Category Archives: Alcohol

Hangover Cures : Drinks

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Hangover Cures: Drinks

Hangover Cures: Drinks

Hangovers are awful! Between the headache, parched mouth, nausea, and muscle aches, you may well be asking yourself why you had those extra 4 tequila shots the night before. While there are no actual cures for a hangover, besides time, there are things you can do to relieve some of the symptoms. Keep in mind that not all hangover “cures” work as well as others.

Hangover Cures: Drinks – Alcohol

“The hair of the dog that bit you”- This is probably the most well known cure for a hangover. It’s also the worst one unless you don’t have anything productive to do for the rest of the day. Drinking more alcohol won’t cure your hangover in the long run-it just gets you drunk again. Your hangover will most likely be worse when you finally feel it because you’re just adding fuel to the fire.

Hangover Cures: Drinks – Gatorade

This is one that actually does help. Gatorade and other sports drinks replenish the body’s electrolytes. Electrolytes are ions in the blood stream that regulate fluid flow across cell membranes. Dehydration is caused by an electrolyte imbalance in the body. The side effects of binge drinking alcohol like vomiting, diarrhea and increased urination can cause the body to rapidly lose electrolytes and become dehydrated. In extreme cases, this dehydration can lead to seizures and even death, which is why it is so important to keep hydrated while drinking.

Hangover Cures: Drinks: Ginger Ale

Ginger ale is a great hangover remedy because ginger treats nausea. The carbonation in ginger ale will also help settle your stomach. Keep in mind, however, that not all brands of ginger ale actually contain ginger, so check before you pick one or it won’t be nearly as effective.

Hangover Cures: Drinks – Peppermint or chamomile tea

These teas are natural antacids so they make good hangover home remedies. For extra relief, use honey instead of sugar to sweeten the tea. Honey contains fructose, which competes with the metabolism of alcohol. This helps a hangover, because the quick metabolism of alcohol is what causes many hangover symptoms.

Hangover Cures: Drinks – Mercy Soda

This product gained popularity when it was Gwyneth Paltrow told news reporters that she swears by it. Mercy soda is marketed as a hangover prevention product, not a hangover remedy. The best time to drink this hangover cure is while or shortly after drinking.  Makers of Mercy Soda even suggest that you mix it with your alcohol to make a cocktail. Mercy Soda is said to flush your system of acetaldehyde, the chemical that causes a hangover. It contains amino acids, antioxidants and vitamins.

Hangover Cures: Drinks: Coffee

Contrary to popular opinion, coffee won’t sober you up after you’ve been drinking. It can, however, help with the hangover. Especially if the hangover includes a pounding headache. Caffeine has been clinically shown to react against the chemical compounds of ethanol. Alcohol consumption causes a buildup of acetate, which is what produces a headache the next morning. Caffeine has been shown to reduce the amount of acetate in the system. For best results, take an anti-inflammatory like aspirin with your morning after cup of java.

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

How Alcohol Affects the Hippocampus

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How Alcohol Affects the Hippocampus

How Alcohol Affects the Hippocampus

The hippocampus plays a major role within the brain of human beings and other vertebrates. The hippocampus is a part of the limbic system and its most important role is in the storing and breaking down information in order for it to go from short-term memory to long-term memory. Humans and other mammals actually have two hippocampi. These hippocampi are located on either side of the brain.

In Alzheimer’s disease the hippocampus is one of the first regions of the brain to suffer damage. This is why those who have Alzheimer’s disease have such a hard time with their memory and disorientation is one of their first symptoms. As the hippocampus suffers more damage they may lose long-term and short-term memory permanently. Damage to the hippocampus can also come from oxygen starvation, encephalitis, epilepsy and even alcohol.

So just how does alcohol affect the hippocampus?

When people drink alcohol and seem to lose coordination, become disoriented, and lose memories from when they were drinking, that is because the hippocampus has been affected. Ethanol is the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages and can cause severe impairment in the individuals who drink it. Alcohol acts a general nervous system depressant and affects specific areas of the brain to more of an extent in comparison with others. Losing memories or memory impairment due to alcohol is linked to the disruption of the hippocampus. Alcohol affects the hippocampus by damaging the hippocampus cells which are involved with the formation of memories. Drinking a lot of alcohol will significantly inhibit the formation of memories since the hippocampus plays such a big role in making them.

