“It will kill people as soon as it’s released.” This statement was made last fall by Dr. Andrew Kolodny, president of the advocacy group Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing. It appeared in a letter to the Food and Drug Administration written by a coalition of more than 40 health care, consumer and addiction treatment groups. … Read More
Many years ago, bipolar disorder was a condition that was misunderstood and undoubtedly went undiagnosed. Those who suffered with this illness were probably thought to be insane, or even worse, possessed by demons. Fortunately, science and medicine have come a long way and today we not only understand it, but are able to treat it … Read More
The CDC reported that 38,000 people died in the U.S. by suicide. It now surpasses motor vehicle accidents as a cause of death and is listed as 10th most common cause of all deaths in our country. It probably ranks 1st for the most stigmatized and least talked about form of death in our country. As a … Read More
People who struggle with addictions, eating disorders, or mood disorders have finely-tuned methods of dealing with emotions by using substances, eating disorder behaviors, or engaging in self harm or other ineffective coping skills; each of these methods keep emotions stuffed inside. And, unfortunately, when not used as intended, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Distress Tolerance skills … Read More
“I Had No Idea” was the theme of this year’s National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. We had a whole program of events on campus in honor of the week and all of the brave women suffering from, recovering from, and thriving beyond their eating disorders, as well as those who love and support them. The … Read More
Growing up, my family life was wrought with negative experiences common to many other children of alcoholics. Despite the difficult times and life traumas, I have very fond memories of watching the Olympics as a family. I’m grateful to have carried that tradition to my current family, as an adult woman in recovery. One of … Read More
Social media sites have been pressed into overdrive this week by reaction to the season finale of “The Biggest Loser.” This is because a 24-year old woman, Rachel Frederickson, was declared the proud winner of the show by losing a record-breaking percentage of her total body weight. Speaking of proud – we cannot even begin … Read More
Addiction to drugs or alcohol is a medical illness, a disease of the brain. And yet, there are those who continue to insist that substance addiction is a choice. Several weeks ago, Matthew Perry, who portrayed Chandler Bing on the highly successful Friends sitcom, traveled to the UK to lend assistance to a new drug … Read More
I had the opportunity to bring my step-kids with me to work on Dec. 26th. They spent the day watching movies, playing games and such on their I-things in my office. They got to hear the 2 code greens called over the intercom on Willow that day, and have now identified Willow as the problem … Read More
