Tag Archives: hangover

Alcohol and Sex

Posted on by
Reply

Alcohol and Sex

Alcohol and Sex

Most people are aware that there is a strong relationship between alcohol and sex. Alcohol lowers the inhibitions, causing some to act out sexually. Many people use alcohol to loosen themselves up before sex with a new partner and most people believe that alcohol is an aphrodisiac. However, there are some negative effects of combining alcohol and sex, especially when you are drinking too much.

Alcohol and Sex: Short term effects

Combining alcohol and sex sometimes can have a “disinhibiting” effect, which can make people feel more comfortable initiating and engaging in sex. In small quantities, it can facilitate sexual communication and have a positive impact on sexual desire and arousal.  However, even after a few drinks, sexual response is reduced. In large amounts, alcohol can make sex difficult or even impossible. Both men and women experience a reduction in sexual arousal and have difficulty experiencing orgasm. Men may also have difficulty getting erections.  Because alcohol has a dehydrating effect, women may have difficulty producing lubrication.

Overindulging can also have other related sexual effects. Sometimes, drinking large amounts of alcohol can cause people to make risky sexual choices that they would not have made while sober. This could include having sex with multiple partners, having unprotected sex, or having sex outside of a monogamous relationship. This, of course, increases the incidence of unwanted pregnancy and cases of sexually transmitted diseases and infections.

Also, the incidence of date rape and sexual assault is much higher when you factor in alcohol. Victims are less likely to be able to ward off an attack when they have had a lot to drink. Additionally, because alcohol impairs judgment, people who have had a lot to drink are less likely to recognize and avoid potentially risky situations.

Alcohol and Sex: Expectancy Effects

The expectancy effects of alcohol are the impact of what we think alcohol will do for us sexually. In studies where people were given non-alcoholic drinks that they were told contained alcohol, participants reported an increase in sexual arousal, much like those who were actually given alcohol. Often, when people expect or anticipate a certain physical effect, they often experience it. This is known as the placebo effect.

Alcohol and Sex: Long-term Effects

Combining alcohol and sex can have some negative effects in the long term. Chronic alcohol abuse has a devastating effect on sexuality. This can include erectile disorders and dysfunction in men, loss of sexual desire or decrease in sexual arousal for men and women, and difficulty experiencing orgasm for both sexes.

Chronic alcohol abuse can also cause problems that contribute to sexual dysfunction. People who are chronic abusers of alcohol find it difficult to maintain healthy long-term relationships. They also have more difficulty finding sexual partners. They also may have social, health, and financial difficulties that make them less desirable to potential sex partners. Additionally, psychologically, chronic alcohol abusers have a harder time connecting emotionally with a sexual partner. Chronic alcohol abuse also often leads to social isolation.

 

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

Best Hangover Foods

Posted on by
Reply

Best Hangover Foods

Best Hangover Foods

Hangovers are the worst! Waking up with a dry mouth, pounding headache, and aching muscles can ruin anyone’s day. And while the only “cure” for a hangover is prevention, there are some things you can do to feel better. Here is a list of the best hangover foods:

Best Hangover Foods: Soup or broth

Let’s face it, when you have a hangover, sometimes you don’t feel like eating ANYTHING. Just the mention of food will make your stomach turn. So you don’t eat, and you end up feeling worse! This is because a drop in blood sugar will exacerbate the symptoms of a hangover. You end up feeling more tired and even more nauseous. It helps to get something on your stomach, even if you can’t handle a whole meal. This is why soup is one of the best hangover foods. It’s easy on the stomach and it contains a lot of water which will help rehydrate you after a night of drinking. Plus, chicken and some vegetables contain cysteine, which give the liver a much-needed boost.

Best Hangover Foods: Bacon Sandwich

If your stomach is feeling a little better, you may be able to handle the classic hangover remedy: the bacon sandwich. Bacon contains a lot of protein, which breaks down into amino acids. One particular type of amino acid, amine, has been shown to be effective in clearing your head after a night of partying.  Binging on alcohol depletes your store of amino acids, so the bacon in the bacon sandwich is a big part of what makes it one of the best hangover remedies.

