Jennifer Fernandez, PhD & Associates

The holidays are a time of festivities, joy, family, and friends. It can also be a time of stress, consumerism, high levels of demand, and lots of libations. Whether it be food preparation, decorations, shopping for gifts, cleaning, entertaining, or planning family events – these can all add to the stress of the season.  Whether at the company party or over dinner with the...

The holiday season is coming and we all know what that means – stress, social engagement, and plenty of opportunities to drink. Add a global pandemic to the mix and our chances of wanting to cope with alcohol increase significantly. If you’re worried about drinking too much or you want to try abstaining this holiday season, join the Sober October movement and practice sobriety from...

Often times, the people who I support are attempting to fill a parent-sized void with addiction. They have unmet needs from childhood or they’re survivors of trauma. Regardless of the degree of severity, addiction becomes a tool for coping with stressors and unpleasant emotions. Over time, the person develops a relationship to their drug or compulsive behavior of choice and an attachment...

With Burning Man just around the corner, many people have been inquiring about the responsible use of various drugs, including psychedelics and MDMA. So, here are some tips on maximizing the *awesome* in your psychonauting adventure while minimizing the *bleh*. Everyone’s … Continue reading → The post Rave Responsibly, My Friends appeared first on Power Over Addiction.

The holidays are a time of festivities, joy, family, and friends. It’s also a time of stress, material consumption, and lots of drinking. As someone anonymously put it, “What does alcohol have to do with Christmas? One makes the other … Continue reading → The post It’s the most wonderful time for a beer: 10 tips to control holiday drinking appeared first on Power...

This is the last installment of a five part series on the neurobiology of addiction by Jennifer Fernández, PhD. Follow along on Power Over Addiction or Facebook. Drug of choice can say a lot about a person or what they’re … Continue reading → The post Why people develop a drug of choice appeared first on Power Over Addiction.

This is the fourth installment of a five part series on the neurobiology of addiction by Jennifer Fernández, PhD. Follow along on Power Over Addiction or Facebook. In the previous installment of this series, we learned that dopamine is responsible … Continue reading → The post Neurotransmitters and Addiction appeared first on Power Over Addiction.

This is the third installment of a five part series on the neurobiology of addiction by Jennifer Fernández, PhD. Follow along on Power Over Addiction or Facebook. Addiction is scary. It has caused pain in many people’s lives and has … Continue reading → The post This is your brain on drugs. For real. appeared first on Power Over Addiction.

This is the second installment of a five part series on the neurobiology of addiction by Jennifer Fernández, PhD. Follow along on Power Over Addiction or Facebook. Addiction causes changes to brain structures that regulate pleasure, motivation, and decision making. … Continue reading → The post The Neurocircuitry of Addiction appeared first on Power Over Addiction.

This is the first installment of a five part series on the neurobiology of addiction by Jennifer Fernández, PhD. Follow along on Power Over Addiction or Facebook. Addiction is a biopsychosocial phenomenon that affects over 20 million people in the … Continue reading → The post The Neurobiology of Addiction appeared first on Power Over Addiction.