For instance, a long-term memory which can be stored for a few days up to a lifetime has to go through three processes. : encoding stage, storage and the retrieval stage. Each one of these individual process which are integral in storing long-term memory are alcohol affecting the hippocampus.

Alcohol affects the hippocampus by inhibiting explicit memory too. Explicit memory requires conscious and intentional effort to recall. It includes everyday events and factual information. Alcohol affects the hippocampus and therefore affects explicit memory. A blackout from drinking is an example of alcohol’s effect on the hippocampus when it comes to explicit memory. Blackouts are caused by a rapid increase in blood alcohol levels and this distorts the neurons in the hippocampus, when this happens it impairs a person’s ability to remember moment to moment events, conversations, etc.

High doses of alcohol affect the hippocampus by also disrupting its ability to store factual information, also known as, semantic memory. Alcohol keeps the hippocampus from being able to consolidate information and encode it.

Alcohol affects the hippocampus most in these two areas of episodic memory and semantic memory or everyday events and factual information. The retrieval of this explicit memory is significantly impaired by alcohol. When asked to recall task for everyday events intoxicated participants do very poorly next to their sober counterparts. Alcohol impairs word recognition tasks, retrieval processes, and more.

The hippocampus is an important part of the brain that deals with the ability to function in everyday life. Alcohol affects the hippocampus in significant ways making the person who is intoxicated unable to remember much of anything and affecting their memory even when they sober up.

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

How does a breathalyzer work?

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How does a breathalyzer work

How does a breathalyzer work?

Usually when you hear about people getting DUI’s, there will be some reference to the blood alcohol content (BAC) of the driver. If their blood alcohol content is over the legal limit of the state they are driving in, they are charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI) or Driving While Intoxicated (DWI.) But just how do cops at the scene measure BAC? Are they taking blood tests in the field?

Cops use a device called a breathalyzer to measure a person’s blood alcohol content. A breathalyzer is a device that tests your breath to determine how intoxicated you are.

How does a breathalyzer work? Why test?

Cops needed a way to test BAC in the field that was practical. Sure, they could use urine or blood tests, but how would they do that on the side of the highway while pulling someone over? And with blood tests, they had to think about how to take blood in a sterile manner and the legal implications of such an invasive test. In the 1940’s, the breathalyzer was invented.

How does a breathalyzer work?  Alcohol and your body.

Alcohol gets absorbed into your blood stream after you ingest it. Then, when the blood goes through the lungs, some of the alcohol moves across the membranes of the lung’s air sacs into the air, because alcohol will evaporate from a solution. So the amount of alcohol in the air sacs is proportional to the amount of alcohol in the blood stream.  When the air in the air sacks is exhaled, you can test the air and figure out how much alcohol is in the blood stream. The proportion of breath alcohol to blood alcohol is 2,100:1. This means that 2100 ml of air from the air sacks will have the same amount of alcohol in it as 1ml of blood.

How does a breathalyzer work? Legal limits.

In many states, the legal limit is 0.08 BAC. This means you have 0.08 grams of alcohol in your system per 100 ml of blood. If your BAC is higher than that and you are considered too impaired to drive, you can be arrested.

How does a breathalyzer work? Chemical reaction.

The breathalyzer uses a chemical reaction involving alcohol to test a suspect’s breath. The suspect breathes into the device and the air goes into a solution of chemicals. The chemicals change color when they react to the alcohol. The degree of color change is proportional to the amount of alcohol in the air that was in the air. The device then produces an electric current in response to the amount of color change which causes the needle in the meter to move from its resting place.  The operator then rotates a knob to bring the needle back to the resting place and reads the level of alcohol from the knob — the more the operator must turn the knob to return it to rest, the greater the level of alcohol.

How does a breathalyzer work? Accuracy.

