Tag Archives: alcoholism

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.

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.

Binge Drinking

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Binge drinking is a scary way to drink. Binge drinking is very dangerous to a person’s health and can cause serious damage quickly to a person’s body.

What is binge drinking?

Binge drinking is the modern epithet for drinking alcoholic beverages with the primary intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time.

Two large glasses of wine may not seem like very much. But drinking six units of alcohol in a short space of time – an hour, say – will raise your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and could make you drunk very quickly. Drinking the same amount over several hours and accompanied by food for example will not have the same effect on your BAC.

Some studies show that drinking a large amount of alcohol over a short period of time may be significantly worse for your health than frequently drinking small quantities.

Getting very drunk can affect your physical and mental health:

  • Accidents and falls are common because being drunk affects your balance and co-ordination. You’re also more likely to suffer head, hand and facial injuries. Binge drinking has also been linked to self-harm .
  • In extreme cases, you could die. Overdosing on alcohol can stop you breathing or stop your heart, or you could choke on your vomit.
  • Nearly a third (29%) of alcohol related deaths are a result of alcohol related accidents. These deaths are more common among 16–34-year-olds.
  • Binge drinking can affect your mood and your memory and in the longer term can lead to serious mental health problems.

More commonly, binge drinking can lead to anti-social, aggressive and violent behavior.

Am I a binge drinker?

Even if you don’t drink alcohol every day, you could be a binge drinker if you regularly drink:

  • If you drink specifically to get drunk
  • more than the daily amount in a single session
  • If you drink quickly.

If you find it hard to stop drinking once you have started, you could also have a problem with binge drinking and possibly alcohol dependence.

Signs you may need help with your binge drinking

Binge drinking is very much related to alcoholism, but the presence of binge drinking doesn’t necessarily mean that a person has a severe alcohol addiction. The binge drinker may simply have unsafe drinking habits.

However, as alcoholism is a serious disease and alcohol abuse can damage the body even in a single binge drinking session, it’s best to recognize the signs of dependency.

  • A person who is alcohol dependent may experience “shakes,” chills, and other physical symptoms.
  • Alcoholics will also allow their habit to begin interfering with their families, careers, and other aspects of their day-to-day lives.
  • Binge drinking will become regular, and binges may be extreme.
  • Many alcoholics begin to develop a tolerance. This causes them to engage in more and more serious binge drinking sessions with greater consequences to their bodies and lives.

All binge drinking is best avoided, but binge drinking can become alcoholism when it occurs on any sort of a regular basis. It’s also important to note that there’s no “right” age to binge drink. While binging may be more common among certain social groups, for instance younger males, it’s dangerous and can lead to addiction at any age, so it’s important to seek treatment.

 

 

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

Too Many Hangovers May Be A Problem

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If you have ever had a hangover you know that it is truly unpleasant and a result of making poor choices the night before. 75% or more of those who drink alcoholic beverages experience hangover symptoms the next morning. Too many hangovers like this may be a problem.

Typical symptoms of a hangover are headache, upset stomach, vomiting or nausea, a bad taste in your mouth, depressed mood, lack of interest in doing normal things the next morning, and a lapse of memory regarding events from the night before. Some individuals feel a sense of guilt over behavior or events that happen during their drinking. When this happens often and you feel you have been having too many hangovers there may be a problem. There are many contributing factors to the occurrence of a hangover. The most obvious factor is the consumption of too much alcohol. Then there is the lack of sleep, drinking on an empty stomach, drinking too much in a small amount of time, having a dehydrated body, and being in poor health.

Too many hangovers may be a problem not only because of the deterioration of your health but also because of the effects it will eventually have on your work performance, school performance, and performance when it comes to life in general. Too many hangovers may also be a problem because it is a sign that you cannot control your drinking to the point that you can stop before you have a hangover. Hangovers being caused by drinking too much alcohol are a sign that you need to either stop drinking or seriously moderate your drinking. If you find that you continue to have negative symptoms due to drinking and too many hangovers then there may be a problem.

Hangovers are not a problem if they only happen once in awhile. While it is true that 75% of people who drink alcoholic beverages experience hangover symptoms that does not mean they are experiencing them frequently. Too many hangovers may be a problem if they persist, especially if you always have a hangover after you drink. A hangover is a sign that your body need to recover from the amount you were drinking and if you are drinking enough to be experiencing too many hangovers then your health, mind, body, work, school, and vocations could be in jeopardy of being hindered or lost all together.

Too many hangovers may be a problem but the way to truly find out is to try and limit your drinking or stop drinking all together and see how it goes. If you find you cannot do either of these things then your constant hangovers may be a more serious problem than you thought initially. If your hangovers turn out to be more of a problem than you expected the next step would be to seek outside help from some kind of alcohol counseling, treatment, or self-help group in your area.

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

Hangover Story: Plumber Falls Asleep On Customers Kitchen Floor

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It started out as fun night at the bar watching the football game. Then it turned into a couple pints of beer and few shots of tequila. Forgetting that he had work in the morning our plumber continued to drink and drink. Not eating, drinking no water, and diminishing his body of B-vitamins the plumber staggered his way home to hit the hay.

What he came to find the next morning was his body and mind in less than perfect shape. His head was throbbing, he was so tired, and his throat was dry. He felt like he was going to puke along with all the other hangover symptoms. It was then that he got the call saying he had to go and fix an older woman’s pipes in her kitchen.

He began working on her pipes, lying on the ground his head under the sink. The next thing he knew he felt something kicking his feet that were sticking out from under the sink. “Are you okay?” the woman asked. “Sure” the plumber said. “Ill be done here in a second.” The woman replied, “I was just wondering because you were snoring under there.”

The plumber didn’t lose his job but he was pretty miserable while doing it and pretty severely embarrassed at the fact that he had fallen asleep on this woman’s kitchen floor. “I should have called in to work sick” the plumber said.

Moral of this story: Don’t drink before you have to be at work or if you do call out sick from work. You can’t speed up the recovery of a hangover even if you can help remedy it. IT takes however long the body takes to heal from hangover and you really should give the body time. That or if you know you’re going to have a hangover take B-vitamins for energy and drink plenty of water.

 

 

 

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