By Jennifer Love, MD
You’ve seen the memes: A fully packed stadium with the words: “Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting, 2021.” “If you have a drink in each hand there’s a 100% chance you won’t touch your face!” We’ve updated our vocabulary to include “Quarantini.” Amazon now sells a Sit and Sip Refillable Winebag Chair, which pictures an enormous beanbag the size of a small car, with a woman lounging atop drinking from a plastic tube.
The message is clear: When crisis strikes, drinking is not only socially acceptable but encouraged. A study early on in the pandemic claims 1 in 3 Americans are more likely to drink alcohol during work hours while in lockdown. The numbers vary by states: 38% of California, New York, and Pennsylvania workers are drinking during work; about 50% in Idaho, Kansas, Iowa, and Virginia; and Hawaii “wins” at a reported 67%. The study didn’t even look at non-work hour consumption!
As mental health care providers, we have to take notice.
You may share my observation that shortly into the COVID crisis many psychiatric patients decompensated and needed increasing amounts of attention and treatment, and many addiction patients seemed to recede into some secret abyss.
I’ve also seen a tide of new patients scheduled by concerned family members because hiding an addiction is a lot more challenging when everyone is stuck in the home together. But COVID fear is also a barrier to treatment, as many families refuse to consider treatment modalities that involve anyone leaving the house, limiting treatment to online support.
I’ve been pushed into a more creative role of trying to invent ways to support the recovery of my patients and encouraging ongoing engagement. I’m certainly stretching my Motivational Interviewing muscles, trying to help people find reasons to change behaviors when many literally have nothing to do. Many of our old standbys of “is your drinking causing any problems with work/social interactions/legally…” may not apply. So how can we comfortably discuss increased alcohol or substance use during the COVID era with patients who aren’t in treatment for any addiction?
Well, substance use is like suicide—asking about it is necessary, and it doesn’t increase the risk of someone trying it. So even if you don’t specialize in treating substance use disorders, with a few tips you can proceed comfortably. Refresh yourself with the basics of helping someone increase their own internal motivation for change.
Here are 5 strategies I use.
I tell my patients from day one that we have a “judgment-free space.” I used to be a chemist, and successful experiments don’t rely on judgment. They rely on observation. I go in with a hypothesis, and it’s either correct or incorrect; there’s no need to be attached to whether I’m right. Either way I’m publishing a paper. If we can cultivate a sense of curiosity about ourselves rather than judgment, motivation for self-exploration increases exponentially. Don’t assume your longtime patients know you won’t judge them. Think about how many of them suffer low self-esteem, negative thoughts, and self-doubt. It needs to be stated.
“What do you value? Does your current alcohol consumption fit in with those values?” “If COVID is going to go on for a few years, do you want to spend those years being a daily drinker?” “We’re six months in. Did you ever expect to be a daily or near-daily drinker for that long? I think we’re all thinking about that now—even some of my friends and colleagues!” The purpose is for your patient to discover discrepancies between their values or goals and their behavior.
Your patient already knows your opinion on smoking, drinking, using drugs, playing video games, or watching porn 12 hours a day. They aren’t discussing this with you because they don’t know what is best; we, as humans, are just wired not to want to make changes. Confrontation slams the door.
Since we as humans resist change, encourage curiosity about internal resistance. I once did a podcast called “Why don’t I want to do the things I want to do?” I want to eat healthy and exercise, but what I really want is to eat pizza and watch Netflix. Judging the pizza and inactivity doesn’t inspire change, it induces shame, which drives people inward (now curled up on the couch). Being curious about the pizza and inactivity allows someone to explore the thoughts and feelings that contribute to their internal resistance and do what they logically want to do.
