HEALTH TOPICS 
Howard J. Shaffer, PhD, CAS
Posts by Howard J. Shaffer, PhD, CAS
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Recovering from addiction during a time of uncertainty and social distancing
Because the very nature of recovery support involves face-to-face interaction, whether in support group meetings or dispensing medication, it is at odds with the need for social distancing during the COVID-19 crisis, creating barriers to receiving support and maintaining recovery.
Pathways into and out of addiction
I am often asked, what is the best way to recover from addiction? There are as many pathways out of addiction as there are pathways into addiction. There is no single best or certain approach to recovery. For example, lapses and relapses are very common for any treatment approach. During the past four decades, this […]
When gambling might be a problem
Excessive gambling is now recognized as an addictive disorder by the American Psychological Association. Asking yourself if gambling has adversely affected your life is a good way to determine whether it’s a problem that needs treatment.
What is addiction?
Follow me on Twitter @howard_shaffer Many people consider addiction to be a problem of personal weakness, initiated for self-gratification and continued because of an unwillingness or lack of sufficient willpower to stop. However, within the medical and scientific communities, the notion that pleasure-seeking exclusively drives addiction has fallen by the wayside. Clinicians and scientists alike […]
What is addiction?
As understanding of addiction evolves, experts now believe that the roots of addiction can be found in a person’s efforts to escape discomfort and that this drive that can take a number of possible expressions, whether through a substance or an activity. The road to recovery can be long and include setbacks, but with time life can become much better.