Rise of Opiate Use Is Not the Answer to Relive Stress

/ Guest Post / By Eve Pearce According to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2010 12 million people in the US used opiate drugs for purposes other than pain relief. Abuse of prescription drugs such as morphine, oxycodone and codeine is a far bigger problem than use of heroin and many people are turning to opiates as a way to help them deal with stress. Prescription opiates are able to do this, as although they take longer to reach the brain than injected heroin, once there they exert similar effects. In the central nervous system these drugs…
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Shall I Begin Psychiatry or Counseling?

While often misidentified as the same, psychiatry and counseling are actually quite different. To begin, let me try and differentiate psychiatry from counseling. Counseling is traditionally focused on the practice of "talk therapy," or “psychotherapy.” That is, the process of working through problem/life issues by talking them through with a professional counselor. Such a professional will help clients to process their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, and will help clients to build strategies for improving their moods, lives and relationships. Psychiatry (with some exceptions) is generally focused on helping individuals to overcome specific problem issues with medication. Medication in Psychiatry Treatment…
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What to Expect from Counseling

Many people are afraid to come to a counseling session because they find it too intimidating. I can't blame them. Heck, I find it difficult to go to the doctor when I am feeling sick and can't go to work. So, it is a new experience and often provokes some natural anxiety. Your first session is the hardest and it gets easier from there! Here are some of the questions I've been asked: * Am I any less of a man for coming to counseling? No. If counseling weren't manly, I wouldn't be doing it! I'll tell you that its…
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Medication vs. Counseling

There is seldom a day that goes past where I don't have a client who comes to me with a great concern that their medications are not working. Often, when I ask what they are doing for themselves, they develop a rather puzzled look on their face. Most of the time, they say that they just wait for the medication to take effect. More and more, society is putting focus on medications while ignoring how people can change their mood and overall health with a few behavior changes. It is very easy to blame a chemical imbalance in the brain…
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Prescription Sex Enhancing Drugs

Drugs = better sex?? When we watch TV, we get this message. If we subscribe to much of the popular culture, we get this message. Is it true? Well, I don't subscribe to this philosophy. Of course drugs can enhance sex, but it often does not work and certainly has its drawbacks. I see many people in my office who are having some sort of sex problem…like lack of desire, impotence, or just boring sex. Often, they have turned to prescription sex enhancing drugs to help them. Usually, they are quite surprised when these drugs do not work as advertised.…
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