This is when I bring out my famous (ha!) snorkeling analogy. Yes, the words, “Life is like snorkeling” have escaped my lips more than once, but hear me out. We’re out snorkeling, eyes on the colors—the fish, the coral, watching out for reef sharks—and every once in a while, we have to stop, look up, and see where land is. We have to make sure we haven’t drifted. Sometimes we have to swim over to a new area, and then can start looking down again, getting caught up in the colorful show of life. We will hopefully do this a few times in life—make sure where we are is where we want to be in relation to our “grounding spot.” Are you where you want to be? Are your patients?
Dr. Jennifer Love is board-certified in psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, and addiction medicine, and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Board of Addiction Medicine. Dr. Love is an award-winning researcher and international speaker, interested in the interface between cultural and spiritual factors and overall mental health. She is also suboxone certified. Dr. Love’s work focuses on restoring life balance, brain and body health, and helping her patients improve their functionality and satisfaction in life. She considers a wide range of interventions including nutraceuticals, medication, exercise, yoga, psychotherapy, and sleep/relaxation training. Her specialties include mood disorders, substance use disorders, anxiety disorders, anger and irritability, behavioral addictions, co-occurring pain, and opioid dependence.
Dr. Love is the co-author of When Crisis Strikes: 5 Steps to Heal Your Brain, Body, and Life from Chronic Stress. Stay up to date by following @dr_author_jennifer_love on Instagram.
“So what, mom, it’s just a few beers.”
Have you ever heard that refrain from your kid? If so, it’s time to talk about drinking. You may think you’re powerless to put a stop to underage drinking, but did you know that parents are the #1 reason why kids decide not to drink alcohol?
What you say to your kids about drinking can change their life for the better.
There’s no doubt that teenage drinking is fraught with trouble—drunk driving, car accidents, risky sexual activity, and stupid decisions. These are just some of the familiar short-term consequences associated with alcohol intake during the teenage years.
What many parents don’t realize is that drinking also comes with many long-term emotional, cognitive, and brain health consequences. For example, did you know that heavy drinking as a teen is associated with an increased risk of:
These issues can have devastating impacts on your teen’s future. They can keep your child from reaching their academic potential, prevent them from getting into the college they want, or deprive them of a scholarship they might have earned. They can also be detrimental to relationships, future career opportunities, and overall well-being. In short, it can ruin their life.
A growing body of brain imaging research shows that teenage drinking also has damaging effects on the brain, which is undergoing rapid development up until the age of about 25. Here are some of the ways it can impact the teen brain.
Talking to your teen about drinking is so important. Here are 6 tips to help you do it.
It’s important to start talking to kids about alcohol before they enter the teen years. But it’s equally important to think of this as an ongoing conversation rather than a one-and-done deal. Continue talking to them about drinking when they are in junior high, high school, and beyond.
Seeing is believing. Showing young people the brain scans of healthy people versus those who are moderate drinkers or alcoholics can be an eye-opener. This article on “5 Scary Ways Alcohol Can Damage the Brain” shows a brain scan of a drinker and can provide you with some good talking points.
Share the knowledge that loving and caring for their brain will help them be happier, get better grades, be more successful, have stronger relationships with their friends, and have a better love life. The Amen University online course “Brain Thrive By 25” is taught in high schools around the country and can help kids learn how to love and care for their brain.
Show your child that you care about them by paying attention to them. Be on the lookout for behaviors that may be signs they are drinking and talk to them about it. Kids are more likely to drink when they believe their parents won’t find out, so be present and be aware. And talk to them about what you notice.
Don’t take the “do as I say not as I do” approach. If you are routinely having alcoholic beverages when your child is around, they will learn that drinking is okay. Think about the behavior you are modeling for your kids.
If your youngster is developing a drinking problem, don’t wait to seek help. Talk to them about seeing a professional who can help them regain control of their life.
Addictions, anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, and other mental health issues can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever and waiting until life gets back to “normal” is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.
At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Residential care for addiction treatment can be a lifesaver for some people. Going from utter chaos to a stable, controlled environment with a laser focus on therapeutic healing can kickstart sobriety. Completing a residential care program can provide an exhilarating sense of accomplishment and hope for the beginning of a new life.
