About teenagers and college students additions
Fergie, best known as a member of the Black Eyed Peas and for her successful solo career, has spoken openly about a difficult period involving crystal methamphetamine use before achieving greater stability in her life. Her experience demonstrates an important reality about substance use disorders: outward talent, ambition, and professional success do not necessarily protect … Read more
Diabetes is usually discussed in terms of blood glucose, insulin, nutrition, exercise, and medications. Yet another issue can sometimes remain hidden behind unstable glucose levels: problematic substance use or compulsive behavior. Alcohol, nicotine, opioids, stimulants, cannabis, and other substances can complicate diabetes management in different ways. Eating disorders and recurrent binge-eating behaviors may also interfere … Read more
Edgar Allan Poe is remembered for The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart, and other haunting works that transformed American literature. Behind his literary achievements, however, was a life marked by repeated loss, financial insecurity, unstable relationships, periods of emotional distress, and problematic alcohol use. Historical accounts indicate that Poe experienced recurring episodes of heavy drinking and … Read more
Eric Clapton is regarded as one of the most influential guitarists in rock music, but behind his extraordinary career was a prolonged struggle with addiction. During the 1970s and 1980s, Clapton experienced serious problems involving heroin and alcohol that affected his health, relationships, personal life, and music. His recovery did not occur in one perfect … Read more
Most people occasionally return to make sure they locked the door, turned off the stove, or unplugged an appliance. With obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), however, checking can become an exhausting cycle. A person may check the same lock repeatedly and still walk away thinking, “But what if I didn’t check it correctly?” OCD is not simply … Read more
Celebrity recovery stories are often presented publicly as inspiring transformations. What audiences do not always see is that recovery can include setbacks, and relapse may occur privately long before anyone outside a person’s inner circle realizes something has changed. For celebrities, maintaining privacy may be even more complicated because careers, contracts, public expectations, financial responsibilities, … Read more
Starting a diet can feel surprisingly easy. The first few days may bring motivation, careful meal planning, and confidence that this time will be different. Then hunger increases, stress takes over, cravings set in, a social event disrupts the plan, or one unplanned meal leads to thoughts of giving up completely. Why is sticking to … Read more
For someone recovering from alcohol use disorder (AUD), the thought “I’ll just have one drink” can seem harmless. A person may believe that after weeks, months, or years without alcohol, drinking is now something they can control. But for people whose recovery goal is abstinence, that first drink can represent an important relapse risk. Not … Read more
When a controversial public figure experiences a personal crisis, people may be tempted to describe the situation as “karma.” Perez Hilton’s recent mental-health crisis has prompted exactly that kind of reaction online. But a life-threatening mental-health emergency is not an appropriate moment for celebration, punishment, or amateur diagnosis. It is an opportunity to discuss compassion, … Read more
Relapse stories involving celebrities, athletes, musicians, and other public figures often attract headlines, but behind the publicity is an experience shared by many people living with substance use disorders. Recovery is rarely a perfectly straight path. A return to substance use can occur after months or even years of progress, especially when stress, cravings, untreated … Read more