Is it Time to Evaluate Your Relationship with Alcohol?
In 2019, I inadvertently joined a movement I didn’t even know existed. Within hours of researching information on reducing my alcohol consumption, I was introduced to new phrases like sober curious, Dry January, sober sprint, plus Quit Lit (publications devoted to decreasing alcohol intake). I discovered resources like This Naked Mind, Club Soda, and Alcohol…
Read MoreForaging for Information
In very simple terms, we do what we do for pleasure. That statement makes sense; otherwise, why would we do things that are boring, unpleasant, or uncomfortable if they don’t make us feel good? The question is, though, what makes us feel good? In a simplified view of the infinitely complex brain, the answer is dopamine. Dopamine…
Read MoreInternet Addiction and ADHD
There’s lots of talk and concern about screen time these days. It’s not uncommon for someone to say “OMG, I’m totally addicted to the internet/my phone/etc.” That’s probably not a medically accurate diagnosis. But can you be addicted to the internet? Can you even be addicted to anything that isn’t a drug? The answer is…
Read MoreCigarettes and ADHD: A Robust Relationship That’s Hard to Break
SINCE THE EARLY 2000s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has consistently reported good news on the rate of cigarette smoking among adults in the United States—rates are dropping! In 2005, 20.9% of US adults were regular cigarette smokers. The most recently reported results indicated that the number was 14.0%. This reduction is meaningful,…
Read MoreTreating ADHD and Cannabis Use Disorder
Joyce Cooper-Kahn, PhD, interviews Kevin M. Gray, MD Kevin M. Gray, MD, is professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and assistant provost for research advancement at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. As a child and adolescent psychiatrist and physician-scientist, Dr. Gray is dedicated to addressing youth substance use and related problems by…
Read MoreADHD and My Drug Addiction: Down the Rabbit Hole and Back Into the Light
One September day when I was 29, I stopped as I often did at Mount Sinai hospital in New York City to hold my dying mother’s hand as she fought her final battle with ovarian cancer. And as I always did, I soon grew antsy and impatient, and said to her, “I’m sorry I can’t…
Read MoreA Parent’s Guide to Healthy Video Game and Internet Use for Children with ADHD
THE DIGITAL AGE HAS NOT ONLY ARRIVED, but by now it has settled in. As a child and adolescent psychiatrist specializing in internet and video game addiction, I see the most extreme cases of problematic internet and video game use, leading to catastrophic consequences in grades, social life, emotional well-being, and relationships with family members.…
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