ADDICTION Archives - Mindful Happiness

February 26, 2017 By Admin

Dangers of Smartphone Abuse

Psychological Research on the Dangers of Smartphone Abuse

There is no doubt that smartphone technology bring us a great deal of advanced technological access to a world of information and communication. There is a downside. Recent research published by The American Psychological Association in March, 2017, and opinions in The Atlantic warn of potential and actual biopsychosocial dangers of excessive smartphone use. By now most of us realize that smartphone use is a strongly reinforced habitual behavior, a habitual behavior that results in huge profits for the industry. Like so much else in American commerce, the profit incentive takes precedent over the health of the people using the products. Here are some things the researchers discovered. Most of these findings resulted from heavy, addictive use of smartphones (on 24/7, spending many hours a day connected, loss of sleep to remain connected, rising anxiety when not connected, etc.). Here is a list of possible problems to consider quite seriously.

Do any of these reflect your own relationship with your smartphone? Here is the list:

Reduced self-care;
Impact on one’s sense of well-being;
Sleep problems;
Fear of missing out leading to compulsive use (self-medicating anxiety, depression, loneliness, etc.);
Anxiety within 10-20 minutes without smartphone use;
Reduced face-to-face communications (remember your mirror neurons);
Interference with “real” interpersonal relationships;
Higher levels of distraction (how is your ADHD doing), and problems with attention and concentration;
Stronger array and generalization for bullying;
Compulsive, habitual use via behavioral conditioning process;
Use of persuasive technology to get users “hooked” on their smartphones (there is a Persuasive Technology Lab);
Brain hijacking via brain stem and limbic reactivity;
Possible classical conditioning along with obvious instrumental conditioning via smartphone use behavior and environmental cues;
Obsessive-compulsive smartphone checking (up to 150 times a day in some cases);
Possible additional psychological health risks for people with anxiety, depression, trauma, etc.;
Possible added stressors regarding the need to keep up, not miss anything; and,
Possible iPhone disorders (see the next psychiatric Diagnostic and Statistical Manual – DSM-6).

The research and opinions suggest that there is an important human need to “take back your control.” Here are ways to reduce your smartphone’s control OVER your life.

Make conscious, mindful choices to use your smartphone less – and save money while you do so.
Retrain yourself NOT to be the rat in the cage pecking away for reinforcement (the behavioral psychology story).
Consciously time-out/limit your smartphone use.
Clarify expectations that you will NOT be available via smartphone 24/7 or for immediate responses.
Silence all notifications.
Protect your precious sleep time by totally unplugging.
Be more active interpersonally in the real world of human relations. Spend more time with people, not smartphones.
Do not open the device without clear intention (Tristan Harris – Time Well Spent).
Perhaps influencing smartphone companies and engineers to have a “do no harm’ ethics code.
Doing more meditation, yoga, exercise instead of smartphone use.
NEVER text, email, or talk while driving.

For more information refer to Weir, K. (March 2017). (DIS) – Con Nected. The Monitor on Psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. See also Top Concentrations Killers. WebMD, March 7, 2017. Also refer to Harris, T. (November, 2016). The Binge Breaker. The Atlantic.

Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont

Author of Mindful Happiness

New Edition of Mindful Happiness in Production…Coming soon!

December 9, 2016 By Admin 8 Comments

Facing Addiction in America

On November 17, 2016 The Surgeon General of The United States (Dr. Vivik Murthy) issued THE FIRST Surgeon General Report on our addictions problems. Since addictions in America may well be the single most threatening condition facing the nation’s health and economy, as well as casting strong doubt about a good future, one would hope such concerns are alive and well at the CDC and elsewhere in the government. The report noted that addiction is a chronic brain-based disease; let’s hope that they intend to fix it with MORE than just more pills! It is clear that the neurobiology of substance use disorders includes parts of the brain most involved in specific actions and behaviors: basal ganglia, reward centers, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex are all impacted by addictions. Such changes correlate well with experiences like binge-intoxication, withdrawal and negative affects, and preoccupation with anticipation of relief. Brain change
implications also include addictive outcomes like cue-sensitization, self-medicating stress reactions, rewards, use/abuse incentives, and weakened prefrontal executive functions in decision making, etc. A key issue in addictions is SELF-MEDICATION of negative affects and various punishing mental health symptoms. In my mind, and based on approximately 40 years of experience in the co-occurring disorders treatment field, I see addictions as bio-psycho-social-spiritual in nature. Our treatment and recovery efforts need to include all four components of this reality, not purely biological interventions. Treatment and self-help do work; we now have approximately 25,000,000 formerly addicted people in sustained, stable recovery. Generally, formal treatment is short-term and more intensive while recovery process (self-help, AA, 12 Steps, peer supports, etc.) are longer-term processes. Often formal treatment initiates the first small change in people; once a little more stable, many people then move into self-help for a much longer-term recovery process. Some people wait until they bottom-out; in this situation, one enters treatment or self-help as a necessity to prevent total emotional/physical collapse or suicide.