Bread is great because it contains a lot of carbohydrates. It not only can absorb some of the acid in your stomach when you wake up with a hangover, it also gives you a boost of energy.

Best Hangover Foods: Smoothies

Smoothies, like soup, are one of the best hangover foods if you have an upset stomach. They are sweet and filling and go down very easily. The fruit in the smoothie will provide a bunch of vitamins and a much needed surge in blood sugar. Vitamins are important because often alcohol has a diuretic effect on the body and we lose many essential vitamins during a night of hard drinking. A smoothie will also help coat the stomach and hopefully reduce any nausea or acid reflux you may be feeling.

Best Hangover Foods: Oatmeal

Oats are also easy to digest. Plus, a hot bowl of oatmeal has plenty of essential nutrients like B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and iron. Oats can help neutralize acids in the body and raise blood sugar levels, giving you an instant energy boost.

Whatever you end up eating to treat a hangover, be sure that you are also drinking plenty of fluids. Some of the worst hangover symptoms come as a result of dehydration. If you remember, drink a full glass before you even fall asleep the night before, and you’ll find out that your hangovers are much more manageable.

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

Hangover Movie: Bad Santa

Posted on by
Reply

Hangover Movie: Bad Santa

 

Hangover Movie: Bad Santa

Bad Santa is an American Christmas crime comedy. It stars Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac, and Lauren Graham.

The movie starts off with the main character Willie Stokes, played by Thornton. Every year Willie Stokes finds a different job at shopping malls to dress up as Santa. Supposedly Willie Stokes is a jolly old man whom all the kids love. This isn’t the case though. On Christmas Eve, Willie and his friend Marcus the ‘elf’ will disarm the alarms in the shopping mall and then rob the store blind. Willie then spends the rest of his year getting drunk and committing other crimes waiting for next Christmas where he will find a shopping mall where he can dress up as Santa and then rob them again. The following Christmas Willie and Marcus meet up once again to rob a mall in Phoenix, Arizona and during that time Willie meets a bartender named Sue.

Meant to be funny and full of insult and Christmas humor, Bad Santa really is bad. During Willie’s shift work as Santa, Willie finds a quiet, fat boy named Thurman. One night when Willie is getting off work he gets attacked by a strange man and Thurman ends up helping Willie. Willie drives Thurman home and then realizes that Thurman lives in an expensive house with only his grandmother so Willie manages to talk Thurman into letting him rob the house and take the expensive car in the driveway.

Eventually at his job at the mall as Santa a security guard starts to pick up on Willie’s antics. The security guard, Gin Slagel played by Bernie Mac then decides to break into Willie’s house to search for any evidence he can find to get Willie fired.  The movie continues on with Willie and Sue’s relationship and Willie is now living with Thurman. The security guard eventually figures out that Thurman’s father is actually in prison for embezzlement and decides to pay him a visit. When he goes to visit Thurman’s father he realizes that Willie should not be staying at Thurman’s house and from that point on it is the end of Willie’s robbery days.

On Christmas Eve, Willie, Marcus and Lois break into the mall and disarm the alarms. It takes Willie longer than usual to crack open the safe; Marcus notices this and after successfully opening it, Marcus reveals to Willie that he is becoming too unreliable and was planning on killing him. Before Marcus could take his shot, a police squad appears and starts shooting at all three of them. Willie makes an escape, but manages to snag a pink stuffed elephant as Thurman’s Christmas present. He escapes and drives back to Thurman’s house with a convoy of policeman behind him. However, while trying to get to the front door, the police shoot him down.

The epilogue of the movies is told from a letter Willie wrote to Thurman from the hospital explaining his innocence. In the end Marcus and Lois are arrested and Sue gets custody of Thurman and Willie ends up being a sensitivity security guard.

