Today the Guardian features an excerpt from Bill Clegg‘s Portrait Of An Addict As A Young Man. The story of one of the most gifted, charismatic and successful young literary agents in New York and his catastrophic fall into full-blown crack addiction: a collapse that would cost him his business, his home, many of his friends and – very nearly – his life. Brilliantly written and strikingly honest it packs a powerful punch.
It doesn’t feel the least bit wrong in those first seconds after exhaling the familiar smoke, no more than a reunion with an old friend, a returning to the most incredible conversation I’ve ever had, one that got interrupted seven months ago and, now that it’s started up again, hasn’t skipped a beat. But it’s more than just a conversation, it’s the best sex, the most delicious meal, the most engrossing book – it’s like returning to all of these at once, coming home.……….. link to readMy Life on Crack
The stimulatory effects of caffeine may be nothing more than an illusion according to new research, which shows there is no real benefit to be gained from the habitual morning cup of coffee.
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Tests on 379 individuals who abstained from caffeine for 16 hours before being given either caffeine or a placebo and then tested for a range of responses showed little variance in levels of alertness.
The study, published online in the journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, reports that frequent coffee drinkers develop a tolerance to both the anxiety-producing effects and the stimulatory effects of caffeine. While frequent consumers may feel alerted by coffee, evidence suggests that this is actually merely the reversal of the fatiguing effects of acute caffeine withdrawal. And given the increased propensity to anxiety and raised blood pressure induced by caffeine consumption, there is no net benefit to be gained. [continue reading…]
As I stumble around the internet on this wet wonderful rainforest day in British Columbia, I discovered this profound and thought provoking poem read by the poet and author W D Auden. A perfect sentiment to end the week with.
Being outside in nature for just 20 minutes in a day was enough to significantly boost vitality levels, the research finds.
Feeling sluggish? The solution may require getting outside the box – that big brick-and-mortar box called a building.
Being outside in nature makes people feel more alive, finds a series of studies published in the June 2010 issue of the Journal of Environmental Psychology. And that sense of increased vitality exists above and beyond the energizing effects of physical activity and social interaction that are often associated with our forays into the natural world, the studies show.
“Nature is fuel for the soul, ” says Richard Ryan, lead author and a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester. “Often when we feel depleted we reach for a cup of coffee, but research suggests a better way to get energized is to connect with nature,” he says. [continue reading…]
Today the Guardian features an excerpt from Bill Clegg‘s Portrait Of An Addict As A Young Man. The story of one of the most gifted, charismatic and successful young literary agents in New York and his catastrophic fall into full-blown crack addiction: a collapse that would cost him his business, his home, many of his friends and – very nearly – his life. Brilliantly written and strikingly honest it packs a powerful punch.