But as many people with addictions have discovered, residential treatment represents a “bubble world” where they are safely isolated from their real-life challenges, stresses, family dysfunction, friends who use, and other triggers. And re-entering the real world with all its messy problems and temptations can be extremely challenging.
You need a post-residential care plan.
When you graduate from a residential treatment program, you should feel very proud of yourself. It’s a major accomplishment and a testament to a tremendous effort on your part. To keep the momentum going, it’s important to have a plan in place to help you through the next phase of your sobriety.
First, you need to understand all of the areas of your life that may have contributed to your substance abuse problems then create a post-treatment plan to turn those negatives into positives. A good way to approach this is to think of your life in 4 Circles:
Investigate if there any physical issues in your brain or body that may have led you to self-medicate. For example, do you have hormonal imbalances, chronic infections like Lyme disease, or a past head injury that may be causing bothersome symptoms? Or do you have low blood flow in certain areas of your brain that are linked to impulsivity and poor decision-making, or to depression or anxiety? A failure to address these problems can lead you back to the substance abuse you’ve worked so hard to overcome.
Post-Treatment Plan: Schedule lab tests to check your overall health and consider brain SPECT imaging to identify any underlying brain issues that might make it harder for you to follow through on your recovery plan. Correcting any physical issues or ailments is a critical step in the process. Optimizing your brain can be the most important thing to help you stick with your recovery efforts.
Examine your thinking patterns to see if they are keeping you stuck in your unhealthy behaviors. Is your head filled with ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) that are making it more difficult for you to maintain a clean and sober lifestyle?
Post-Treatment Plan: Remember that you don’t need to believe every stupid thought in your head and learn to kill the ANTs by challenging negative thoughts. Any time you are feeling sad, mad, or angry, ask yourself if your thoughts are true, and if not, talk back to them. If you have trouble changing your thinking, consider helpful forms of psychotherapy for ongoing help.
Take an inventory of your friends and accomplices. Friends are people who will support you in your recovery. Accomplices are those who want to lure you back into your old habits.
Post-Treatment Plan: Write down the names of 5 friends who can help you stick with your new healthy lifestyle and 5 accomplices who will tempt you to revert to your old ways. Spend as much time as possible with your friends and limit your exposure to accomplices.
Look deep inside yourself to see if you can identify what’s motivating you to stay healthy.
Post-Treatment Plan: Know your “why” by creating a One Page Miracle. On a sheet of paper fill out what you want from life in these key areas: family, career, finances, spirituality, and others. Put this paper somewhere you can see it every day as a reminder to help you stay focused on what you want. And before you make any decisions, ask yourself, “Is this helping me get what I want out of life or hurting me?”
At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging as part of a comprehensive evaluation to help our patients see and understand any underlying brain dysfunction that may be contributing to addictions. We use an integrated brain-body approach to healing all 4 Circles of your life to improve your ability to maintain sobriety.
If you want to join the thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health and overcome their addictions and psychiatric symptoms at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Have you ever gone through a bad breakup or a divorce? Too many of us have suffered through it. Sadly, about 50% of marriages in America end in divorce, and that doesn’t include the dissolution of all the relationships between non-married couples. After the forced togetherness of quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic, that percentage could surge even higher. Research shows that after Hurricane Hugo, divorces, as well as marriages and births, increased, suggesting that facing a life-threatening event motivates people to take significant actions in their close relationships.
When relationship troubles or marital conflict lead to a breakup, we typically say it breaks our heart. From a biological and psychological standpoint, however, what we really should be saying is that it breaks our brain.
Look at Nick and Shawna. When they broke up, Nick was a mess. He couldn’t stop thinking about Shawna, hearing her voice in his head, feeling her touch on his body, and smelling her scent in his clothes. After being together for 5 years, everything reminded him of her—from songs to pictures to movies to waking up and going to bed. He couldn’t sleep, he felt constantly anxious and unbalanced, and he even had panic attacks when his longing for Shawna overwhelmed him.