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

Hangover Movie: Love and Other Drugs

Posted on by
Reply

Love and other drugs

Hangover Movie: Love and Other Drugs

This picture can best be summed up as a kind of old fashioned romance falling in love story that touches your emotions as you feel the couples Jamie (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) and Maggie’s (played by Anne Hathaway) growing pains of trust, sickness and feel good pleasure.

Set in the mid 1990’s when the economy was booming you have Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal) who’s a young playboy from a well to do family and his biggest love in life is going to bed with hot young females. Then Jamie decides to get a little bit more power hungry when he becomes a pharmaceutical sales rep. He’s taken under the arms of an ego driven boss Bruce (Oliver Platt) and the catch and sale of the game is for Jamie to use his charm and good looks to help sell medicine like Zoloft and Viagra. Plus his connection with a cocky Dr. Knight (Hank Azaria) helps his climb and profile in the drug selling world too! Now that Jamie has become a hotshot pharmaceutical rep he now meets his match in one of Knight’s patients that being the sassy and witty sharp tongued free spirited sexy Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway) as you can see a lot of adjectives to describe her. Only blemish with the beautiful Maggie is that she has stage one Parkinson’s disease. Never mind these hot young attractive singles hit it off perfect as this quickly becomes a relationship of no strings attached lust bedroom making very hot passionate sex.

Yet as the charms of Jamie continues to go both for Maggie and his business he unexpectedly starts to have feelings for Maggie has he finally met his match can he charm the stubborn sex magnet Maggie? Soon after the feelings between the two arise, Maggie’s condition begins to get worse and Jamie goes on a long hunt to find a cure for her Parkinson’s disease with no avail. And of course there is an ending that fits right in with the romantic cliché’. Something bad happens they split up and then have to go chasing each other down again.

The film is blended well with both comedy and drama as Jamie’s slob geek overweight brother Josh(Josh Gad) provides laughs trying to score and it’s fun seeing he’s addicted to watching internet porn and sex tapes. Plus the scene of Jamie’s boner from taking the Viagra pill was downright funny. Still Maggie is a serious go getter by traveling even to Canada to Parkinson support groups in the search for new cures and ways of living with the disease.

Either way you look at it Love and Other drugs is a great movie that is different than most romantic comedies. It’s real, funny, witty, and sad at times.

More Hangover Movies You Might Like.

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

Another New Year’s. Another Hangover.

Posted on by
Reply

Another New Year’s. Another Hangover.

New Year's Party Hangover

New Years are the chance at a fresh start and they are a chance to implement new habits to change your life for the better. It is funny that right before we make a choice to change our lives for the better with multiple New Year’s resolutions and goals we party like the world is going to end. New Year’s Eve is one of the biggest party days of the entire year. It is a huge celebration! Unfortunately this day of partying usually leads to quite the hangover on the first day of a fresh new year. Some of us may have spent another New Year’s drinking and woken up with another hangover, so we decide to do something different with our lives. We decide to stop drinking. Multiple people including myself have done this. The New Year is a fresh start and it can be if you want it to, be a year of sobriety.

At the end of the year we always look back on what we have done with our lives in the past 365 days. For some of us in the grips of an addiction and alcoholism, we look back at the year and all we say are blurred days, blackouts, hangovers, and a whirlwind of destruction. It can cause a lot of pain to those of us who can’t stop drinking or using drugs. So, we spend one more New Year’s Eve drinking the pain away and doing the drugs that give us relief to only wake up in a new year with a new resolve to change our lives for good.

This New Year can be a new start if you want to do things differently. Whether it is to start working out or to get sober, it truly all is possible. There doesn’t have to be another New Year that comes around where you wake up wanting more than anything for your hangover to go away. You can spend the New Years to come sober and happy and with a clear and calm memory of what happened that night. I know this to be true because I relapsed at the beginning of the year 2011. I stopped drinking for good on January 4th, 2011 and have had a sober way of life ever since and it is exponentially better than the days that dragged on while I was drinking. I woke up from New Year’s Day with a clear conscious, with a clear memory of what happened not only the night before but the entire year, and a resolve to take my life to the next level.

