by Richard Amaral | May 22, 2013 | Addiction Psychology
Over the past few days, the mayor of Toronto has been receiving some unwanted attention. It’s alleged that he smoked crack cocaine with known drug dealers and criminals. Since one of my specializations is in addictions counselling, I couldn’t help but use this...
by Richard Amaral | Jan 23, 2013 | Addiction Psychology, All Entries, Eating
With the winter holidays just a few weeks behind us, one of the things I’ve been thinking about is how long it will take to burn off the calories from all the chocolates and other sweets I ate. Now, thinking about what I ate may not sound like a profound or meaningful...
by Richard Amaral | Nov 1, 2012 | Addiction Psychology, All Entries
I attended an innovative and uplifting conference recently in Kelowna, BC. Successful entrepreneur and local businessperson, Fred Sarkari, organized and hosted the event. There were about 7 speakers on the panel, all from a variety of industries. I was honoured to be...
by Richard Amaral | May 30, 2011 | Addiction Psychology
A couple of losses in the entertainment world this past week has made me think a little more deeply about addiction. More specifically, I’ve been thinking about the element of choice in the development and treatment of addiction. The power of addiction Gill...
by Richard Amaral | Apr 11, 2011 | Addiction Psychology, All Entries, Family Violence
In the last two blog entries, I wrote about cognitive-behavioural theory and how it explains intimate partner aggression. The main tenet in these blogs was that when an individual perpetrates aggression, they usually engage in biased forms of self-talk (thoughts) that...
by Richard Amaral | Feb 14, 2011 | Addiction Psychology, All Entries
There are many ways to heal from psychological and emotional problems. One of these ways is to focus on our connection with a Higher Power – however we define it. Today’s blog will discuss the role of spirituality in helping people heal from addictions....