The reading on a breathalyzer can vary up to 0.01 g/dl in any direction. Breathalyzers actually don’t measure blood alcohol content directly; they measure the alcohol on your breath and attempt to estimate your BAC. Only a blood test can give a truly accurate reading of blood alcohol level.  Factors such as vomit or blood in the mouth, body temp and blood composition, and the presence of chemicals that are similar to alcohol can skew the results.

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Drunk Driving Statistics

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Alcohol Drinkign and Driving Stats Chart

Drunk Driving Statistics

Drunk driving or driving while impaired or under the influence of illegal substances is still a major problem for those on and off the road in the United States. According to the CDC in October 2011 there were nearly 11,000 car accident fatalities linked with drunk driving. These drunk driving statistics are related to accidents where at least one driver had a blood alcohol level above the legal limit.

The number of drunk driving statistics is still too high and may always be too high. The number of drivers that get behind the wheel after having too much to drink is frightening. The numbers for drunk driving statistics have decreased due to groups such as MADD etc. for example, the 2006 drunk driving statistics still showed about 20% more fatalities than the most recent drunk driving statistics. More drunk driving statistics from the CDC estimated that more than 112 million episodes of drunk driving or alcohol-impaired driving occur every year. Combine this now with other things like texting and driving on dangerous road condition and the number of car accident fatalities can sky rocket.

Some more drunk driving statistics from Madd.org

  • Drivers involved in fatal crashes with a BAC level of .08 or higher in 2010 were 28 percent for motorcycle riders, 23 percent for passenger cars, and 22 percent for light trucks. The percentage of drivers with BAC levels of .08 or higher in fatal crashes was the lowest for large trucks at 2 percent.
  • Over 1.41 million drivers were arrested in 2010 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics
  • About one-third of all drivers arrested or convicted of driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence of alcohol are repeat offenders
  • Almost half of all drivers who were killed in crashes and tested positive for drugs also had alcohol in their system

Drunk driving statistics show that young people are most likely to be involved in fatal drunk driving accidents. Young people meaning those aged 21-24. Motorcyclists and drivers that have had a prior conviction for DWI are also more likely. In fatal crashes in 2010, the highest percentage of drunk drivers was for drivers ages 21 to 24 (34 percent), followed by ages 25 to 34 (30 percent) and 35 to 44 (25 percent). These drunk driving statistics are why the government is so harsh on convicted DWI offenses and upping their game on stopping drunk driving from happening. For instance they install more checkpoints on the roads, take away drivers licenses, and install ignition interlock systems into cars or require those convicted to attend drug alcohol treatment.

Drunk driving statistics may be down from 2006 but there are a lot more things that can be done on the individual level to keep the statistics dropping. For instance, if you know you are going to be drinking make sure that you have alternative transportation or that someone who hasn’t been drinking can drive you home. If you know someone has been drinking too much don’t allow them to drive. Take their keys. If you are hosting a party and serving alcohol make sure to remind your guests to drive responsibly. Be sure to offer drinks that don’t contain alcohol so that those who will be driving have something else to drink instead of alcoholic beverages.

Source www.cdc.gov

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Drinker’s Remorse

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Drinker's Remorse

Drinker’s Remorse

“Ugh, I am never drinking again.” I say as I touch my fingers to my throbbing temples. “It’s just not worth it.”

I must’ve said those words a hundred times over in my drinking career. The guilt, shame, and/or physical discomfort would keep me away from booze for a couple of days, but inevitably, I’d be back at it again the next weekend. Eventually, my drinking landed me in rehab and then in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous, but that’s a different story for a different day.

That feeling I had, I learned later, is known as drinker’s remorse, and it’s pretty common amongst binge drinkers. Binge drinking is defined as having 4 or more drinks in one sitting for women, or 5 or more for men. Drinker’s remorse comes from the either regretting what you did while you we’re wasted, or regretting you drank enough to give you a wicked hangover.

My worst feelings of drinker’s remorse would come when I either remembered something awful I had done while drinking or someone else reminded me of something awful I had done. I’d wake up and think, “Oh shit! What did I do last night?” while frantically trying to piece together the events of the night before. Other times, I’d wake up and be peacefully unaware that anything was amiss, because I had “blacked out” while drinking.  That is, until a friend would call to remind me, and the awful memories would come flooding back. Or until the random guy I had gone home with would turn over in bed and make me aware of his presence. Or I would look at my phone and see who I called or texted while I was wasted.