What happens in the brain when you lose someone you love? Why do we hurt, long, or even obsess about the other person?
When we love someone, they come to live in the emotional or limbic center of our brains. They actually occupy nerve cell pathways and physically live in the neurons and synapses of the brain.
When we lose a lover through a breakup or divorce, our brain gets confused and disoriented. Since the person lives in the neuronal connections, we expect to see them, hear them, feel them, and touch them. When we can’t hold them or talk to them as we usually do, the brain centers where they live become inflamed searching for them.
Overactivity in the limbic system—the brain’s emotional centers—has been associated with depression and low serotonin levels, which is why we have trouble sleeping, feel obsessed, lose our appetites, want to isolate ourselves, and lose the joy we have for life. A deficit in endorphins, which modulate pain and pleasure pathways in the brain, also occurs, which may be responsible for the physical pain we feel during a breakup. Basically, we’re a neurochemical mess.
When a loved one leaves us, we have deep wounds that leave lasting scars. Many of us use alcohol or drugs to medicate the pain. There are smarter ways to cope with the loss of love.
No breakup or divorce is completely one-sided. Be honest about how your behavior may be contributing to the disintegration of the relationship and learn from what went wrong. Taking responsibility for your part also prevents you from feeling like a powerless victim. It empowers you to take action and make changes in your own behavior that will benefit you—and your future relationships—in the future.
If you feel strongly that your relationship is worth saving, marital counseling can help you explore ways to find some common ground. A therapist can help you learn to communicate more effectively so you can navigate rough patches and emerge with a stronger bond. In some cases where there is no saving the relationship, therapy can provide you with tools that can help you cope better with a breakup.
Brain imaging studies show that underlying brain dysfunction can ruin relationships. Impulsively saying hurtful things to a loved one, holding grudges, drowning in negativity that sucks the joy out of others, being constantly irritable, or flying off into a rage over small things—these are all signs of brain health issues. Brain SPECT imaging can help identify problems with brain function. Optimizing the brain can make marital therapy work faster.
If you do end up splitting, you may be tempted to drown your sorrows with ice cream or alcohol, to stay up all night bingeing on Netflix, or to cocoon under the covers by yourself. Don’t! Your brain is already hurting from the loss, so it’s important to treat it gently during this time. Watch what you eat, exercise more not less, and spend time with people you like. One of the most important keys to recovering from a breakup is keeping a regular sleep schedule. If you’re having trouble sleeping, consider supplements that promote relaxation, such as melatonin, magnesium, GABA, vitamin B6, l-theanine, and 5-HTP. This will help you heal from the hurt faster.
When you lose someone, there is a tendency to exclusively remember the wonderful things about them. Idealizing people impairs the grieving process and makes you hurt more. By focusing only on someone’s good qualities, the pain increases. Paying attention to their bad qualities causes the pain to decrease because we’re glad to be rid of them. Spend time writing out the bad times and your ex’s bad points.
At the beginning of a breakup, take some time to allow yourself to feel the pain. Crying can be a wonderful release of the built-up tension in your limbic brain. But after a good cry, eliminate the constant triggers to your nervous system. Go through the house, your computer, and workplace and collect the pictures and gifts, then hide them somewhere. Resist the temptation to permanently delete photos from your phone because you never know what might happen in the future. If you get back together, you’ll feel terrible about having deleted them.
When you act weak, needy, or demanding during a breakup, you literally push the other person away. You are no longer attractive or appealing. You seem and act like a victim. Forget the notion that being happy is the “best revenge,” being happy and feeling good about yourself is the best for your well-being. And it will help you approach a new relationship with healthier self-esteem.
