ANTI-DRUG CAMPAIGNS
Anyone who watched television in the 1990s remembers the ads: “This is your brain on drugs,” followed by an egg splattering into a frying pan, and some dialogue that was trying too hard to fit with the “cool” lingo of the times. Everyone may remember them, but how effective were they? Anti-drug campaigns actually started […]
BREAKING THE GENERATIONAL CYCLE OF ADDICTION
To say that addiction is genetic is a bit of a misnomer that is further convoluted when terms like “addictive personality” and “addiction runs in the family” are used. While it is true that addiction (and the impacts of addiction, financial and otherwise) can be passed down within families from generation to generation, it is […]
SOBER GROUP ACTIVITIES
Going through a substance abuse recovery program is symbolic of the need for change in your life. Having spent so long dealing with substance abuse, you now realize how much time and energy was wasted on feeding the addiction. Our inpatient program at Asana Recovery helps patients discover new and fun activities that are healthy. […]
FLAVORED CIGARETTES
In June 2018, citizens of San Francisco voted overwhelmingly – with almost a 70 percent majority – to uphold a ban on flavored cigarettes. The measure had been proposed the previous summer, but a group of businesses and people in the industry challenged it. The challenge was spearheaded by R.J. Reynolds, which manufactures Newport, Camel, Doral, […]
HOW TOBACCO COMPANIES SKIRT ADVERTISING LAWS
These days, you don’t really see advertising for cigarettes or any other form of tobacco, but tobacco companies used to advertise their products heavily on television, radio, and billboards. Today there is legislation regulating the advertising of tobacco products, and those mediums are all banned. Unfortunately, the industry continues to find ways around these rules. […]
ARE SMOKERS LESS LIKELY TO FIND JOBS?
You’ve heard for decades all the reasons smoking is bad for you – it can cause heart attacks, strokes, cancer of the lungs, mouth, throat, and stomach, brittle bones, prematurely aged skin, fertility issues – the list goes on. If none of the health risks are enough to get you to quit, consider this: being […]
IDOLIZATION OF DRUG LORDS
Most people’s knee-jerk reaction to a drug lord – also called a baron or kingpin – is probably similar to how we’d view someone who committed murder, or at the very least manslaughter, and got away with it. Drug lords control entire networks of people involved in the illegal drug trade, but they rarely are […]
DOES COSMETIC SURGERY HELP PEOPLE STOP SMOKING?
Of all the reasons you may have considered stopping smoking, a facelift probably wasn’t at the top of the list. Interestingly, however, there is some evidence suggesting that people who undergo plastic surgery are more likely to stop or at least cut down on smoking. Part of this may well be vanity – someone who […]
EXPERIMENTATION OR THE SEEDS OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE?
Plenty of people experiment with drugs or alcohol without every developing a dependence or addiction. It’s practically a rite of passage among some college students, and according to a report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, nearly half of American high school students are using addictive drugs. There’s plenty of information out […]
CANNABIS AND MEMORY
You’ve probably heard all the criticisms of marijuana – it can be addictive, smoking it is just as bad for you as smoking tobacco, it might be a gateway drug, it’s associated with a risk of anxiety and depression, etc. You are likely also aware that it can have negative effects on your brain, but […]