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Dr. Adam Front

Clinical Psychology
San Ramon , CA
29 years experience male

Locations

Adam L. Front, Ph.D.

San Ramon , CA

Address

San Ramon , CA, United States
Directions

About

Bio

I have been working in various mental health and substance abuse treatment settings for over 30 years, licensed as a psychologist since 1997. I treat anxiety and panic, alcohol / drug addictions, behavioral addictions (gambling, food, sex, shopping, etc.), OCD, relationship problems, insecurity / low self-esteem, stress and anger problems .

Specialties
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.

Clinical Psychology

Languages spoken

English

Doctor Q&A

346 Answers
520 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Anxiety treatment: Lorazepam (ativan) is often given for occasional use for extreme anxiety or panic attacks, but it does not actually fix the problem. Seek a therapist ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Addiction=addiction: Addiction treatment centers used to not address smoking. Many people still resist being asked to stop smoking when they stop drinking or using other ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Help for both of you: If your parent wants help, there are many good treatment programs, many of which do a free or low cost assessment. Alcoholics anonymous and lifering ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Responsblty no fault: Fault implies blame and judgment, neither of which are helpful to the alcoholic or anyone else. Taking responsibility once a person realizes that they... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Cravings vs CRAVINGS: I agree with dr. Baker's response, if what you are describing are mild cravings ; his advice works. If you are not able to moderate your intake, you m... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 38-year-old female asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Addiction med MD: See an addiction medicine physician. Detox can be tricky. Ambien is not technically in the same class of drugs as valium, Ativan ; xanax (alprazolam) ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Could be many things: See your doctor. There are mental health problems that could be causing this but also physical ones, such as anemia, sleep apnea, hypothyroidism... M... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Best not to: Alcohol adversely affects every organ in the body, down to hear, skin and fingernails. If you are trying to conceive, best to totally abstain. Besid... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Great support: Aa & the other 12 step programs r the best support you can get for overcoming addictions.There r other non-12-step groups, some of which are just as e... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 23-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
See a therapist: "Paranoia" is a specific symptom, usually associated with psychotic disorders. The term is often used in common conversation to refer to all kinds of... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Overeaters Anonymous: Just as with other addictions, there is no complete "cure, " but there is recovery. Overeaters anonymous is based on the principles of alcoholics ano... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Some quick some slow: Many of the benefits of quitting smoking can be felt in the first my understanding is that it takes about 7 years for all the cells in the lungs to be... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Hosp vs treatmt ctr: Usually "inpatient" treatment is in a hospital, and "residential" treatment is in a non-hospital treatment center. However, these days some hospitals... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Depends on symptoms: Tel your doctor in detail about all the symptoms that make you concerned. These can be evaluated to rule out physical causes. Then, depending on wha... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 27-year-old female asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Exposure therapy: There is a lot of validation for treatments that involve gradually increased exposure to the symptoms of panic coupled with relaxation training. Ssri... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 23-year-old female asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Parenting help: It's normal to be anxious about being a new parent. There are lots of good resources, among them www.loveandlogic.com. Also check out the series of pa... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 37-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Help for both of you: If he is concerned about it, many treatment programs will give a free or low cost assessment and make recommendations if there is a problem. In addit... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 29-year-old male asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Not necessarily: Varies from state to state if you are pursuing a license to practice, check the board in your state. Many employers will want to see a certain length... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 23-year-old female asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Anxiety treatment: If physiological causes of the palpitations have been ruled out, then it sounds like you need treatment for anxiety. Seek a therapist who specializes... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 18-year-old male asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Healthy vs compulsiv: It depends what you mean by "addicted." sex addiction is real, but it is important to determine whether you just have unnecessary guilt over normal s... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Panic Disorder: Yes it is real. Sometimes people may assume that emotional problems are "all in your head." the emotions and thoughts we have exert real effects on t... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Better than herbs: It is more work than taking herbs or meds, but for most stress & anxiety the best self help is getting 8 hours continuous sleep, moderate exercise, ea... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Addiction+ diagnosis: Addiction to substances of all kinds are listed in a section of the diagnostic & statistical manual (dsm). However, addictions to alcohol and other d... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Either deserves help: What you describe is commonly called "low self-esteem." it can be present with social anxiety. Either way you deserve to feel better about yourself... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Yes: This is common in a panic attack. In panic, all muscles in the body tense, so the chest muscles work against the lungs trying to inflate. Also, adren... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 48-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Some quick some slow: Kudos for quitting! nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs on the planet. Some things should feel better quickly, like waking up easier, tastin... