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WHO statement – Avoid alcohol altogether so that you do not undermine your own immune system and health and do not risk the health of others
World Health Organization to issue a two-page statement on the topic. “Avoid alcohol altogether so that you do not undermine your own immune system and health and do not risk the health of others,” it advises. “Heavy alcohol use is a risk factor for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), one of the most severe complications of COVID-19.” Being acutely intoxicated is also bad news for those in confined domestic spaces. Farrell says that apart from an increase in alcohol-related accidents, there’s a higher likelihood of conflict. “If someone is already short-fused and in difficult relationships alcohol is often paraffin on a fire to these sorts of situations,” he says. The United Nations has warned of a surge in domestic violence across the world during quarantine, with calls to helplines in China up threefold compared to the same period last year. In Lebanon and Malaysia, the number of calls doubled. Domestic violence-related deaths during lockdown were reported in the UK, France, Spain, Japan, and Italy, among other countries. There are also concerns that this shift in our drinking behaviour could have implications further down the...
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Cheap grace
Psychiatrist M. Scott Peck, a self-confessed nicotine addict and author of The Road Less Traveled, offered his perspective in a 1991 lecture, “Addiction: The Sacred Disease.” Dr. Peck’s thesis: At birth, humans become separated from God. Everyone is aware of this...
April is Alcohol Awareness Month
Five things you may not know about alcohol, the most commonly used drug in the world 1) Alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC; i.e., it is known to cause cancer) and...
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“Am I Drinking Too Much?” Quiz
What might surprise you is how easy it is to be diagnosed with an AUD. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), if you answer yes to two out of the 11 following questions, you would be diagnosed with an Alcohol Use Disorder....
BCBS of Tennessee no longer cover prescriptions for Oxycontin
The insurance provider is replacing Oxycontin with Xtampza and Morphabond, whose formulas make them more difficult to crush and delay the high. Although the replacement drugs cost more, BCBS will keep member co-pays the same as they were for Oxycontin. BCBS is also...
Are you wondering or concerned about your drinking or drug use?
Confidential, evidence-based, digital programs help individuals consider their drinking and/or drug use and decide what, if anything, to do about it. Our programs then help these same individuals develop the skills to be successful if they decide to change,...
Nature Deficit Disorder?
Doctors in Scotland can now prescribe nature to their patients There is a whole leaflet of nature prescription suggestions that accompanies the program, filled with amusing, charming, sometimes seemingly off-kilter suggestions: February, you can make a...
“Honor of All” film about aboriginal peoples and drug & alcohol prevention
This was recommended to me by Don Coyhis – President and Founder of White Bison, an American Indian non-profit organization, located in Colorado Springs, CO. Up until the early ’70’s, people on the native reservation at Alkali Lake were 100%...
Research needed on effects of opioid use disorder pharmacotherapies on life functioning
In the US, federally approved pharmacotherapies include methadone, buprenorphine (e.g., suboxone), and naltrexone. While evidence supports their ability to help individuals recover from opioid use disorder (i.e. reduce opioid use), a common concern is whether...
Everything You Know About Obesity Is Wrong
Despite weight being the number one reason children are bullied at school, America’s institutions of public health continue to pursue policies perfectly designed to inflame the cruelty. TV and billboard campaigns still use slogans like “Too much screen time,...
Gaming addiction classified as disorder by WHO
“Gaming disorder” included in WHO’s 11th International Classification of Diseases (ICD) The last version of the ICD was completed in 1992, with the new guide due to be published in 2018. It will suggest that abnormal gaming behaviour should be in evidence over a...
Know the Signs, Find the Words
PAIN ISN’T ALWAYS OBVIOUS Every day in California friends, family and co-workers struggle with emotional pain. And, for some, it’s too difficult to talk about the pain, thoughts of suicide and the need for help. Though the warning signs can be subtle, they are there....
Food helps to forge connections and communicate
Food helps to forge connections and communicate – with friends, enemies and oneself Say it with noodles: on learning to speak the language of food Originally published in Catapult An intimate and beautifully wrought comic on the language of food and the ways...
The Power of Perceptions and Understanding: Changing How We Deliver Treatment and Recovery Services
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in partnership with the Massachusetts General Hospital Recovery Research Institute are excited to announce a live webinar series entitled: “The Power of Perceptions and Understanding: Changing How We...
Take Your Pills – our devotion to Adderall
Every generation has found a way to try to enhance their performance. “You want to be beautiful and you want to have amazing grades and Adderall just sews it all up for you” Take Your Pills launches on Netflix on 16 March...