I hated that feeling of drinker’s remorse. I felt like my heart had dropped into my stomach. My brain would frantically race through thoughts like:

“How bad was I?”

“Did everyone see?”

“Can I sneak this guy out of my apartment before my roommates wake up?”

“Do I still have friends?”

“Do I still have a job?”

and finally

“FUCK!”

The main difference between me and my non-alcoholic friends is that they would have one or two of these mornings of drinker’s remorse, and then they would learn their lesson. They wouldn’t drink that way again. I never learned my lesson. No matter how many times I woke up with drinker’s remorse, no matter how many times I would promise that I would cut down or quit drinking all together, I would be back in the same place a couple of weeks later.

In my experience, drinker’s remorse can be cured in one of three ways:

1. Exercise (In fact, people who exercise regularly get drinker’s remorse less frequently)

2. More liquor (Not always the best choice, but that didn’t stop me!)

3. Resolving the issue you regret (This can’t always be done, but if you can apologize or make up for something you regret, this is the best cure for drinker’s remorse.)

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Hangover Cures: Vitamins

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hangover cures vitamins

Hangover Cures: Vitamins

Alcohol not only gets you drunk but it also depletes your body of vital vitamins it needs to function properly. Because alcohol is a diuretic, which is the reason you have to run to bathroom so often when drinking, it ends up flushing everything including your hydration out of your system. That is why one of the most common hangover cures, vitamins is so essential to beating the day after boozing blues.

The most important vitamins that your body loses after a long night of drinking are the B and C vitamins. B meaning, B6, B12 among others. If you want a hangover cure that includes vitamins take something like Thiamine which is a B6 vitamin and Riboflavin which is B2, Folic acid is B6 and B12. You can also find B vitamin complexes to beat the hangover and B vitamin deficiency that include all of the B vitamins you need. The most important B vitamin though, which also gives you energy is B12 also called cobalamin. B12 plays a major role in the functioning of the brain and nervous system. So make sure to include the B12 vitamin in your hangover cure.

For vitamin c, well its one of the most popular vitamins to date. It is in orange juice and most citrus fruits including many vegetables. If you want a powerful vitamin C though for a hangover cure you could choose to use Emergen-C. It is very popular in the United States and is a hit internationally. People also take it for when they are beginning to get sick. So if you want a jam-packed packet of Vitamin C that’s the way to go to use vitamins as a hangover cure.

Caution though, don’t be surprised if it doesn’t really work, there is no proven scientific evidence that this will help with anything but taking vitamins definitely wont hurt you either. The people who really are serious about taking vitamins as hangover cures will take them before they start drinking, after they stop drinking, and during the next day regardless if they have a hangover or not.

Taking a multi-vitamin that has everything you need in it might also be a great vitamin hangover cure. Although, there is not proven evidence behind this on whether or not it really works. Really the best you can do for a hangover is get hydrated. Drink Gatorade or something that has the vitamins in it along with the electrolytes to not only hydrate but also replenish some missing vitamins. Alcohol dehydrates you first and foremost and with that lack of hydration also comes a lack of vitamins so if you can handle drinking some fresh water along with your vitamins chances are it will work great as a hangover cure. Problem with vitamins is you usually should take them with food and during a hangover that isn’t always the best option. So maybe opt for a vitamin filled water for your hangover cure and see what happens as you give your body the drink of water it needs along with some of its basic necessities to function. Vitamins which are a hangover cure.

More Hangover Cures:

Hangover Remedies: Sandwiches

Hangover Remedies: Soups 

Hangover: The Junk Food Remedy

Hangover Cures: Potassium, Carbs and Electrolytes

Healthy Hangover Cures

Hangover Home Remedies

Common Hangover Cures

New Hangover Cures

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

How to abstain from alcohol

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Alcohol Abstinence

How to abstain from alcohol

Learning how to abstain from alcohol can be extremely difficult or it could be extremely easy. It all depends on the person who is trying to remain abstinent. So, if you are looking to refuse any alcoholic beverages either for the next few days or for the rest of your life, here are some ways how to abstain from alcohol.

