Will Baum, LCSW

Power of Habit author Charles Duhigg weighs in on Bloggingheads:

A study finds a possible explanation why men are twice as likely as women to become alcoholics.

Dopamine has multiple functions in the brain, but is important in this context because of its pleasurable effects when it is released by rewarding experiences, such as sex or drugs…Despite similar consumptions of alcohol, the men had greater dopamine release than women.

PsychCentral:  Train Brain To Reduce Cravings.

Smokers who are taught cognitive strategies, such as thinking about the long-term consequences of smoking, show increased activity in the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain associated with cognitive control and rational thought.

WebMD:  Internet Overuse May Cause Depression.

Researchers say that their work suggests that teens who use the Internet pathologically may be about 2.5 times more likely to develop depression than  teens who are not addicted to the Internet.

Jane Brody looks at smoking.

[O]ver the course of a day, as the brain continues to be exposed to nicotine, partial tolerance develops and each subsequent cigarette produces less of an effect. But during sleep, nicotine comes off the receptors and smokers awaken with an intense craving for a cigarette.

One in eight ER visits due to mental health and/or substance abuse.

New government statistics show that nearly 12 million visits made to U.S. hospital emergency departments in 2007 involved people with a mental disorder, substance abuse problem, or both.

PsychCentral:  Relationship Breakup Similar to Addiction Withdrawal

Rejection by a romantic partner is a bitter pill. New research suggests the trauma is severe because love rejection affects primitive areas of the brain associated with motivation, reward and addiction cravings…

A.A., then and now:  After 75 Years, We Don’t Know How It Works.  David Brooks weighs in here.

In a culture that thinks of itself as individualistic, A.A. relies on fellowship. The general idea is that people aren’t really captains of their own ship. Successful members become deeply intertwined with one another — learning, sharing, suffering and mentoring one another. Individual repair is a social effort.

Also on this site, a list of 12-step programs in L.A. Whether you’re aiming at recovery or not, if you’ve never been to a 12-step meeting, they’re well worth checking out.  (Make sure it’s an open meeting–outsiders welcome.)

The L.A. Times looks at the “Twilight” obsession, opening with:

Chrystal Johnson didn’t think there was anything unhealthy about her all-consuming fixation with “The Twilight Saga” — until she discovered it was sucking the life out of her marriage…

Ignored stress brings cravings, then relapse, says study.

Researchers supplied Palm Pilots to 55 college students who were in recovery from substance abuse ranging from alcohol to cocaine and club drugs. The students were asked to record the their daily cravings for alcohol and other drugs, as well as the intensity of negative social experiences — hostility, insensitivity, interference, and ridicule — and their general strategies for coping with stress…