“ Fear is the mind-killer ... I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain. ” - Bene Gesserit "Litany against Fear" from Dune by Frank Herbert

This chapter aims to cover: What are the main forms of dependency?  Smoking, alcohol, other drugs, junk food, gambling, pornography.  How big a problem is dependency for health & wellbeing?  What are the effective treatments?  Identifying one’s own dependencies & working out a personal response.

 

Note there are already a number of resources available on this website that are relevant for dependency.  These include the cluster of downloadable questionnaires & handouts available in the "Good Knowledge" section's "Alcohol & food" folder.  There are also a series of blog posts I have written over the years that still contain interesting information about dependenies.  These include "Alcohol: know your limits and increase the price", "The CAGE questionnaire as a screen for alcohol problems", "Organization of teratology information specialists (OTIS)" (information on drug/alcohol dangers during pregnancy & breastfeeding), "New NICE guidance on alcohol misuse", "'The demon drink' - social costs and social responses", "Healthy and unhealthy behaviours can be 'infectious'","Does healthy lifestyle really make much difference?" & "Would you like to be 14 years younger - it's largely a matter of choice!".  If you visit any of these links, it's worth noting the date when the post was first published.  It's still likely the information in the post is of interest, but ... especially with those published a few years ago ... there will probably have been subsequent research studies throwing further light on the areas being discussed.

 

More to follow ...