Barbara L. Wood, Ph.D. is a Licensed Psychologist and author practicing in Bethesda, Maryland. She specializes in the treatment of addiction and trauma. She is the author of two books about the impact of familial alcoholism. Her first book, Children of Alcoholism:The Struggle for Self and Intimacy in Adult Life, was published in 1987 by New York University Press and is listed in the current New York Review of Books as one of the best books in print. Her second book, Raising Healthy Children in an Alcoholic Home was published by Crossroads/Continuum in 1992 and recently updated and re-released. It is currently available in paperback and electronic form on Amazon.com. http://goo.gl/5OgmPm
I observed in a previous post that genetics, trauma, and substance-related changes in the brain are the “usual suspects” behind many substance use disorders. The heritability of substance use disorders has […]
Nearly everyone who experiences trauma revisits the disturbing experiences many times in an effort to understand what they might have done differently to diminish the harm they sustained or avoid the situation altogether. This is a hard-wired response to pain. Our brains are trying to develop a plan for avoiding future harm. But it is important to understand that the way we respond in dire circumstances is also brain-based.
A study led by researchers at Columbia and Yale University and published in Biological Psychiatry in May 2018 adds to the large and growing body of research that supports the view that substance use disorders are brain diseases with powerful effects on thinking and behavior, and that there are genetic variations that affect the development and progression of these disorders
A new study indicates that adolescent boys who use marijuana on a weekly basis may be at heightened risk for subclinical symptoms of psychosis. Alarmingly, these symptoms appear to persist, even after a year of abstinence from the drug.
According to a recent article published on ScienceDaily, researchers at the University of Texas say that the age at which adolescents using marijuana can alter the typical course of brain development, compromising brain structures that are responsible for higher order thinking.
Many thanks to addictionblog.org for including Raising Healthy Children in an Alcoholic Home to their list of must reads for individuals and families in recovery! A list of 18 […]
A new infographic from addictionblog.org about the impact of alcohol on the body.
Yesterday I posted the results of a study that found an increased risk of accidental and intentional death among women and young people with alcohol use disorders. Now there is a brand new study, published online by the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research (September 2015) that indicates that over the last decade, women have begun to drink much more similarly to men.
Recent research indicates that women and young people may experience an elevated risk of death as a result of alcohol use disorders.
Rick Nauert reports on PsychCentral about a study by investigators from Northwestern University concerning the adverse impact of teens’ daily marijuana smoking on the shape and function of the hippocampus, a brain structure that plays a key role in the preservation of long-term memories.
Raising Healthy Children in an Alcoholic Home 