Emotional Addiction Recovery Video

I was just surfing the net when I came across this video posted on my colleague, Lisa Frederiksen’s  Breaking The Cycles blog ( which is among the best on the net for addictions). There was something about this that I think every addict, recovering addict or family member can identify with. It stirred a lot of emotion in me.

It is one of those movies that anyone who’s life has been touched by drugs will ‘get’. And others…. maybe they can learn.

Here is a quick video on prescription pill dangers. Prescription pills, particularly opiates are rapidly becoming the fastest growing ‘drug of choice’.

Prescription pill addiction isn’t the most often thought of type of dependency, people instantly think about addictions to alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs. Many people don’t even think about the potential for an addiction to a prescription drug; nevertheless, prescription pill addiction has become more and more common in the United States. As strange as it may seem, illegal drug use among teenagers is in fact on the decline, but on the down side, prescription pill addiction is rising among teenagers these days. Because this is becoming a growing problem it is crucial that people be more aware of this type of addiction so as to spot it in family or friends .

Here is a well done video about one mans experience with cocaine and ecstasy addiction. Told as one who knows. Every now and then it’s good to hear another addicts experiences and relate on an emotional level. While the drugs of choice, geography, age and sex might not be the same as yours, the emotions are well known. Guilt, shame, anger self loathing…of yeah it’s there and WE understand it.

Anti-Marijuana Video

Teen discussion on drug abuse and addiction with Dr. Volkow NIDA. Dr. Volkow has an open discussion with Harlem High School students on drug abuse and addiction. teens.drugabuse.gov Comments on this video are allowed in accordance with our comment policy: www.newmedia.hhs.gov

Drug Addiction and Mindfulness Part I -courtesy of mySoberLife.com

Drug Addiction problems can be very challenging. Dr. Richard Fields discusses the use of Mindfulness for Drug and Alcohol addiction.

Mindfullness Based Stress Reduction – Mindfullness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is one of several meditative echniques derived from Eastern philosphy and religion which is increasingly catching on as an alternative to medication use for anxiety and depression. …

Latest recovery spotlight – Mindfullness is a community for individuals affected by an eating disorder. As a clinical psychologist specializing in eating disorders, I know how complicated these illnesses are. We hear the words “anorexia” and “bulimia” thrown …

To learn more about mindfulness as well as issues related to addiction, substance abuse, recovery and sobriety visit http://www.mysoberlife.com

The brain damage from long term marijuana use is chronicled in this 2 minute video.

“This study shows long-term, heavy cannabis use causes significant brain injury, memory loss, difficulties learning new information, and psychotic symptoms, such as delusions of persecution, paranoia, delusions of mind-reading, and bizarre social behaviors in even non-vulnerable users.”

Data Show Anatomical Brain Abnormalities from Marijuana Use.

In the human brain, the hippocampus is associated with the regulation of emotion and memory, while the amygdala controls fear and aggression. Recently a study was conducted by Dr. Murat Yücel and associates from the ORYGEN Research Centre and the Neuropsychiatry Centre at the University of Melbourne in order to determine whether long-term heavy cannabis use is associated with gross anatomical abnormalities in two cannabinoid receptor–rich regions of the brain, the hippocampus and the amygdala.

In the study, Yucel’s team did high-resolution MRIs on 15 men who smoked more than five joints a day for more than 10 years with no history of poly-drug abuse. They compared those with scans of 16 men who did not use marijuana. In addition, all the men took verbal memory tests and were examined for symptoms of psychiatric disorders.

Results indicated that the hippocampus of marijuana users was 12 percent smaller, and that the amygdala of marijuana users was 7.1 percent smaller than among nonusers. Cannabis use also was associated with sub-threshold symptoms of psychotic disorders. Lead researcher Murat Yücel said, “This study shows long-term, heavy cannabis use causes significant brain injury, memory loss, difficulties learning new information, and psychotic symptoms, such as delusions of persecution, paranoia, delusions of mind-reading, and bizarre social behaviors in even non-vulnerable users.”

“The more marijuana was used, the more these individuals were likely to show reduced brain volumes in the hippocampus and amygdala, as well as being more likely to develop symptoms of psychotic disorders and to have significant memory impairment.” “There is ongoing controversy concerning the long-term effects of cannabis on the brain,” the authors write. “These findings challenge the widespread perception of cannabis as having limited or no neuroanatomical sequelae. Although modest use may not lead to significant neurotoxic effects, these results suggest that heavy daily use might indeed be toxic to human brain tissue.

Further prospective, longitudinal research is required to determine the degree and mechanisms of long-term cannabis-related harm and the time course of neuronal recovery after abstinence.” Author Affiliations: ORYGEN Research Centre (Drs Yücel, Whittle, and Lubman) and Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health (Drs Yücel, Whittle, Fornito, and Pantelis), Melbourne, Australia; School of Psychology and Illawarra Institute for Mental Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia (Dr Solowij and Ms Respondek); and Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney, Australia (Dr Solowij). All text and images from Fair Use.

Regional Brain Abnormalities Associated With Long-term Heavy Cannabis Use. Murat Yücel, PhD, MAPS; Nadia Solowij, PhD; Colleen Respondek, BSc; Sarah Whittle, PhD; Alex Fornito, PhD; Christos Pantelis, MD, MRCPsych, FRANZCP; Dan I. Lubman, MB ChB, PhD, FRANZCP; General Psychiatry. 2008;65(6):694-701.