It can be really hard to want to start off a New Year fresh and find yourself so drunk that you cannot move the next day, with your head pounding, vomiting, and not remembering what happened. That’s why you can take this New Year and turn it into your year. This can be the last year you ever had New Year’s accompanied with another hangover. Hangovers and drinking are overrated anyways. Don’t have another New Years with another hangover.

Sources
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/topics-in-brief/prescription-drug-abuse
http://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/monitoring-future

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

Hangover Cures : Drinks

Posted on by
1

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.

Hangover Remedies: Sandwiches

Posted on by
Reply

Hangover Remedies Sandwiches

Hangover Remedies: Sandwiches

Pounding headache, sour stomach, dry mouth: we all know what it feels like when you wake up after a night of hard drinking. You think to yourself “Maybe I shouldn’t have had that last shot” or “I think it was the long island ice teas” or even “I am never, ever drinking again.” No matter what you figure out or your constant internal promises to take it easy next time, you are still stuck with the hangover. And it’s miserable.

Everyone has their own hangover remedies. They won’t “cure” a hangover, but hangover remedies generally make the hangover more bearable. There are foods you can eat, exercises you can do, OTC meds to try, and even pills, powders, and drinks that are specially formulated to treat a hangover.  Scientists have mostly debunked hangover remedies, saying they don’t really do anything to “cure” the hangover once you have one.

However, there is one hangover remedy that has been shown to work better than all the others: sandwiches; specifically bacon sandwiches.

Hangover Remedies: Why bacon sandwiches work

Food is a big part of most hangover remedies because it can calm the stomach and speed the metabolism so your body can get rid of the booze more quickly. Bacon sandwiches have the added bonus of containing both bacon and bread.

Bacon contains a lot of protein, which breaks down into amino acids. One particular type of amino acid, amine has been shown to be effective in clearing your head after a night of partying.  Binging on alcohol depletes your store of amino acids, so the bacon in the bacon sandwich is a big part of what makes it one of the best hangover remedies.

Bread is great because it contains a lot of carbohydrates. It not only can absorb some of the acid in your stomach when you wake up with a hangover, it also gives you a boost of energy.

The coolest thing about bacon sandwiches? Researchers found that just being in the same room with the cooking bacon helped people with a hangover feel better. The specific, particular amino acids and sugars released into the air when bacon is heated above 150 degrees centigrade have been shown to have a physiological effect on the human body. How cool is that??

Hangover Remedies: Avoiding a hangover

As good as hangover remedies are, it’s always best to try to avoid the hangover all together. The only way to really do that is to limit your drinking. Before you drink, however, have a big protein and carb rich meal. And avoid mixing different types of alcohol. Another good tip: Have a glass of water with each drink. This will keep you hydrated and also probably prevent you from drinking too much. Even if you neglect to do this while you are out, make sure you stay up long enough to drink a full glass before you go to sleep. The other big culprit behind a hangover is lack of sleep, so be sure to get a full nights rest after drinking.

More Hangover Cures:

Hangover Cures: Vitamins

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.

Hangover Movie: Leaving Las Vegas

Posted on by
Reply

Hangover Movie: Leaving Las Vegas

Leaving Las Vegas (1995) is a gritty drama starring Nicholas Cage and Elizabeth Shue. Failed Hollywood screenwriter, Ben (played by Cage) moves to Vegas intending to drink himself to death. He’s lost everything to his drinking. Ben meets hardened prostitute Sera (played by Shue) after almost hitting her while driving drunkenly down the Vegas Strip. They form an uneasy friendship, and she takes him in and cares for him. Leaving Las Vegas was based on a semi-autobiographical novel by author John O’Brian.