Marital conflict, anxiety, depression, ADD, and other mental health issues can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your relationships and mental well-being are more important than ever and waiting until life gets back to “normal” is likely to make your situation worse.
At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for couples, families, and individuals. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
By Daniel G. Amen, MD
When I was dating my wife, she promised me she would never say, “I told you so.” She lied. Now, it’s my turn to say it. For over 30 years, I have been telling my patients that alcohol is not a health food. Many of them respond by asking, “But what about all the studies saying moderate drinking is good for your heart?”
It’s true that some studies point to benefits for heart health with moderate drinking, but others show differently. It can seem very confusing. In June, however, the American Cancer Society took a major step in the debate by revising its cancer prevention guidelines to clearly state, “It is best not to drink alcohol.”
I told you so!
For years, the ACS had simply recommended limiting alcohol consumption. The new stance makes more sense for the organization considering its website also says, “Alcohol use is one of the most important preventable risk factors for cancer, along with tobacco use and excess body weight.”
The idea of eliminating alcohol during the pandemic, however, may seem impossible. You may think you need your wine, beer, or Quarantinis to cope with the skyrocketing stress and anxiety of the lockdown, the job losses, and the added social unrest due to the killing of African-American George Floyd by police officers. You’re not alone. Weekly retail sales of alcoholic beverages soared by up to 55% during the pandemic, according to a report in The Guardian.
But drinking isn’t the solution. In fact, our brain imaging work at Amen Clinics makes it crystal clear that alcohol is not good for the brain, mental well-being, or quality of life.
Thousands of brain SPECT scans of “moderate” drinkers reveal abnormal activity patterns in the brain. Alcohol is a toxin that is harmful to the brain, and it increases the risk of cognitive dysfunction and mental illness.
For example, did you know…
Alcohol addiction is strongly associated with mental health issues, and about 8.5 million American adults with a substance use disorder also have a co-occurring mental health condition. Common conditions seen in people with addictions include:
Many people who struggle with mental health use alcohol as a way to self-medicate. Although this may provide short-term relief from symptoms, it usually leads to long-term problems and almost always makes things worse.
To overcome addictions and mental health issues, it starts with the brain. Brain dysfunction is the #1 reason why people get addicted to alcohol and other substances. And enhancing brain health is the first step to lasting recovery.
When you see all of the negative effects of alcohol, it becomes painfully apparent that it is not a health food. If you want a better brain, a better mind, better physical health, and a better life, it’s best to avoid drinking alcoholic beverages.
Addiction, depression, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, and other mental health issues can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever, and waiting until life gets back to “normal” is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.
At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
In the 4-part Hulu docu-series “Hillary,” former President Bill Clinton says that the affair he had with then-intern Monica Lewinsky was a way of “managing my anxieties.” Evidently, his stress-management strategy backfired and caused him a lot more anxiety considering the scandal eventually led to a grand jury investigation and his impeachment in 1998.
Clinton isn’t the only American to turn to unhealthy ways to deal with anxiety. Every day, millions of people self-soothe or self-medicate by taking drugs (whether they’re illegal, prescription, or over the counter), drinking excessively, overeating, engaging in compulsive spending, binge-watching TV shows, smoking, guzzling caffeine, or (like Clinton) having extramarital affairs.
There are better ways to cope with stress, pressure, and anxiety!
Decades of research have shown that meditation and prayer can calm stress and anxiety. Loving Kindness Meditation, in which you repeat words like “May I be safe and secure, may I be healthy and strong, may I be happy and purposeful, may I be at peace” can develop feelings of goodwill and warmth.
Using self-hypnosis can quickly decrease the stress-induced fight-or-flight response and can lower anxiety. One simple technique involved focusing on a spot, taking slow and deep breaths, relaxing your muscles, envisioning yourself riding down an escalator, enjoying a feeling of tranquility when you reach the bottom of that escalator, then imagining yourself riding back up the escalator and opening your eyes. It should leave you feeling refreshed and relaxed.
