resistance that can lead to more persistent problems Read More

The Appeal of Anonymous Internet Sex: Weiner Is Not Alone

Like Anthony Weiner I've engaged in online behavior that is shameful, embarrassing, and that threatened to destroy my family. I made it out and I hope he finds a way to do the same. Read More

Global Commission on Drug Policy: Legalization, decriminalization, and the war on drugs

The legalization discussion rages on and this time it's picked up Richard Branson and Kofi Annan. But is there anything new or news worthy in the Commission on Drug Policy's report? Read More

Is personal experience necessary for successful addiction treatment?

I've heard it said that the best people to treat addiction are ones who have triumphed over addiction themselves. Personally, that makes very little sense and I think it's holding our field back. Read More

Desirable Difficulties in the Classroom

Trying to reform our educational system without paying attention to some of the basic learning principles involved may leave us with only half of what we bargained for... Or less. Read More

Overload, distraction, or inattention? Different factors in a frenzied world

When it comes to processing information it's not just how much you remember, but how important the stuff you remember is. Read More

Sometimes It Just Takes Blind Faith: Depression and Drug Use

Many drug users experience depression and some use drugs specifically to self-medicate. But how do you deal with depression when drug use isn't and option? Read More

Opioid prescription overdose and abuse - Staying safe while reducing pain

Accidental prescription overdoses are the 2nd leading cause of accidental death. Make sure you know how to reduce the chances that your house will be the next. Read More

Disclose or not? The catch 22 of mental illness stigma

The stigma of mental illness makes it difficult to own up to, which makes receiving treatment unnecessarily difficult and unlikely. But just how tall a barrier this is may be one of the hidden truths of treatment. Read More

Abstinence is not the only option: Learning to drink responsibly with help

While most people consider complete abstinence from alcohol to be the only option once a person has developed worrisome drinking habits, research and reality suggest that moderation is a very possible option. Read More

THC for Huntington's Disease? CB1 receptors important for more than drug use

Everyone has heard of some of the medical benefits of marijuana - Glaucoma, anti-nausea, making T.V. funnier - but this early evidence that "weed" might help slow the development of one of our most devestating neurological disorders caught my eye. Read More