Addictions and Compulsions

Neurological processes have long been thought to impact addictive tendencies and behaviors. Areas of the brain that are referred to as “grey matter” are responsible for numerous cognitive ... Read More

People get stuck in behavior patterns that might seem to pay off, at least in the short run, except they don’t. Therapy is one way to recognize repetitive behaviors and change them. Problems ... Read More

Research on alcohol dependency and addiction has revealed that alcohol misuse (AUD) and other risky behaviors are influenced by several factors, including reduced working memory capacity ... Read More

Alcohol consumption is not uncommon among college students. In fact, when adolescents go to college, they often engage in several risky activities for the first time. Using alcohol or drugs ... Read More

Alcohol is often regarded as a gateway drug. Individuals who initiate substance use with cigarettes or alcohol are more likely to use other drugs, including cannabis, than people who never ... Read More

Richard Spoth of the Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute at Iowa State University recently conducted a follow-up to his previous study based on data from earlier research on the ... Read More

Darren Haber, an addictions specialist and popular contributor to our Dear GoodTherapy.org column, is the focus of our third installment in an ongoing series of “Meet the Topic Experts” ... Read More

There is a wide range of research devoted to studying risky behavior during adolescence. Much of it is focused on risky behaviors as coping methods and some of it looks at risk taking with ... Read More

Why do some people develop alcohol problems and others do not? Researchers have spent decades exploring factors that put some people at risk for alcohol dependency. Several theories have ... Read More

Is it slow brain functioning? Is it denial? Are we really beginning to talk about the “elephant in the room”? Do things have to get worse before we get real? “It’s like ... Read More

The negative health consequences associated with smoking are too numerous to list. And yet, despite being fully aware of these risks, many thousands of people still smoke. Although rates ... Read More

The majority of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment approaches aimed at adolescents are outpatient treatment programs, primarily delivered in group settings. They usually focus on skill ... Read More