Find different ways to relax.

A lot of people use alcohol as a way to relax after a long hard day at work or even just as part of a routine on the weekends. This is why finding ways to relax is a great way to abstain from alcohol. Find something else you enjoy doing that will allow you to relax after work or at other times. Some things you can do to relax are: take a hot bath, join a yoga class, exercise, meditate, and use relaxation tapes or Ipod mixes.

Talk back to your thoughts.

If you stay aware of your thoughts you may be able to combat them. So when you start having thoughts run through your mind about mixing a drink, needing a drink or wanting a drink, then talk back! Tell your thoughts to “Be quiet!” or say to yourself “I am not going to drink today so don’t even go there.” Talking back to your thoughts may not always work but it can work for a certain amount of time if you really feel like you want a drink.

Just go with it.

Cravings to drink don’t last forever in fact that come and go rather quickly. When the urge to drink hits you just sit back and observe it and see how quickly it comes and then watch how quickly it leaves.

Get some sleep.

A lot of people overdrink because they can’t get to sleep. Even if you don’t suffer from insomnia or didn’t suffer from insomnia before you started drinking you may find it hard to fall asleep now that you are abstaining from alcohol. Luckily, there are other methods of falling asleep such as using benedryl, melatonin, and valerian root. Exercise can also help with the bedtime blues. If you really can’t get some sleep once you start abstaining from alcohol than maybe see your doctor for prescription sleep aids, which are still better than using alcohol and you don’t have to deal with the hangover.

Find other things to do rather than drink.

The best way to abstain from alcohol is to find activities that you can’t do while drinking and that you find way more enjoyable. For instance you can volunteer for a cause you believe in, create a web site or blog, and write a book, paint, knit, or pretty much anything other than drink. Finding other hobbies or things you liked to do is a great way to abstain from alcohol.

See a therapist.

Some people drink alcohol because of underlying issues. Getting professional help from a therapist may help to deal with issues such as anxiety, depression, OCD, or other conditions that could benefit from therapy and medication. A therapist can help you work through some of your life issues which may be the reason you drink.

There are multiple tools you can use to abstain from alcohol and none of them are necessarily going to make it easy especially if you are the alcoholic type of drinker. Using your own will power can work to abstain from alcohol but it’s going to take work and practice and it is definitely not going to be perfect at first. This is a great way to start abstaining from alcohol.

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Thanksgiving Cocktails

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Martha Stewarts Pear Cocktails

Thanksgiving Cocktails

It’s holiday time again! Curl up and relax with one of these holiday drinks featuring the best tastes of the season: pumpkin, apple, cranberry, and ginger. Drinks with heavy cream or egg are also crowd pleasers this time of year, and hot beverages are a great way to warm up on those cold fall evenings. Here are some of our favorite Thanksgiving cocktails:

Thanksgiving Cocktails: Pear-Rosemary Cocktails

Ingredients

6 to 10 Seckel pears

4 cups (32 ounces) vodka

1 cup sugar

12 sprigs fresh rosemary plus more for garnish

1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) pear nectar

4 cups (32 ounces) sparkling water

Directions

1. Put enough pears into a 48-ounce glass jar to fill. Add vodka. Seal jar, and let stand at room temperature 2 weeks (up to 2 months).

2. Heat sugar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add rosemary; remove from heat. Let stand 30 minutes. Discard rosemary. Let cool completely. Syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 month.

3. Fill 12-ounce glasses halfway with ice. Add 4 tablespoons vodka, 2 tablespoons syrup, and 3 tablespoons pear nectar to each. Top with 1/2 cup sparkling water. Serve garnished with rosemary sprigs.

Thanksgiving Cocktails: Apple-Pie Spiced Cider

Ingredients

1 1/4 quarts apple cider

3 tablespoons firmly packed light-brown sugar

7 whole cinnamon sticks, (6 sticks for garnish)

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Ground cloves

Freshly grated nutmeg

Salt

1/2 cup Calvados or other brandy (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together cider, sugar, spices, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Remove from heat; pour in brandy, if desired. Strain into a pitcher; discard solids. Serve in mugs, garnished with cinnamon sticks.