Most of the data used in the report comes from 2015 and refers to adults (sometimes including adolescents). The data below certainly hint that Americans have inability to manage negative emotions/stress and, perhaps, the emptiness in our hearts/souls. So much materialism has NOT positively impacted our habitual use of substances. With the recent economic downturn, we face more stress. More stress often results in more self-medication. So9 here we are! As a quick review I will simply state some details from the report.

How Bad is Bad? It is VERY bad!

One in 7 people in The United States will experience a substance use disorder sometime in their lifetime.
Only about 10% of addicted people enter formal treatment. This is a fact despite reasonably good outcomes from evidence-based treatments (especially behavioral) and self-help.
27,000,000 people suffer from a current alcohol or other drug (AOD) or prescribed medications abuse problem.
48,000,000 have used an illicit substances or abused medications in the past.
28,000,000 have been under the influence while driving sometime in the past year.
Although not in the report, cell-phone addiction may also be serious cause of automobile accidents and deaths on our highways and roadways.
About 40% of people suffering from an addiction also have another mental disorder, and less than half of this group enters formal treatment.
It appears that alcohol is still the number one substance used regarding lives lost and overall costs.
It is estimated that for every dollar spent on AOD problems, we save four dollars in health care costs and seven dollars in corrections costs.
The total cost to American society of our addictions problem is $442,000,000,000 each year. How long can our economy last with this kind of annual loss.
The primary reasons for so few people in treatment are many, but mainly poor healthcare screening, fear and shame, discrimination, cost, and strong stigma.

We better wake up!

More people need to be in treatment and self-help. Treatment and self-help MUST learn to work together; the future health and welfare of our country may well depend upon this new alliance. Our federal and state governments MUST put additional resources into formal treatment and recovery services. The future of The United States depends upon swift and decisive actions by the government and the American people.

For more information see Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health. (November 16, 2016). Washington, DC: United States Government Publication.

By Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont

Author of Mindful Happiness

New Edition in Production…Coming soon!

November 16, 2014 By Admin

Self-Medication Via Your Hand-Held Devices

Self-Medication: Is Your Hand-Held Device a Dopamine Device?

Mindfulness Activities:

Here is a simple activity that may inform you about your personal level of addiction to your digital/electronic devices.

Simply click the link below to download the PDF Worksheet; answer each question according to your personal opinions. Dr-Anthony-Quintiliani_HandHeldDeviceActivity

Be sure to complete the meditation activity noted at the end of these questions.

1) What is auto-texting? Do you think you suffer from it? Yes or No?

2) What is auto-texting while driving a vehicle? Do you think you suffer from it? Yes or No?

3) What is sexting? Do you think you are addicted to it? Yes or No?

4) On a scale from 0 to 10, rate how lonely or uncomfortable you feel when you are without your hand-held device.

5) If you answered “yes” to any of these three questions, what insights do you have about your addiction to your hand-held devices?

6) Have you ever contemplated WHY you must be “on” your hand-held device? What did you come up with for an answer?

7) Do you think you are using your hand-held device for connectivity with others as self-medication against your unpleasant feelings? Yes or No? Do you know what feelings? – depression, anxiety, fear, loneliness, or other?

8) MEDITATION ON YOUR DEVICE – Please do this meditation activity.

