Is My Porn Use Normal?

The question of whether any amount of porn use is acceptable is a divisive topic in our culture. It’s difficult to answer with any level of certainty. How much porn use is “safe” or “healthy” depends largely on a person’s individual circumstances, beliefs, and choices. A… Read More

Sex and Love Addiction: Help for Family Members

By: Jerry Law D.Min, MDAAC, CIP, Program Director of Family Education and Leadership Training for Meadows Behavioral Healthcare Dave and Sue were immediately hit with that sinking feeling in the gut, having received a call that their son was arrested for solicitation of a sex worker. Tammy found a suspicious… Read More

Distorted Love: Adult Attachment Styles and Love Addiction

By Alexandra Katehakis, Ph.D.(c), MFT, CST-S, CSAT-S, Former Senior Fellow at The Meadows For decades, researchers have struggled to define the unconscious processes of irrational love paramount in myths and fairy tales. Lovers in these stories are portrayed as love-struck, driven to tantrums or immature behavior, wholly bewitched by the… Read More

Signs That You Need Help for Sex Addiction

By Dr. Georgia Fourlas, LCSW, LISAC, CSAT Clinical Director of Rio Retreat Center Workshops at The Meadows “Are my sexual behaviors really a problem?” Some people addicted to sex know the answer to that question, even if they refuse to admit it. Other people aren’t so sure. Sometimes, sexual behaviors… Read More

How We Shortchange Men in Trauma and Addiction

By: Dan Griffin, MA When I went to school to learn how to work with people with addictive disorders, I got a lot of great guidance: Brain science. Internal family systems. Motivational Interviewing. Models of change. Working with the criminal justice population. Working with women. Cultural influences on addiction and recovery. Read More

Love, Relationship, Sex Addiction: What’s the Difference?

By Dr. Stefanie Carnes, Ph.D., CSAT-S, Senior Fellow at The Meadows Women who seek treatment related to their out-of-control romantic and/or sexual behaviors are sometimes unsure about how to label their issues. They ask, “Am I a love addict, a relationship addict, or a sex addict?” Generally, their confusion stems… Read More

Dr. Alex Katehakis talks with Alanis Morissette

Alaina Morrisette and Dr. Alex Katehakis sit down and discuss sexual health, gender, trauma, and life practices and how they relate to the individual, and how that changes over time on a podcast.  Read More

The Link Between Empathy and Addiction

By Kevin McCauley, MD, Senior Fellow at The Meadows I make this shocking statement in my lectures sometimes: “Heroin addicts are sweet people.” I partly say this because I’m an addict and tend to make hyperbolic statements for their emotional impact—which isn’t my best quality. I also do it to… Read More

Michael Phelps Continues to Share His Story

Laying your personal struggles out for the world to see cannot be easy for anyone, but we applaud those who face their issues and seek help for recovery. Michael Phelps has been nothing short of heroic in his swimming accomplishments as well as his ability to be open about the… Read More

Why Seek Drug Addiction Treatment at The Meadows?

For many what starts as recreational or experimental drug use, can rapidly turn into a compulsive and unstoppable dependency. Drugs are chemicals that alter the brain’s reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine and can drive the compulsive drug abuse that marks addiction. Drug addiction affects the lives of… Read More