The twelve steps of the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) recovery program is the spiritual foundation for personal recovery, used not only by people with an alcohol use disorder (AUD) but by their friends and family in Al-Anon and Alateen programs. People who have embraced the twelve step manifesto have found that it not only provides them the means to stop drinking but offers them a structural framework by which to live a productive and fulfilling life....
Good character is something people often look for in others, whether they are employees, students, friends, or potential dating partners. Character strengths are the positive qualities that suggest good character. Put another way, character strengths are those traits that show people’s assets rather than their faults and issues. According to positive psychology, good character is exemplified by 24 widely valued character strengths. These are organized under six broad virtues. History of the 24 Character Strengths These 24 character strengths were first identified by Martin Seligman, PhD, and Neal Mayerson, PhD....
Do you often wonder what life would be like without alcohol? Do you use alcohol to overcome social anxiety? Do you question why alcohol is present at every event? Do you hate the all-or-nothing mentality that comes with sobriety? Maybe you don’t have to drink, but you often do and wish you didn’t. Sober curiosity might be for you. According to Ruby Warrington, author of Sober Curious: The Blissful Sleep, Greater Focus, Limitless Presence, and Deep Connection Awaiting Us All on the Other Side of Alcohol, and founder of Club Söda, “[Being sober curious] means, literally, to choose to question, or get curious about, every impulse, invitation, and expectation to drink, versus mindlessly going along with the dominant drinking culture....
Miscarriages are, unfortunately, quite common. Between one-third to one-half of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. Perhaps the most common reason for a miscarriage is something called a blighted ovum, which is when an egg implants into the uterus but an embryo never grows in the gestational sac. A blighted ovum is the most common type of miscarriage that occurs in the first trimester, and is also referred to as an anembryonic pregnancy....
You may think it would be easy to tell if love is unrequited but it isn’t always clear and can cause a lot of confusion and emotional turmoil. Learn what to look for and how to address the situation. Unrequited love involves having strong romantic feelings toward another person who does not feel the same way. It is a one-sided experience that can leave people with feelings of pain, grief, and shame....
Do you wonder why your child developed a sunburn in patches or even as a handprint? You may have taken common precautions for your child but not realized that skin contact with lime juice, lemonade, grapefruit, or even celery may put children at risk for phytophotodermatitis. Refreshing summer drinks often include citrus or celery, so you need to be aware of photosensitizing plant compounds that make skin extra sensitive to sunlight....
There are a number of misconceptions about the field of psychology. This is likely because people often have very little direct knowledge and experience with the science of psychology. For many people, their first (and usually only) experience with psychology happens when they take an introductory course on the topic to fulfill a high school or university general education requirement. No wonder there are so many different misunderstandings about exactly what psychology is and is not....
It’s important to give teens positive messages about their ability to create bright futures for themselves. But sometimes, well-intentioned, ‘inspirational’ messages can actually do more harm than good. Here are seven messages you shouldn’t give to your teen. 1. Never Give up on Your Dreams While it’s important to have dreams, you shouldn’t imply walking away from a dream is the same as being a quitter. Sometimes, you have to let go of one dream to make room for new dreams....
Whether you’ve been dating someone a while, currently live with a partner, or are part of a long-married couple, you might be seeking ways to better the relationship you have. Unlike holiday love stories and romantic comedies in which all is resolved after one or two conflicts, maintaining thriving relationships takes some effort. But it doesn’t have to be difficult. With the daily grind of responsibilities and frayed nerves, it’s understandable why dealing with partner issues falls to the bottom of your list....
Are you writing a paper for a psychology class? Then you will need to use APA format to organize your paper and list the references you used. If you’ve never used this format before, you may find that it is quite a bit different from some of the writing styles and guidelines you have used in the past. While it might take a while to get used to, learning how to write an APA paper is a useful skill that will serve you well whether you are a psychology major or just taking your first social science class....
If you’re looking for a traditional masculine name with Anglo-Saxon or Celtic roots, Brandon may be the name for you. The name Brandon comes from multiple sources, with different meanings in Old English and Old Irish. In Old English, Brandon was originally a place-name meaning “gorse-hill.” There are at least four different towns and villages in England called Brandon. The place-name was used first as a surname, and later as a given name....
When it comes to nourishing a newborn, no one would argue that for most moms and their babies, breastfeeding is best. A mother’s milk is naturally flowing with all of the nutrients an infant needs to grow and flourish, and nursing can help a woman’s recently-pregnant body return to “normal” more quickly and easily. In some cases, however, breastfeeding can cause a new mom’s thyroid gland to produce too much thyroid hormone, condition hyperthyroidism....
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone that your body makes during pregnancy. When you take an at-home pregnancy test by urinating on a test strip, that test determines whether your body is producing hCG. If you are, it tells you that you’re pregnant. The test can’t tell exactly how much hCG your body is making (it’s not what scientists would call a “quantitative” test), but your body needs to be producing a certain minimum amount in order for the test to detect it....
If you struggle with depression, taking antidepressants can drastically improve your life and your ability to function on a daily basis. But getting pregnant may change things. The joy of seeing a positive pregnancy test result may be tinged with a nagging sense of worry if you rely on antidepressants. You may wonder whether you can continue taking your medication now that you’re pregnant, and you may have concerns about going without it for a period of nine months....
Although obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a complex illness with many causes and risk factors, understanding the psychological factors that cause OCD symptoms and keep them going is essential to getting the most out of treatment. It is now clear that OCD is characterized by a number of errors in thinking called cognitive distortions, which can potentially lead to obsessions and compulsions. Cognitive therapists have identified a number of cognitive distortions that seem to be particularly prevalent among people with OCD....
When you picture your young children, you picture them strong, energetic, happy and healthy. You picture them running outside, falling and scraping their knee, then getting up and continuing to chase after their friends. The last place you picture them is in a hospital bed. Even so, a toddler’s hospital stay is something that parents have to deal with every year, and something that every parent is going to react to differently....
Before children are born, developing neurons (aka brain cells) organize into layers to form the cerebral cortex, the outermost part of the brain. But in some children, the brain cells fail to organize in the way they’re genetically supposed to. When this occurs, the cerebral cortex does not form properly. This condition is known as cortical dysplasia and is associated with seizures, epilepsy, and developmental delays. Because the neurons failed to migrate into their proper formation, brain connectivity is altered in specific circuits of the brain which leads to impaired functioning....
Some psychologists believe that teasing is an important tool in building healthy relationships. The more satisfied a couple is with their partnership, the more playful they can become. However, since teasing is ambiguous, the desired effect can backfire. Additionally, people respond differently to teasing. Even if said in jest, some jokes and forms of teasing are just not funny or acceptable. For many people, some areas of life are considered off-limits when it comes to teasing and joking....
Substance use disorders (SUD) can often occur alongside eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Both SUDs and eating disorders alone can cause complex emotional, physical, and social problems along with an increased risk of death. When they occur together they can be a particularly dangerous combination and present complications for treatment. What Are Substance Use Disorders? Substance use disorders encompass a wide variety of problems related to the use of drugs....
Effexor withdrawal, a common form of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, occurs if you abruptly stop taking it. Symptoms typically appear within eight to 12 hours after you miss a dose and can persist for up to two weeks. For example, you might feel nauseated, dizzy, short-tempered, confused, restless, and/or distracted. Other symptoms can include “brain zaps,” nightmares, and other temporary discomforts. Overview Some people report experiencing “brain shivers” or “brain zaps” when they are late taking their prescribed dose of Effexor....
