In a recent post we cited studies showing that teenagers, because of the particular circuitry of their still-developing brains, are more susceptible to cocaine addiction than previously believed.

Now a new study suggests yet another danger of cocaine use: premature aging. According to scientists at the University of Cambridge, cocaine use may be responsible for speeding up the brain’s natural aging process and reducing cognitive functioning.

Although we all lose gray matter as we age, it appears that chronic cocaine users lose it at a significantly faster rate, resulting in premature loss of attention, memory, self-regulation and decision-making abilities. For a teenage user, these abilities may never fully develop at all.

The list of health consequences related to repeated cocaine use already includes heart attacks, respiratory failures, strokes, seizures and more. Researchers stress the need to educate teenagers on these as well as on the latest findings regarding premature aging and the attendant loss of cognitive abilities. Read the complete article here.

Can excessive behavior toward one substance increase the probability of excessive behavior toward another?  Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine say yes, pointing to their recent study of binge eating. Not only does it lead to excessive food intake and obesity, but they now believe that individuals with a record of binge eating are more susceptible to other addictive behaviors, specifically cocaine addiction. Laboratory experiments found a link between bingeing on fat and the development of cocaine-seeking and risk-taking behaviors in rats.

The idea of substituting one addictive substance for another is nothing new to us. We see it often when students who no longer have access to drugs or alcohol begin to “use” food. A big part of our job is to convince them that until they can identify and deal with the emotional, mental and spiritual source of their substance abuse problem, they will continue to struggle physically with their addictive behavior.

Read the complete article here.

One thing troubled teens need to know despite the struggles of a difficult adolescence is that the future is full of possibility, and that they can be happy and successful in their lives. Part of our work at the school is zeroing in on what these possibilities might be for students. This includes helping them set goals and making sure they have the tools to achieve them.

A recent article highlights two critical elements for achieving happiness and success in life, which we can apply to ourselves, as well as to our students. First, we need figure out what it is we want. The famous quote by Zig Ziglar is appropriate here:  If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.

Second, we need to prime ourselves to achieve the goal we set (a one-time goal or a long term behavioral change) by repeatedly coming back and reviewing it. Students here are reminded throughout the day of certain goals they’ve set: academic goals as well as goals like living more honestly or unselfishly. We need to do the same. Reviewing our goals frequently, as faithfully as we’d keep a doctor’s appointment, is key.

Even more critical is making sure our environment supports us in our efforts to reach our goals. That’s not a problem for our students here because everything about the therapeutic boarding school environment is geared to success. But the rest of us have to create our own supportive environment. We need to surround ourselves with the people, things, and positive mental attitudes that support our goals and the changes we want to make. And we need to remove ourselves from any negativity that undermines or blocks our efforts. Read the full article here.

Is it possible that people in recovery lead happier, more fulfilling lives than those who’ve never wrestled with an addiction?

It’s quite possible, according to David Sack, M.D., who outlined his reasons in a recent article, “Are Recovering Addicts Happier?” Surviving addiction, like any near-death experience, changes one’s perspective on life. Many recovering addicts are defined by their enormous gratitude for simply being alive. That gratitude makes them more apt to embrace the process of recovery that teaches them to live in the moment, to take good care of themselves, to ask for help when they need it, and to find meaning and purpose in everything they do.

Do we have to become addicts to appreciate the lessons of recovery? No, but most of us will need to experience some degree of adversity before learning what’s really important in life. “In a dark time, the eye begins to see,” said the poet.  Read Dr. Sack’s article here.

A psychologist and author who deals in stress, anxiety, depression and addiction has come up with a simple but powerful technique to help readers improve their lives. He tells them to S.T.O.P.: S – Stop; T – Take a deep breath; O – Observe what’s happening in this moment in your mind, body and surroundings; and P-Proceed with what has to be done right here and now.

This easy, 5-second exercise in mindfulness has the effect of short-circuiting our tendency to act out of habit, and consciously think about our next step. It’s a way of connecting to the present moment, of becoming instantly aware of what is most important to us, and then focusing on it.

The psychologist, Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D., talks about S.T.O.P. and other techniques in his book The Now Effect, which zeros in on that space between stimulus and response—that tiny but all-powerful moment between the time something triggers a thought or emotion in us, and our reaction to it.

According to the author, it’s also a way of breaking free from automatic negative thoughts. We can stop watering the seeds of our own suffering by giving ourselves a moment to consider the source of our negative thoughts, to acknowledge the past pain or wounding experience they bring up, and begin to release them.

Read more about the life-changing “Now Effect” here.

If there is anything stronger than the allure of cocaine to a teenager dabbling in drugs, it’s the danger which cocaine in particular poses to that teenager’s brain.

Two recent studies by Yale researchers present new evidence that the particular circuitry of the teenage brain makes teens more susceptible to cocaine addiction that previously believed. The studies show that vulnerability to cocaine addiction is much higher for adolescents than it is for adults because the adolescent’s brain is still shifting from an explosive and plastic growth phase to the more settled and refined neural connections characteristic of adults. When first exposed to cocaine, the adolescent brain launches a strong defensive reaction designed to minimize the drug’s effects, but once interfered with, the brain’s sensitivity to the drug dramatically increases, and with it the risk of drug abuse and addiction. The researchers also identified a gene that seems to regulate  response to the drug, which may prove helpful in the search to cure addiction.  Read the full article here.

The 12-Step program tells us to avoid the “people, places, and things” associated with the addictions and behaviors we are struggling to eliminate. The idea here is “out of sight, out of mind,” and it works.

So what about using the same strategy for other struggles? Can we eliminate anxiety, phobias, or OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) by simply avoiding the people, places and things that trigger them?

Not according to Laura L. Smith, Ph.D. In her recent article, “Facing Fear,” she recommends that we do just that: face our fears rather than avoid them. She suggests deliberately exposing ourselves to whatever it is that creates our anxiety and triggers our fears. If we can’t completely erase them, we’ll at least make them manageable.

This makes sense from a 12-Step standpoint too. While we are advised to avoid the addictive substances and behaviors (alcohol, drugs, gambling, etc.) we struggle with, we need to remember they are just symptoms of an underlying problem—invariably some manifestation of fear—that the Steps were designed to root out. The Steps are all about facing our fears, and Smith gives us some tips on how to proceed. Read the article here.

Given the pace of life these days, it takes a great deal of willpower to slow down, and even more to just stop and wait. Patience is a virtue that few troubled teens possess. We’ve seen many students do amazing work here only to turn 18 and walk away from the school because they literally couldn’t wait to try their wings. Many make it, but many falter, and still others return, sadder but wiser. Some parents who have also lost their struggle with impatience and taken a student out of school have confessed “repenting in leisure” as well. Other students, who are just as impatient, nevertheless wait it out, seeing their commitment through to graduation or until they’ve completed their prescribed character education program. Their paths are invariably smoother for the waiting. “He that can have patience can have what he will,” observed Benjamin Franklin.

Those facing a decision are well advised to wait if they feel confused, or conflicted, or coerced. In her recent article “The Transformative Power of Waiting,” mentoring and recovery expert Shannon Cutts, says, “In any situation where an emotion other than peace is goading us to action, waiting is always an expression of wisdom.” We need to let waiting inform our decisions, especially major decisions, and act only when we feel clear, confident and at peace. Read the complete article here.