Author Archives: Steve S
Driving stoned? It’s not safe
A new “meta-data” study of a number of previous studies about marijuana’s effect on driving says a pot smoker who has toked in the last few hours has nearly double the odds of an car accident as a totally sober … Continue reading
Recovery on campus – a hot issue
The New York Times has a good story about sobriety recovery in the college world and what colleges and universities are doing to try to help college age alcoholics and addicts. One takeaway? As counselor B.J. Davis mentioned at a … Continue reading
Posted in Media, Organization
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‘Healthy’ red wine data is bogus
An AP story has the details: A University of Connecticut researcher known for his work on the benefits of red wine to heart health falsified his data in more than 100 instances, and nearly a dozen scientific journals are being … Continue reading
More on addiction is in the brain
The New York Times’ Nick Kristof has a good new column about the biochemical nature of addiction, based on its influence on dopamine and other brain chemicals. He’s writing about DavidLinden’s new book, “The Compass of Pleasure,” which I am … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Food & Bev, Science
Tagged Addiction, alcohol, drugs, food, process addictions, sexuality
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The economy and drinking
It should be of no surprise to anybody that people who are unemployed, especially for longer periods, struggle with drinking. However, according to Live Science, a new study shows that people who have jobs are also more likely to drink … Continue reading
Book review: An Anatomy of Addiction
Warning: For persons concerned about “triggers,” this book has some specific descriptions of drug use. Two medical pioneers — including pioneers in the potential medical use of, and actual personal misuse of, cocaine. Howard Markel paints a cautionary tale of … Continue reading
Diet and weight: Not so simple an issue
Especially with alcohol vs. drugs that have a strong physical addiction component, such as cocaine or nicotine, addiction is often a mix of physical, psychological and even sociological issues. For persons struggling with weight, diet and eating issues, this seems … Continue reading
Decision making and ego depletion
John Tierney has a very insightful article on these issues in the New York Times Magazine. While I don’t agree with all of it, I do agree with a fair bit, I’ll summarize its main points. 1. Our ego (as … Continue reading
Posted in Science
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Lifering Online – an overview
Lifering has six main online venues. And, they’re not just for “online only” Lifering members or convenors. Counting this, Lifering’s homepage, as a venue, we also have the Delphi Forum, Lifering’s email groups, Lifering’s Ning social networking site, Lifering’s meeting … Continue reading
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It’s all about the dopamine – and addiction’s reality
At Lifering’s 2011 convention, neuroscientist Dr. Timothy Durazzo talked about some of the latest findings in the neuroscience of addiction. He spent a fair amount of his presentation talking about the brain’s dopamine reward system. Well, he’s not the only … Continue reading
