by Richard Amaral | Sep 12, 2013 | Addiction Psychology, All Entries
This past Monday (September 9th) was International FASD Day. FASD stands for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. This date was chosen to help remind people of the importance of being alcohol-free during the nine months of pregnancy (09/09). FASD – What is it and...
by Richard Amaral | Aug 22, 2013 | Addiction Psychology, All Entries
Last week, I was in beautiful Vancouver Island, British Columbia, facilitating workshops on “Motivation” and “Trauma and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.” The workshops were sponsored by Community Health Associates of British Columbia. This...
by Richard Amaral | Jul 18, 2013 | Addiction Psychology, All Entries
A few days ago, Cory Monteith, a rising star in television, died from the deadly combination of alcohol and heroin. Monteith is not the first person to die from an addiction to alcohol or drugs, and sadly, he won’t be the last. In this post, I’ll be talking about why...
by Richard Amaral | Jun 5, 2013 | Addiction Psychology, Depression
When we hear the word “relapse,” most of us think of addiction. However, it can also refer to a relapse of moods, such as depression and anxiety, and problem behaviours. For example, you can be in a good mood but suddenly relapse back into a state of unexplained...
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...