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From the very first drink, alcohol is different between men and women. Alcohol abuse, or binge drinking, differs for men and women. According to the National Institute of Health, binge drinking for men includes 5 drinks in a two hour sitting while binge drinking for women is about 4. Men and women’s bodies, metabolisms, and psychologies are different in general. For alcohol, the primary genders can act differently in the way that they create alcohol dependency in the brain. Healio reports that new research from Massachusetts has found a significant difference in the reward system of the brain as it relates to alcoholism in both males and females. “Analyses indicated a significant gender interaction in the association between alcoholism and total reward network volumes,” the article explains, “with smaller reward volumes among men with alcoholism vs. male controls and larger reward volumes among women with alcoholism vs. female controls.” In simple terms, they found that the male alcoholic brain has a smaller volume of reward compared to the female. Compared to other interesting findings which have surfaced recently, this is of little surprise. Statistically, women have always drank less than men and have been less diagnosed with alcohol related disorders. Even at the time Alcoholics Anonymous, the world famous 12 step program, was founded, female alcoholics were few and far between. The primary text for the group, Alcoholics Anonymous, was written for men by men with little mention of women who were not the wives of male alcoholics. A brief paragraph describes that female alcoholics do exist, “Potential female alcoholics often turn into the real thing and are gone beyond recall in a few years. Certain drinkers, who would be greatly insulted if called alcoholics, are astonished at their inability to stop.” Reports have revealed that the gender gap between male and female alcoholics is rapidly closing. Women are drinking more than men and more than they ever have before, leading to higher rates of alcoholism in females. The reasons why men and women drink alcoholically may differ on the surface- for example, women might be more emotional drinkers whereas men drink to relieve work-oriented stress. However, as many alcoholics in recovery  find, it is not the differences but the similarities which matter. Finding pleasure in the effects of alcohol and developing a chemical dependency upon it is the root of all alcoholism. Everything else is a matter of detail.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a mental health condition characterized by distraction, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. The high quality of impulsivity and restlessness is a risk factor for developing a substance use disorder later on in life. Many adults and young people with a substance use disorder are diagnosed with ADHD when they are admitted for treatment. Never having been diagnosed or treated for the condition before, their treatment for addiction tends to have greater success as treating the ADHD significantly influences recovery from addiction. A new study from researchers in Brazil looked at the connections between ADHD and addiction in patients currently in treatment. Important factors included in the analysis were:

Called “legal weed” “synthetic weed” or more technically named “cannabinoid alternative” synthetic marijuana types have gained popularity as well as notoriety in recent years. Clusters of overdoses, isolated overdose events, and chronic addiction has resulted from the widespread availability of synthetic marijuana. Perhaps the most striking difference between synthetic and normal marijuana is the overdose. To date, there are no reported overdoses on marijuana. Marijuana can cause a disruptive impairment of judgment and perception which can lead to accidental deaths. Compared to synthetic marijuana, the effects are minimal. Like other synthetic drugs, the chemical formula of synthetic marijuana is easy to manipulate. As a result, it is challenging for government agencies and law officials to stay ahead of the drug. Regularly adding forms of synthetic marijuana to the list of officially banned substances is helpful, but does not eliminate the problem. Sold as “natural” home products like potpourri and incense, synthetic marijuana is advertised as having natural elements, though it contains few. Instead, the harsh concoctions of chemicals can lead to severe side effects including heart failure, seizure, intense hallucination, and episodes of psychosis. These side effects mirror many other synthetic drugs, yet are more common in synthetic marijuana. According to data released in the Global Drug Survey of last year, 2016, synthetic marijuana will lead to more emergency room medical treatments than any other drug. Considering the recent devastating effects of volatile synthetic drugs like Flakka, Krokodil, and crystal meth, that makes synthetic marijuana a dangerous substance. Why Is Synthetic Marijuana Addicting? Regularly experiencing psychosis, seizure, hospitalization, and other severely adverse effects might not sound like an appealing draw to synthetic marijuana. However, many become extremely addicted to the drug. Any synthetic substance creates a powerful surge of dopamine, the neurotransmitter in the brain which sends signals of pleasure to other areas of the brain. Quickly, the brain develops a tolerance and a dependency on the drug. It does not take many uses of synthetic marijuana for addiction to develop.

