Certain circumstances, including sights, sounds, tastes, and smells, can trigger our senses and our memory banks to tap into the files in our past and recall those incidences where drugs were used to make us feel a certain way. Enormous happiness, elation, celebration, devastating sadness, isolation and loneliness, anger, and exhaustion—these can trigger our memories […]

In a previous piece I discussed Awareness, being conscious of what is happening around us and inside us. In Twelve-Step recovery, awareness is noticing when our behavior is being driven by a character defect (such as dishonesty) rather than a spiritual principle (such as honesty).  When we are aware of our behaviors and the motivations […]

Awareness. Awareness is being conscious of what is happening around us and inside us. When we’re walking down the street and are aware of our surroundings we are conscious of businesses across the street, of the people walking behind us. We’re aware of the expressions on people’s faces, aware of whether it’s sunny or cloudy, […]

Researchers at the University at Buffalo have found a way to change alcohol drinking behavior in rodents, using the emerging technique of optogenetics, which uses light to stimulate neurons. Their work could lead to powerful new ways to treat alcoholism, other addictions, and neurological and mental illnesses; it also helps explain the underlying neurochemical basis […]