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‘Michael Palin and Graham Taylor: Everyday anxiety and how to cope with it’ presents two real-life accounts of people dealing with anxiety almost every day of their working lives. The first interview is with Michael Palin, an actor, writer, director, and television presenter. The second is with Graham Taylor, one of the most successful managers in modern English football. They explain their coping strategies for dealing with the daily stress and anxiety in their respective roles. ...Less

Apart from water, the body’s first requirement under all conditions is for an energy source to perform physical and chemical work. ‘Energy nutrition’ explains that the metabolic fuels to provide this energy are derived from fats, carbohydrates, protein, and alcohol in the diet. The constituents of a meal provide these fuels directly for a few hours. Simultaneously, reserves of fat and carbohydrate are laid down for use during fasting between meals. Only about one-third of the average person’s energy expenditure is for voluntary activity; two-thirds is required for maintenance of the body’s functions, metabolic integrity, and homeostasis of the internal environment. Energy expenditure, energy balance, and physical activity are all discussed. ...Less

‘Recreational drugs’ explores the origins, mechanisms, and criminalization of many widely used drugs. Many recreational drugs are legal including alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine, which are all widely available. Other drugs are controlled by law. Cannabis is the most commonly used illegal drug, but some people advocate its use in pain relief. Likewise, amphetamines have been used as decongestants and in treating ADHD, but its criminalization led to the development of designer drugs such as ecstasy. Heroin and cocaine are considered as harder drugs that carry many more risks to users and society. Many Western countries have strict drug laws, but there are moves in some countries to legalize or decriminalize cannabis. ...Less

Society affects sleep and sleep affects society, influencing childhood learning and development, workplace safety and efficiency, and the economy. Society's attitude to sleep affects how much sleep we get, for example if hard work is glorified and sleeplessness lauded as a positive trait. ‘Sleep and society’ looks at the influence of society on sleep culture. Lack of sleep is a huge risk to safe driving. Why does society not take drowsy-driving more seriously? How does caffeine consumption affect sleep? In what way do school schedules affect sleep? Should we take naps during the workday to improve productivity? How can society support a more sleep-friendly lifestyle? ...Less

Counselling refers to a confidential relationship between a client and an individual who is trained to listen attentively and who will try and help you to improve things through support and understanding. ‘Counselling’ outlines some recognizable and useful differences between counselling and psychotherapy. Overall, counselling is less formal than psychotherapy, and the relationship between counsellor and client more equal. Most counselling draws on Carl Rogers’ client-centred approach, whose three core conditions for successful counselling and psychotherapy are congruence or genuineness, empathy, and respect. The specific counselling approaches considered here are: existential therapy, transactional analysis, drug and alcohol counselling, psychodynamic counselling, and telephone counselling. ...Less

Slang’s thematic range is not wide, though its synonymy runs very deep. It is stripped down, modern, and cutting edge. ‘The words of slang: themes and development’ outlines the main themes of slang: sex, money, alcohol. Slang is sexist, racist, nationalist, ageist, sizeist, and variously -phobic, but it is also urban. The history of slang is also the history of the urbanization of modern life as reflected in this influential subset of the language. The development of the slang vocabulary from the 16th and 17th centuries to the present day, and how British slang has been joined by slang from Australia and the New World, is also described. ...Less

‘History’ outlines the knowledge and use of drugs through the ages. Early written records of medicinal drugs are known to have existed in a range of ancient cultures, including the Greek, Egyptian, Indian, and Chinese civilizations. In the medieval world, both Arabic and European countries studied drugs. Scientific investigation came about with the Renaissance, but medicine did not become truly scientific until the 19th century, when antiseptics, vaccines, and anaesthetics were discovered and produced. Drugs have also been used recreationally and ceremonially for millennia, whether naturally occurring (cannabis or opium), or artificially synthesized (LSD or ecstasy). Both medicinal and recreational drugs have become major, worldwide industries. ...Less