Drunk Like Don Draper
he battle with alcoholism is the character’s main overarching problem.
In Modern Terms, What is the “Spiritual Malady” of AA?
The principles of the programme of Alcoholics Anonymous are scientific and closely follow all the helping therapies which lead people to emotional well-being.
When does Medicating become Self Medicating?
A recent blog in the After the Party Magazine has raised some very pertinent questions about the issue of co-morbidity in alcoholics and addicts seeking recovery via 12 step groups and suggests the extent of this co-morbidity is much higher than may have been anticipated. This blog raises important […]
My Interview/Podcast on Since Right Now
Here I am being interviewed at length by Chris Aguirre on his excellent Since Right Now podcast about my theories of addiction, and other research, my experience of addiction and recovery and how academic and so-called anecdotal or “experiential” evidence have been combined to shape my world view […]
How AA/NA Structures are Part of the Healing Process
In a recent blog from the Recovery Research Institute http://www.recoveryanswers.org/blog/12-step-mutual-help-and-medication-assisted-treatment/ by Brandon G. Bergman, Ph.D. It was suggested that a survey of almost 300 long-term AA members (average time in recovery 13 years), more than half felt medication to resist alcohol cravings/urges was or might be a good idea, and 17% did not […]
Police Helping Addicts Get Free not Imprisoned!
Now this is enlightened policing – I just pray other cities around the world follow suit – here’s to you Chief Campanello! GLOUCESTER, Mass. —Addicts in Gloucester who voluntarily surrender to police will not be charged as criminals, but sent for help, the police department announced in […]
Mindfulness training modifies cognitive, affective, and physiological mechanisms implicated in alcohol dependence.
Yesterday we looked a how low heart rate variability in alcoholics (active and in recovery) may influence self, emotion and stress regulation, and have a limited effect on impulsivity, and result in a “locked in” attention to alcohol-related cues, all of which have obvious consequences for relapse. Here […]
Low HRV and “Locked-in Attention” to Alcohol-Related Cues.
I remember when I was in the first days, weeks and months of early recovery I used to give myself such a hard time when my attention was drawn to some alcohol-related cue, like someone drinking ,or finding it difficult not dealing with some reminder of people places and […]
Emotion Dysregulation in Alcoholics as indexed by Heart Rate Variability
PART 2 HRV is directly connected to areas of the the brain implicated in stress and emotion regulation. If, via recovery practices, we can still our beating heart it will have neuroplastic effects on our brain and the regulation of emotion and stress. Equally if we meditate and […]
Emotion Dysregulation in Alcoholics as indexed by Heart Rate Variability
Part 1 Over this week leading up to my interview/podcast with sincerightnow http://www.sincerightnow.com/upcoming/ http://www.sincerightnow.com/pdcst/ I want to look at the “neuroscience of alcoholism and addiction from another angle. I want to look at the evident difficulties seen in alcoholics in terms of impaired self and emotion regulation by looking at […]
Inside The Alcoholic Brain 
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