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Overeaters Anonymous: Oa is not just for the obese, as many people think. Meetings often are attended by people w various compulsive patterns re: food, including anorexia, ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Definitely a disease: Alcoholics don't look or feel ill until almost dead, but strong genetic component: those w/ genetic family history far more likely to become alcoholic... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Maybe...: Probably not more, just different. You may find the book "an adult child's guide to what's 'normal' " helpful. Also, al-anon, codependents anonymous... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 58-year-old female asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Therapy often better: Yes, tranquilizers are bad for anxiety. They're addictive & don't teach you how to deal w the feelings, just medicate them away. Many therapies, while... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Why time crunch?: Being under time pressure to "snap out of it" will usually make it worse. Panic is from adrenaline release when there is no true emergency. It only la... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 24-year-old male asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Likely tolerance: Drugs that affect the brain can produce tolerance.This means that the receptors in the brain become less sensitive after high doses of the drug. It th... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 49-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Treatment & support: Ongoing support, education and a sense of meaning can be gotten from treatment programs and/or groups like 12 step groups. Depending on what your add... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Simple: don't smoke: For problems with most substances that people use, there are two diagnoses: abuse (using too much and having it cause problems, but not addicted) and ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
No lung effect ofGum: Nicotine gum has no effect on the lungs of the person chewing it. It is, however, addictive. People who quit smoking by chewing nicotine gum will st... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 37-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
YES.: Once getting sober, an alcoholic has 2 choices: to be in recovery, or to return to active alcoholism. There is no "cure, " but there are many ways to... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 47-year-old female asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
SSRI or therapy: Ssri ("antidepressants") r also used 4 anxiety ; r better in the long run than tranquilizers like xanax (alprazolam). Better still is learning skills ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 36-year-old male asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Peace: Peace of mind does not come from a piece of cake, a piece of chocolate, candy etc.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Varies: Dr. Bob (one of the two co-founders of aa) apparently used to take newbies through the steps in a matter of a couple of months. There are "back to ba... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
A disease of lies: Addicts lie, it's a fact. But this is not b/c they are bad people but b/c every positive motivation they have is hijacked by the need to use. Deciding... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 56-year-old female asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Anniversary reaction: It is wise of you to be aware of this potential to have difficulty as significant emotional dates approach. Whatever you can do to get additional supp... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Physical vs emotionl: It is possible but you should see your doctor to rule out any physical causes.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 37-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Ovrcome not outgrown: Generally ocd does not go away on its own, which it seems you are asking when you use the word "outgrown." exposure / response prevention (erp) is a w... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Dont drink w SSRI: It is not safe to drink while taking Lexapro (escitalopram) or any other antidepressant. First, you are taking a depressant on top of the antidepress... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 68-year-old male asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Still toxic: E-cigarettes are not "safe." they are not zero nicotine, they are zero smoke. The nicotine keeps you addicted. Many adverse effects, including increa... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 16-year-old female asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Calorie formula: In order to lose weight you either need to decrease the number of calories you eat or increase the total calorie output by getting more active. Try t... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Maybe, but....: Why not see someone face to face, which is a better way to talk about things? There are places where you can get free or low cost in-person therapy. ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 45-year-old member asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Sex addiction: Sex addiction takes many forms. Preoccupation with porn is not "just what guys do, " that is a form of denial. There are groups for both the sex addi... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 28-year-old female asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Not likely: Most drug tests use a first test, TLC or thin layer chromatography, as an initial screen. This test is prone to cross-reaction or "false positive" re... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 29-year-old male asked:
Dr. Adam Front
Clinical Psychology 29 years experience
Alcoholism: Visibly, it is continuing to drink in ways that are "out of control" despite negative consequences.It is a metabolic disorder where alcohol is not pro... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.

Testimonials
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.

5
Recommendations
386
Thank you notes
May 14, 2013
Dr Front has a compassionate yet no non-sense approach to addiction that is right on target. His responses on Healthtap are measured, accurate,understandable & helpful. I recommend Dr. Front.
Sep 11, 2013
a welcome addition to the Healthtap community
Aug 26, 2013
great answers! very helpful! Thank you!
HealthTap member
This made me feel good. Thanks! Oh,thank you Dr..I mean REALLY...I couldn't believe that someone had to actually ask that question & your answer was great
HealthTap member
Thank you so very much for the thoughtful, intelligent answer. I will watch the video you suggested and may go back to my addiction program.
HealthTap member
I have tried, compounding pharmacies, and the active can't be got. It's my responsibility, to take my medication, not yours. Thank you.

Education & Training

Medical/Graduate school

Pacific Graduate School of Psychology
Graduated 1994MD

Residency

KAISER FOUNDATION HOSPITAL
Completed 2006

Awards

Top Doctor, Second Place, Contra Costa County Region, CA - Summer
2013
Thought Leader, Second Place, Contra Costa County Region, CA - Summer
2013
Top Psychologist, First Place, California - Summer
2013
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