Every time you take a breath, it brings oxygen to your blood cells. When you exhale, your body releases waste products, such as carbon dioxide. When there’s too much carbon dioxide in your system, it can cause stressful feelings of anxiety, disorientation, and panic attacks. Breathing deeply from your diaphragm calms the brain’s basal ganglia, the area that controls anxiety. Whenever you’re feeling anxious or stressed, take 5 deep breaths, taking twice as long to exhale to settle.
There is strong scientific evidence for several nutritional supplements that can support a sense of calm and relaxation.
Focus on foods that promote calm and relaxation, including:
Learn to challenge the automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) that pop into your head and make you feel anxious, nervous, and stressed. Every time you have an anxious thought, write it down and ask yourself if it is true.
Music can soothe you when you’re stressed or under a lot of pressure. Create a playlist or try Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” or Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune.”
Hormonal imbalances can mimic symptoms of anxiety and nervousness. Have your healthcare provider check your thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone levels to see if they are out of whack and optimize them if necessary.
A 2014 study in Frontiers in Psychiatry shows that anxiety is linked to low levels of heart rate variability (HRV), the time interval between heartbeats. You can biohack your way to a healthier HRV with biofeedback apps to help you deal more effectively with stress.
These substances may temporarily mask feelings of anxiety and stress, but they actually worsen anxiety and lower the body’s ability to respond to stress. Limit or eliminate them completely from your diet.
At Amen Clinics, we take a unique brain-body approach to diagnosis and treatment that includes brain SPECT imaging, as well as laboratory testing to check physical health, and other important factors that could be contributing to symptoms. By getting to the root cause of mental health conditions, such as anxiety and panic attacks, we can create a more effective, personalized treatment plan for you. We believe in using the least toxic, most effective solutions for anxiety and other mental health problems.
If you want to join the tens of thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health, overcome their symptoms, and improved their quality of life at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Blood flow is critical for life. It transports nutrients, including oxygen, to every cell in your body and flushes away toxins. Even though your brain, which weighs about 3 pounds, makes up only 2% of your body’s weight, it uses 20% of the oxygen and blood flow in your body. Anything that impairs blood flow or damages your blood vessels hurts your brain and your mental well-being.
On brain SPECT imaging scans, low blood flow is associated with depression, suicidal thoughts, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADD/ADHD, traumatic brain injury, hoarding, murder, substance abuse, seizure activity, and more. It’s also the #1 brain imaging predictor that a person will develop Alzheimer’s disease.
Over 90% of teenagers do not get the recommended level of exercise, which could be one of the major reasons why mental health issues among teens have skyrocketed in the last 30 years.
Drinking more than 2 cups of caffeinated beverages a day reduces blood flow to the brain.
Smoking constricts blood flow to the brain. On brain SPECT scans, the brains of smokers tend to look older than they are.
In particular, drinking alcohol lowers blood flow to the cerebellum, an amazing part of the brain that is associated with physical movement, which means it can make you less coordinated. Plus, people who drink every day have smaller brains.
Coronary artery disease, heart attack, heart failure, and heart arrhythmia are all indicators that cerebral blood flow is decreased.
High levels of LDL cholesterol, and in particular having a high content of small LDL particles, is a sign that blood flow isn’t optimal.
High blood pressure negatively impacts blood flow to the brain.
Experiencing a stroke indicates that blood vessels are already damaged or vulnerable to trouble.
If you have blood flow problems anywhere, it likely means they are everywhere, including in the brain.
High blood sugar levels, associated with diabetes and pre-diabetes, cause blood vessels to become brittle and more likely to break, delaying healing and causing disease complications.
Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder that lowers overall blood flow to the brain, especially in the areas that die first in Alzheimer’s disease.
If you want to keep your brain healthy, your mind sharp, and your mental health strong for as long as possible, you need to keep your blood flowing freely. If you have any of the lifestyle factors that lower blood flow, work to change your habits, and if you have medical conditions that impact blood flow, don’t hesitate to seek treatment. Here are 3 additional ways to boost blood flow.
