What's new in this issue?
For Love & Money
By Debra L. Kaplan, MBA, MA, LPC, CMAT, CSAT-S(The following article is excerpted from For Love and Money: Exploring Sexual & Financial Betrayal in Relationships, by Debra L. Kaplan. For Love and Money was published in 2013 and is available on Amazon and other online booksellers.)
When two people come together under an emotional and erotic cosmic trance, the one question they most likely don’t ask is: “What do I value most about being in a relationship?” This makes sense, given that our brains are hijacked by the hormonal and ...Read More
Six traits you may have in common with the addict
By David Sack, M.D.
In this age of political correctness, even the most tolerant among us looks at criminals, homeless people, addicts and other “outsiders” ...Read More
Life after Treatment: How to Develop an Exit Strategy
Printed with permission The River Source - 12 Step Holistic. www.theriversource.orgIf you were recently treated for a drug or alcohol addiction, this may be your first sober summer in a long time. Summers are often difficult for recovering addicts because of the increase in barbecues, picnics and festivals where alcohol is a main attraction. It does get easier over time, but in early recovery, it can be difficult to know how to enjoy the summer and be with other people ...Read More
Sentiments We Should All Say More Often
By Joyce Marter, LCPCAll too often, we take the people we love the most for granted: our lovers, family members, friends, and children. We forget the enormous power of our words, as we carelessly lash out when under stress. We stick our noses in our laptops and smartphones, assuming our loved ones know what we are failing to verbalize, sometimes until the relationships are disconnected or damaged beyond repair.
Make a choice to consciously nurture your relationships with verbal communications of love. Be kind and sincere. Ask open-ended questions with an open heart. Listen ...Read More
Nothing Short of a Miracle
A conversation with Barbara Nicholson-Brown by Allen Nohre
I recently interviewed Barbara Nicholson-Brown, the editor, publisher and owner of Together AZ because I wanted to learn about her journey and passion for the ...Read More
Xanax Addiction
Xanax — one of the most widely-abused prescription drugs in this country. As prescriptions for this highly addictive drug rise, the rates of abuse and dependence increase.Xanax is a benzodiazepine in the sedative-hypnotic class of drugs. Generally it is prescribed to treat panic disorder, post-traumatic stress, some forms of generalized anxiety or social anxiety and some phobias. Like other sedative-hypnotics, Xanax is also prescribed for difficulty falling asleep. Benzodiazepines are central nervous system depressants, and like alcohol, work to slow down the brain’s activity as ...Read More
Shame & the Empty Life
By Robert Weiss, LCSW, CSAT-SIn her excellent and highly recommended book, Daring Greatly, Dr. Brené Brown defines shame as “the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging.”
In other words, shame is the inherent belief that we are not good enough, and we never will be good enough, regardless of what “good enough” might actually be. Brown also tells us in Daring Greatly that shame is ubiquitous, and nearly everyone experiences it ...Read More
SMART Recovery
By Duane Mantey
For many of us who have struggled with addictive behavior, a cookie cutter approach to sobriety simply doesn’t seem to stick- the statistics for relapse are well known and quite frightening. What we often see are many attempts at recovery, false starts and relapses. A rather predictable pattern of use followed by tremendous guilt, short recuperation, and then another round to forget all about the ‘failures’. They call it the cycle of addiction, many of us are familiar with this scenario. This is my story of how I broke that cycle- using SMART ...Read More
What are the Risks?
High school seniors who are most likely to take Ecstasy are those who use other drugs, researchers at New York University have found.
About 4.4 percent of high school seniors reported using Ecstasy within the last year, Newswise reports. Males are at particularly high risk for use. The drug is also known as “Molly,” “E” and “X,” the article notes, and is popular at dance parties.
The findings, published in Substance Use & Misuse, are based on data from the Monitoring the Future nationwide annual study. About 15,000 high school seniors are included ...Read More
What Therapy Animals Can Teach Us About Being Human
by David Sack, M.D.Winston Churchill said, “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man,” he may have been more right than he realized. A growing body of research is beginning to confirm what has long been observed anecdotally — that animals can help us heal in ways both physical and psychological.
More and more in therapists’ offices and mental health and addiction treatment facilities, animals are being used as a bridge to those who are struggling, with encouraging results. A 2007 ...Read More
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Guest/Monthly Columnists
Bobbe McGinley MA, MBA, CADAC, LISAC, NCGC II, is a nationally known speaker, author, presenter and trainer.
