Recovery from alcohol addiction can feel overwhelming, especially during the early stages of sobriety. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) provides a peer-based recovery community built around shared experience and the Twelve Steps. Within this fellowship, one relationship can become particularly important: the relationship between a sponsor and a person seeking recovery. An AA sponsor is not a … Read more
The foods we enjoyed as children often become connected to memories, emotions, and comfort. An after-school cookie, candy for good behavior, chips during television time, or ice cream after a difficult day may seem like simple childhood experiences. Yet repeated patterns can teach the developing brain to associate certain foods with pleasure, reward, comfort, and … Read more
John Madden was one of the most recognizable figures in American football. He achieved extraordinary success as an NFL coach, broadcaster, and the namesake of the Madden NFL video-game franchise. Behind his energetic public personality, however, Madden openly discussed a significant struggle with claustrophobia that affected his ability to fly and required him to restructure … Read more
Paris Hilton is widely recognized as an entrepreneur, media personality, and entertainer, but behind her highly publicized image is a history of significant childhood and adolescent trauma. Hilton has publicly described living with severe post-traumatic stress symptoms following experiences at residential youth programs, particularly Provo Canyon School in Utah. She has described years of nightmares, … Read more
Whoopi Goldberg is known for her humor, acting career, and outspoken personality, but she has also publicly discussed experiences with trauma, intense fear, grief, and mental-health challenges. Reports have connected one particularly frightening childhood experience—witnessing a midair plane collision—with later panic attacks, severe fear of flying, and symptoms described as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It … Read more
Someone may experience unpleasant symptoms at much lower amounts because of body size, medications, medical conditions, pregnancy, genetics, sleep deprivation, or individual caffeine sensitivity. Caffeine also comes from more than energy drinks. Daily intake can quietly accumulate through: Someone who drinks coffee in the morning, uses a pre-workout supplement before exercising, and reaches for an … Read more
Cigarette smoking is well known for causing cancer, cardiovascular disease, lung disease, and premature death. As awareness of these dangers has increased, products such as e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, heated tobacco, smokeless tobacco, and other nicotine products have often been promoted or perceived as alternatives to cigarettes. But does being safer than smoking mean a product … Read more
Laverne Cox is an Emmy-nominated actress, producer, author, and advocate best known for her groundbreaking role as Sophia Burset on Orange Is the New Black. Behind her professional achievements is a deeply personal mental-health journey involving childhood bullying, shame, trauma, suicidal thoughts, and the difficult process of learning self-acceptance. Cox has spoken publicly about these … Read more
Rosie O’Donnell is a comedian, actress, television personality, and mother who has spoken unusually openly about her mental health. Unlike many celebrity stories that rely on speculation, O’Donnell has publicly identified her struggles with major depressive disorder, PTSD, anxiety, childhood trauma, and seasonal depression. In a 2026 interview, she again described herself as having major … Read more
Angelina Jolie is known worldwide as an Academy Award-winning actor, filmmaker, humanitarian, and mother. Behind her public success, however, she has spoken over the years about periods of emotional difficulty, family upheaval, health concerns, and times when she felt disconnected from herself. In a 2023 interview, Jolie said she had not felt like herself for … Read more