For many years borderline personality disorder was misdiagnosed and mistreated. As one of the most difficult personality disorders to diagnose, creating the right treatment plan for borderline can be challenging. However, recovery is possible. Today, there are proven treatment methods for:

Social media has provided a lot of social movement in recent years. Trending hashtags have provided the world insight to real events, real experiences, and real people which might not otherwise have ever been news. Bringing awareness and connecting others was always the main purpose behind social media. However, social media can also bring people together in the worst of ways. For example, links to the dark web for illicit drug sales, pro-eating disorders groups, advocates for self-harm, and more. One of the leading social media platforms, Instagram, has fallen under scrutiny for its inability to regulate trending hashtags and keep track of harmful material. Additionally, much research has been dedicated to investigating the effect of social media use on mental health. Most often, social media use is connected to higher rates of depression and low self-esteem. Problematically, what is depicted on social media might not always be accurate for what is happening in real life. Reversing that issue is what can bring mental health awareness to life on social media in addition to a safe community. Recently, Instagram has taken initiatives to fight for and protect users who might be struggling with mental health issues. When someone creates a post that is particularly ominous, which might specifically indicate a threat of suicide or severe depression, Instagram’s algorithms pick up on it. Immediately sending the user a message, the platform provides a link for help to directly call a helpline and talk to someone. Another initiative allows user to anonymously flag another user’s posts. If a picture, its caption, or included hashtags indicate any mental-health related problem, Instagram is notified. Instagram then sends the original poster a list of organizations they can contact for what could be a serious issue. Now, Fortune reports, Instagram has rolled out a new campaign called “#HereForYou”. “By clicking on selected hashtags (including #HereForYou, along with other more specific hashtags), the goal is to make it easier for users grappling with mental health-related issues to find resources on the platform.”  Bringing together people in awareness and recovery for mental health rather than perpetuating harmful behaviors associated with mental health makes social media a safer space.

Summer is here and your sobriety is fresh. Worst summer ever? Definitely not! Though your first summer in recovery can be awkward at times, it will be full of amazing memories and growth as you learn just how incredible living sober can be. Summer is the perfect time to learn.

Stigma comes from a lack of information. It’s more difficult to judge and stereotype something you have personal involvement with. Categorizing and characterizing people with mental illness is easier than taking the time to understand them or understand the mental illness they might be living with. A lack of education and awareness about mental health causes those who have mental health issues to suffer, in many ways. Stigma can prevent someone who is suffering from the symptoms of a mental illness from seeking the help or treatment they need. In recent years, stigma is what prevented the government and major insurance providers from recognizing mental illness as a serious medical issue. Today, awareness is increasing, but there is still much farther to go. Michigan State University released a study which examined how much people seem to know about mental illness. Using an internet survey as the method, 4,600 people provided data for the researchers to work with. The survey was not simple question and answer. Instead, the researchers provided participants with vignettes, or small stories about a fictional individual. After the story, the participants were asked to provide insight on what might be going on with that person and what would provide the most help to them. Most importantly, the participants had to respond to statements regarding stigma. Bustle reports, “The questions to measure stigma asked participants to respond thinking about themselves and separately about their communities, to statements like ‘If [I/most people in my community] had a problem like [this person’s] I would not tell anyone.’” The results were startling. It revealed that there aren’t just some areas of mental health that the general public needs more help in understanding. Bustle writes that the study “gave a big-picture look at just where more information needed to be targeted. Unfortunately, the answer seems to be "everywhere."