The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) argues that addiction is “a brain disease because drugs change the brain…These brain changes can be long lasting and can lead to many harmful, often self-destructive, behaviors.” However, this is just one point of view in an ongoing argument between scientists who seem confused about what addiction actually is.

Dr. Marc Lewis, in his recent book The Biology of Desire: Why Addiction is Not a Disease weighs in on this argument from a unique perspective. Lewis is a former opiate addict turned neuroscientist and acclaimed author, a perspective he has already outline in his Memoirs of an Addicted Brain.

Lewis sees addiction differently than the NIDA stance, saying that to call addiction a disease is not a remarkable observation, as the argument is hinged on the fact that the brain changes in an addict.

He writes: “neuroscientists who study addiction seem to have missed the point. They put people through a number of brain scans, and when they notice changes after someone has taken a lot of cocaine or drunk a lot of booze they say, ‘Look! The brain has changed!’”

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Every human being has experienced the strong desire to cuddle with someone at least once in their life. That need can be caused either by affection, feeling comfortable with somebody or by loneliness. It’s a fact that cuddling strengthens our relationships and it is something we can strongly miss when we are single. Has it ever crossed your mind that maybe there is a scientific explanation for that? Well, there sure is.

The hormones in our bodies know what they are doing.

Cuddling stimulates the production of oxytocin. This hormone plays an important role in the neuroanatomy of intimacy. For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as the “bonding hormone.”  It gives us the feeling of empathy, trust, sexual desire and a whole bunch of other emotions that a healthy relationship triggers.

Read on to find out more on the benefits of cuddling and why it is simply amazing for your well-being:

1. It reinforces emotional bond and affection

Cuddling creates a comfortable environment for communication – something important that we tend to neglect. Communication is the foundation for building trust and trust is the key to a healthy relationship. ‘

Cuddling is simply a way to escape from the daily hustle and bustle, while hiding in the arms of our beloved one. It gives us the chance to focus on all of the positive sensations we can experience together. Continue reading →

If you are having doubts about the emotional stability and health of your relationship, then you have probably landed here for a reason. One of the ways that an emotional vampire gets under your skin is by tricking you into believing that everything is your fault, and that if you would just change, then the relationship would be perfect.

They will not take responsibility for their role as the emotional vampire, drainer or abuser. They may also convince you that you are crazy or wrong for thinking these things, and you might truly begin to wonder if you are.

1. Begin Preparations to Leave –

You know what you need to do, so now is the time to begin taking the steps. Your partner has taken away your power, and now is the time to take it back.

Begin to make plans from this place of power, not from a place of fear. If you live together, start to gather information on where you can stay.

Can you stay with your family, friends or someone you trust?

2. Put a Stop to Insults –

One of the first things to do is to let your partner know that you are open to healthy suggestions about the relationship, but that you will no longer tolerate, blaming or name calling. Continue reading →

One of the keys to a successful to a long-term relationship is to stay fascinated in the mystique of the other. This means remaining curious about their inner dialogue and hidden feelings, fears, and thoughts

A wonderful way of tending to this part of your connection is to talk about these things. Too often we are wrapped up in the administration of the day-to-day in a relationship that we forget what made the bond strong enough to cohabit in the first place.

According to relationship experts, these are some thought-provoking questions that can rekindle the flames of these types of discussions:

How was your day today?

Such simplicity can often be forgotten in the chaos of life.

“This allows people to share specifics and stay connected on a day-to-day basis,” said Mudita Rastogi, Ph.D, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Arlington Heights, Ill. Continue reading →