Thanksgiving Cocktails: Pumpkin Pie Martini

Ingredients

2 ounces vanilla vodka

2 ounces white crème de cacao

1/4 cup heavy cream

1.5 tablespoons of pumpkin puree (pie mix)

1 dash of ground nutmeg (for garnish)

Powdered graham cracker (for the rim)

Directions

1. Rim two martini glasses with crushed graham cracker. Fill a shaker with ice and add the vodka, crème de cacao, cream and pumpkin puree. Shake well until it’s chilled. Strain into the martini glasses. Sprinkle the ground nutmeg on top for garnish.

Thanksgiving Cocktails: Caramel Candy

Ingredients

1/2 ounce cognac

3/4 ounce vanilla liqueur

3/4 ounce caramel vodka

1/2 ounce half-n-half

Sugar (for the rim of the glass)

Directions

Rim a cocktail glass with sugar. Shake the ingredients together with ice. Strain them into the glass.

Thanksgiving Cocktails: Mulled White-Wine Sangria

Ingredients

1 cup water

1/2 cup honey, preferably orange-blossom

Zest of 2 lemons, cut into long strips

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)

4 whole star anise

4 cinnamon sticks

12 whole cloves

2 bottles dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc

1 cup orange Muscat, such as Essencia

1 Golden Delicious apple, cored, halved, and thinly sliced

1 Bartlett pear, cored, halved, and thinly sliced

2 lemons, preferably Meyer, thinly sliced crosswise

12 kumquats, thinly sliced crosswise

Directions

1. Bring water, honey, lemon zest and juice, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and cloves to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes.

2. To serve cold: Mix spice mixture, wines, and fruit in a large pitcher. Cover, and refrigerate overnight. Transfer to a large punch bowl, and serve with ice. To serve hot: Heat spice mixture and wines in a large pot over low heat until heated through. Add fruit, and divide among mugs.

Sources:

http://www.marthastewart.com/275138/thanksgiving-cocktail-and-drink-recipes/@center/276949/everything-thanksgiving#285269

http://mixthatdrink.com/top-10-thanksgiving-cocktail-recipes/

 

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Work Holiday Party: To drink or not to drink

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Drinking at work holiday party

Drinking at work holiday party

Work Holiday Party: To drink or not to drink.

It’s that time of year again-cold weather, busy shopping malls, and holiday decorations everywhere. It’s also the time of year for the work holiday party, where at least one co-worker gets too drunk and makes a complete ass of him or herself. It’s amazing how work holiday parties often devolve into complete disasters once people start having too much to drink. And unfortunately, if you are one of those people, you are likely to embarrass yourself in front of people who could make or break your success at the company.

Obviously, staying sober is one way to avoid the post-party, Monday morning, florescent light embarrassment, but a lot of people aren’t prepared to spend a whole evening with co-workers without some sort of social lubricant. That said, it’s important to toe the line between having a few “loosen up” drinks and getting shit show drunk.

Work Holiday Party: Tips

Tip One: Adjust your attitude. If you go to the party believing you’ll have an awful time, not only will you probably have an awful time, but you’ll also probably drink too much trying to get rid of your awful attitude or forget you are there. Yeah, it may be kind of a drag to socialize with co-workers at a work holiday party on a Saturday night, but its free food and drink and you probably don’t have anything better to do anyway. You don’t have to stay forever. Talk to a few coworkers, eat some food, and then make an exit. It won’t be that bad.

Tip Two:  Engage your coworkers. People are usually a lot different when you get them out of a work environment. They’re more relaxed and easier to talk to. You may actually even like one or two of them once you get to know them. Socialize. Ask people about themselves. Pay attention to the answer. If you’re talking and having fun, you’re also a lot less likely to drink yourself into a stupor and do something embarrassing.

Tip Three: Eat. The food at your work holiday party is free right? So why not take advantage? Also, having something in your stomach besides booze will (hopefully) keep you from getting too wasted and hitting on your CEO’s wife by accident.

