Mary Sojourner, M.A., the author of She Bets Her Life: A True Story of Gambling Addiction and a former counselor specializing in women’s healing, wrote the following article for Psychology Today:
Mary Sojourner, M.A., the author of She Bets Her Life: A True Story of Gambling Addiction and a former counselor specializing in women’s healing, wrote the following article for Psychology Today:
A methamphetamine addiction can do a number of things to your physical health, while it can also impact your ability to function in normal society. For Sharon Denise Steely, this addiction led to a string of identity thefts that terrorized a school district.
Eleven years ago, Wes Bentley was a 21-year-old Julliard dropout living in Los Angeles with a Polaroid for a head shot and not enough money to eat at Taco Bell, writes Patrick Healy of the New York Times. But after his performance as Ricky Fitts in “American Beauty,” which won the Academy Award for best picture, he was riding in limos and drawing paparazzi. But after his initial success, Bentley turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with the stress of stardom, and addiction took over his life for several years.
Read more about Actor Wes Bentley Rebuilds Career after Beating Addiction
It was established in 2008 that in the past year, approximately 282,000 people above the age of 12 were dependent on or abused heroin. Additionally, 1,716,000 people over the age of 12 were dependent on or abused pain relievers.
Lady Gaga (whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) has spoken out about her former addiction to cocaine in her new biography, LADY GAGA: Just Dance, written by Helia Phoenix. The 23-year-old pop star said, “I wanted to be the artists I loved, like Mick Jagger and Andy Warhol…And I thought the only way to do it was to live the lifestyle.”
Read more about Lady Gaga Admits Cocaine Addiction in Biography
Author and meditation instructor Kevin Griffin will be lecturing on the interrelationship between the 12 steps and Buddhism and leading a meditation retreat this weekend at Against the Stream Meditation Society, located at 4300 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. The first event, hosted by Writers In Treatment, Malibu Beach Recovery Center, and Recovery View, takes place Friday, February 5 at 7:30pm, during which Mr. Griffin will be giving a presentation on the Dharma and recovery called “If The Buddha Was an Alcoholic: The 11th Step and the Path to Recovery.” On Saturday, February 6, Mr. Griffin will be conducting a daylong retreat with guests.
Actor Rip Torn was so intoxicated when he broke into a Connecticut bank carrying a loaded gun that he thought he was home, taking off his hat and boots and leaving them by the door, according to court records.
Read more about Rip Torn to Enter Rehab after Alcohol-Related Arrest
It is well known that exposure to severe stress early in life increases the risk of alcohol and drug addiction. However, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that some adults who were sexually abused as children and therefore at high risk for alcohol problems carry gene variants that protect them from heavy drinking and its effects.
Read more about Research Examines Link between Sexual Abuse and Alcohol Dependence
In his autobiography “I Am Ozzy,” newly released in the US, heavy-metal pioneer Ozzy Osbourne, now 61, chronicles his drug- and alcohol-fueled behavior. Gelu Sulugiuc of Bloomberg.com writes that Osbourne was hampered by undiagnosed dyslexia in school, later failing miserably at various factory jobs and at an incipient career as a burglar before realizing his rock-star dream with Black Sabbath.
A recent study led by neuroscientist Susan Tapert of the University of California, San Diego compared the brain scans of teens who drink heavily with the scans of teens who don’t, and found damaged nerve tissue in the brains of the teens who drank. NPR’s Michelle Trudeau writes that the researchers believe this damage negatively affects attention span in boys, as well as girls’ ability to comprehend and interpret visual information.
Read more about Study Shows that Teen Drinking May Cause Permanent Damage