Ray Materson was a straight “A” student, President of his 6th grade class, and a youthful child looking ahead to a bright future. Then a combination of risk factors both in his family and school peer group, led Ray down a dangerous path where alcohol and drugs became his best friends. Before long, his drug-seeking behavior resulted in a twenty-five… [Continue Reading]
Where the Wild Things Are
Last night my wife and I went to a lecture by Joseph LeDoux, the author of The Emotional Brain: The Mysterious Underpinnings of Emotional Life and the Synaptic Self. His research has primarily focused on understanding the emotions of fear and anxiety through animal models, and how these emotions impact memory. One of my favorite chapters in… [Continue Reading]
Beautiful Boy: Answers to David’s Questions
I understand why Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction is a #1 New York Times bestseller. It’s a very moving and insightful account of one father’s journey through his son’s addiction, a journey millions of parents have made. David (the author) does not hold back. His writing is powerful, emotional, lucid, and honest…. [Continue Reading]
Be the Change You Want to See
Change is tough. Really tough. Whether dealing with an addiction or making a change in an organization to improve treatment, we are wired to keep doing the things we have always done and resist the new. My last post provided an academic framework for how we should get evidence-based practices commonplace in real-world treatment and educational settings,… [Continue Reading]
Addiction in Society? Let Me Count the Ways
In the book Rapt Attention and the Focused Life Winifred Gallagher makes a case that life ultimately adds up to what you choose to pay attention to. This got me thinking about how addiction has evolved to our changing world, and the ways in which we are all more vulnerable to excessive behaviors – or at least exposed to far… [Continue Reading]