Both prayer and meditation have been shown to improve blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, decrease anxiety, and improve mood.
HBOT is a simple, non-invasive, painless treatment with minimal side effects that use the power of oxygen to enhance the healing process and reduce inflammation. Before-and-after SPECT scans from a 2011 study showed remarkable overall improvement in blood flow following 40 sessions of HBOT.
Nutraceuticals with research-based evidence to help maintain healthy blood pressure and increase blood flow include ginkgo biloba, cocoa flavanols, omega-3 fatty acids, green tea catechins, and resveratrol.
At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging and lab testing as part of a wrap-around evaluation and treatment plan to determine the root causes of your symptoms. We believe in using the least toxic, most effective therapies and strategies to optimize your brain function and feel better again.
If you want to join the tens of thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health and overcome their symptoms at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Recognizing that you or a loved one has a problem isn’t easy. For many people, substance use disorders and behavioral addictions creep up gradually and the changes are hard to notice. Usually, by the time you realize that you, your significant other, your child, or your parent is in the grips of addiction, the brain has already been rewired to fuel the addiction, and it is harder to stop.
To find out if you might have a problem, take the following quiz. This questionnaire is called the CAGE Assessment and it has been used for decades in the addiction field to help identify problem drinking. These same questions can help you pinpoint problems with other substances—such as opioids, cocaine, or heroin—as well as with behaviors like gambling, compulsive shopping, or even overeating. In the quiz below, simply substitute the word “drinking” with “prescription drug use,” “cocaine,” “meth,” “gambling,” “compulsive shopping,” “internet porn,” “overeating,” or whatever your bad habit may be.
1. Have you ever felt you should Cut down on your drinking…or other behavior?
2. Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking…or other behavior?
3. Have you ever felt Guilty about your drinking…or other behavior?
4. Have you ever had a drink…or engaged in other behavior…first thing in the morning (as an “Eye opener”) to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?
If you answered “yes” to 2 or more of these questions, then you may have a problem.
There is one more critical question to ask. It is not part of the CAGE Assessment, but it is often the most telling.
5. Do you drink…or engage in other behavior…despite the negative consequences of the behavior in your health, relationships, your money, or with the law?
If you answered “yes” to this question, then it is time to take a hard look at your behavior. Continuing to drink or engage in other harmful behavior despite negative consequences is one of the clearest signs that you have an addiction.
If you suspect a loved one may have a problem, you may think you know what to look for in terms of the signs and symptoms of addiction. Most people immediately think about finding drug paraphernalia, empty bottles of alcohol, receipts from casinos, or other physical evidence. But often the signs are far more subtle and can be mistaken for other issues or may co-exist with conditions, such as depression, anxiety, or ADD/ADHD.
Here are 11 common signs:
Noticing any of these signs should be a cause for concern. Addressing problem behaviors early is important because left untreated, addiction ruins lives, devastates families, destroys relationships, negatively impacts careers, decreases the ability to perform well in school, and causes health problems. People with addictions are more likely to get divorced, less likely to graduate from high school or college, less likely to get promoted at work, and more likely to develop diseases related to their addiction. And addiction affects our society as a whole and burdens us all.
Seeking treatment for yourself or a loved one is the first step to healing. Functional brain imaging with SPECT can be a very powerful tool in the recovery process because it helps:
In addition, when people with addictions see before-and-after brain scans of people with addictions, it shows that healing is possible and elevates hope that they can break the chains of addiction.
At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging as part of a comprehensive evaluation to help our patients see and understand any underlying brain dysfunction. This is often a powerful first step to breaking the chains of addiction. We use an integrated brain-body approach to healing the brain and treating any co-occurring mental health problems.
If you want to join the thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health and overcome their addictions and psychiatric symptoms at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.