Shut OFF your hand-held dopamine device, and sit with it in front of you. Allow the device to serve as your object of meditation. Just sit and observe it. Be sure it is off. When your mind wonders off onto another thought, simply bring your attention (pure awareness) back to your device. Notice if you work hard at just sitting looking at your device. Clock how long you can just sit observing your device without any attempt to turn it ON to use it. Notice if this is difficult for you. Score (from 0 to 100) how difficult it is for you to sit (looking at your device) for at least 20 minutes without turning it ON or USING it. A higher score (0ver 50) implies that you may be addicted to your device. Another way to consider your level of addiction is to see HOW LONG you can just sit and look at your device without turning it on, doing something else, or using it. If you cannot do this for at least 20 minutes, you may be addicted to the device.

9) How do you feel now that you may know the extent of your addiction to your hand-held device? Some people experience such a strong addiction that they seek professional help from licensed helpers with expertise in habitual behavior.

May you be mindful;

May you be more calm;

May you be healthier;

May you be happier; and,

May you live with more joy and less suffering.

By Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont

Author of Mindful Happiness

CLICK HERE to Order!

September 9, 2014 By Admin

Self Medicate Suffering

So Many Ways to Self-Medicate – It Just Brings More Suffering

Very often poor child-parent (child-caretaker) object relations, attachment with care takers, and attunement by care takers negatively impact young children early in their lives. The well-documented scientific fact that environmental conditions play a more important role in gene-expression than pure genetics implies clearly that the quality of early life experiences activate long-term consequences in the lives of humans. Let’s take an informal look at the various forms of self-medication (short-term habitual behaviors to add brief experiences of fleeting joy or to escape personal suffering) used commonly in American society.

What is wrong with America? We lead the world in consumption of mind-altering substances – is the emptiness in our souls too, too large and deep? Our compulsive substance use reflects a hungry ghost perspective. Addictions of all kinds cannot be an effective substitute for LOVE!

Here is a limited list.

Substance use for various reasons – Users hope for periods of brief joy as positive reinforcement and/or escape from and avoidance of suffering as negative reinforcement.
Substance use for various mental health sufferings – Users learn that certain substances have a brief impact on their suffering in depression, anxiety, trauma, fear, social phobia, and emotion dysregulation.
Workaholism – We learn early that good work habits imply better success, but we overwork to escape things and/or to build internal security or compensate for insecurity.
Out-of-control consumerism – We love to buy, buy, buy even when we cannot pay, pay, pay. Do we need or just want?
Compulsive eating – Self-medicating often leads to obesity, then sometimes to diabetes, and other types eating disorders. Emotional eating is a very common problem in America. Supersize me! And that is exactly what happens.
Social dependency – We appear to have an extreme fear of being alone. It may be that empty soul again.
Extreme perfectionism – Some of us learn this as a way to cover up private insecurities and/or to obtain contingent positive self-esteem and self-concept. It may also be a behavior to obtain social-emotional value and respect from significant others.
Sex addiction and sexual rages/compulsions – Interesting that our sexist society commonly refers to women here, even with diagnostic formats. What about men?
Various self-medicating behaviors in mental health areas – Depression, anxiety, trauma, fear, social phobia and others; each one has its own forms of self-medicating the clinical conditions, and these forms go BEYOND substance use alone.
Excessive aggression – Even harming others may produce some form of reinforcement as a contingent means to control situations, dominate people, and/or escape pain. In non-war environments we lead the world in the number of people killed by gunfire. Where is our emotional regulation?

A very long time ago, the Buddha (in the Brahmajala Sutta) noted that there are many, many things we may become over-attached to. This form of attachment can lead to suffering – suffering due to loss of what we want; suffering due to any change; suffering due to general impermanence in life; and, suffering due to old age and illness.

If you discovered your form of self-medication in the list above, consider obtaining competent professional help to modify your habitual trends. Another option could be to do DAILY practice of mindfulness-based stress reduction skills. Obtain competent professional help to learn these wise-mind skills AND practice them daily. In time (perhaps as little as 8-12 weeks according to neuroscience research), brain plasticity changes may occur; you may then notice your unhelpful self-medication is slowly being replaced with a more helpful and healthy habit. Best of luck on your personal journey to better physical and psychological health.

By Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont

Author of Mindful Happiness

CLICK HERE to Order!

For more information refer to Mate, G. (2018, 2010). In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addictions. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, pp. 223-259.