Tip Four: Avoid talking about politics, religion, and money. This last rule used to go without saying, but it seems people have forgotten the basic rules of social etiquette. These three topics should be considered taboo at a work holiday party. Keep things non-controversial and light. After all, it is a party!

Tip Five: Be Positive! If you are going to complain about the company, your boss, or your coworkers, at least have the sense not to do it at the work holiday party. It may be tempting to relate to others at the party with your shared dislike of your job or the way things are run, you never know who may overhear you. Also, we all tend to talk louder when drinking, whether we realize it or not, so it’s better to just avoid negative topics, especially about the company.

Tip Six: Don’t drink and drive. If you are going to drink at a work holiday party, play it safe and get a cab or a designated driver. You don’t want to be that schmuck who got a DUI on the way home from the work holiday party. Trust me.

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

The Spiritual Malady of Alcoholism

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The Spiritual Malady of Alcoholism

The Spiritual Malady of Alcoholism

The Spiritual Malady of Alcoholism

The spiritual malady of alcoholism comes in different forms depending on the person. The spiritual malady of alcoholism is not unique to just alcoholics it is actually something that most people suffer from. The reason the spiritual malady of alcoholism is different than the spiritual malady for someone who isn’t an alcoholic, is that the alcoholic uses the drink or drug to deal with their spiritual malady in some way.

The definition of a spiritual malady is:

Malady means disconnect or separation. So therefore a spiritual malady is a separation or disconnect from spiritual things. This can mean a separation or disconnect from other human beings, spiritual principles, a spiritual higher power etc. Spiritual things are not merely religion but are defined by each individual uniquely as the guiding force in their lives-something that is greater than them or principles they live by.

So as you can clearly see not just alcoholics can have a spiritual disconnect or separation from things spiritual. All people can. It is merely how each person deals with that disconnect that determines whether they are alcoholic or not. For instance, the spiritual malady of alcoholism will drive a person to drink to the point of no return. It will drive an individual to drink regardless if they want to drink or not. This is the physical allergy of alcoholism and it is what causes alcoholics to drink regardless of consequences and regardless of whether they want to stop. Whether or not they were aware of it they most likely started drinking because of their spiritual malady. Kind of self-medication if you will for the pain they felt inside.

Personal experiences from alcoholics will tell you that the spiritual malady of alcoholism is the driving force in their lives. It creates bedevilments such as, fear, emotional insecurity and instability, trouble in personal relationships, an inability to manage life, misery and pain. It’s the gut feeling in someone that the world is no good and may even be out to get them. It’s the sick feeling in the pit of someone’s stomach when they think about their life. Its fear of what people think. Its feeling like no matter what they are not like everyone else and don’t fit in. Its residing in a family and not feeling a part of that family. These are all common descriptions of the spiritual malady of alcoholism. These are all common descriptions of the spiritual malady for anyone actually. The thing is though that when an alcoholic drinks they don’t feel those things anymore. They literally take liquor or “Spirits” if you will, into their body and all the fear, disconnect, pain, and misery goes away. The effects caused by alcohol are beyond pleasant to them. Actually the effects of alcohol are spiritual experience that allows them to be connected to the world. This creates a want and need to drink.

The spiritual malady of alcoholism is what resides even an alcoholic gets sober too. Just because an alcoholic stops drinking doesn’t mean their spiritual malady goes away. Because as we have already described alcohol was the solution to the spiritual malady not the cause of it, so when you take alcohol away from an alcoholic they are still left with all the bedevilments. That’s why many alcoholics will relapse because they don’t want to feel their spiritual malady and that’s why most alcoholics need a spiritual solution not just meetings or treatment centers.. They don’t need something to help them stop drinking they need something that is going to spiritually fulfill them and then there won’t be a need or want to drink anymore. Something that can spiritually fulfill an alcoholic is getting a relationship with a higher power or living by spiritual principles.

Once the spiritual malady of alcoholism has a solution other than alcohol such as spiritual principles etc., there will be no need to drink anymore.

Make sense? Good.

 

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.