Two weeks after production started, O’Brian committed suicide-another sad illustration of the hopelessness of alcoholism. This movie is a must-see if you haven’t already seen it. The acting is outstanding. Cage delivers a performance that is both heart-breaking and authentic, winning both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his part.

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

Hangover Movie – Requiem for a Dream

Posted on by
Reply

Yesterday I watched Requiem for a Dream for the first time and was it INTENSE! I don’t think I’ve ever been sucked into a movie the way I was when I watched this film. I felt the pain, aguish, fear, depression, pressure and anxiety that all the characters were going through. It was real, too real. This is a film I recommend that everyone (18 and over unless your parents approve otherwise) watch because it gives a more realistic portrayal of the cycle of addiction and how synical it really is. Yes, it’s a bit dramatic (as most main stream films are) but very gritty.

WARNING: Requiem for a Dream is NSFW: In case you’re wondering what NSFW means; it means it’s NOT SUITABLE FOR WORK.

This is a classic movie about addiction, societal pressure, the quest for freedom from addiction in general – not just from a substance. All the characters had in some way, good intentions, but in the end suffered very serious consequences from their drug addictions. In this movie you’ll see characters that are battling Heroin, Cocaine and Speed addictions. The movie is split into three seasons – Summer, Fall and Winter. In the Summer we find the characters blooming and experiencing happiness and highs in their life. In the Fall they hit a hard wall and begin to fall apart and once Winter comes around all hell has broken loose and their lives have become unmanageable, dark and destructive. The director, Darren Aronofsky was not interested in Requiem For a Dream as a junky movie or a film about drug paraphernalia. He was more interested in the before and after of drug use.

Requiem for a Dream Trailer

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

Drink Responsibly: Top 3 Rules to Safe Drinking

Posted on by
1

Drink Responsibly: Top 3 Rules to Safe Drinking 

We live in a society where having a drink or two is as normal as going for a run, doing yoga, meditating, sleeping, going grocery shopping, or taking a stroll down the block. Drinking has evolved from an option (or recreational activity of sorts) to being a habit; and a bad one at that. We’ve glamorized and portrayed alcohol as a normal part of everyday life. Alcohol has ingrained itself into our society and to inform people on the dangers of alcohol when we’ve be told that it’s “normal” behavior to consume it and “live it up” is not easy. So, we won’t attempt to shove down your throat the perils of drinking alcohol, instead we just want to share our thoughts on how you can drink alcohol safely. Here are our top 3 rules to safe drinking:

  1. Do not engage in underage drinking. The drinking age in America is 21 years old for a reason and even at this age millions of people abuse alcohol by binge drinking or engaging in reckless behavior while intoxicated which puts themselves and others in danger. The human brain is not fully developed until the age of 25. That means that a person is truly not considered an adult until age 25. The brain is still growing and developing until the age of 25 yet people are allowed to ingest alcohol which affects the development of the human brain. We’ll safely blame that on a mixture of societal and governmental doing. Drinking prematurely can affect the development of your brain so it’s crucial that you do not engage in underage drinking. Just wait, it’s not worth the risk of getting caught by your parents, doing poorly in school, becoming sick or getting in trouble with the law. Be smart and be safe, just wait.
  2. Do not drink and drive or operate heavy machinery. When you become 21 and are able to drink, if you choose to drink, do so responsibly. Do not drink and drive or operate heavy machinery. When alcohol enters your body is slows downs your motor skills and thus impairs your ability to operate any type of vehicle. People who are intoxicated can barely walk straight so imagine how it’d be if they tried to drive a car. It just doesn’t sound too smart, does it?
  3. Do not binge drink or consume more than 1 alcoholic drink per hour. Alcohol like everything else should be consumed in moderation. Our bodies are not never-ending vessels that can handle large amounts of alcohol. Think about it, if we overeat we will get sick and/or throw up. Our bodies have limits when it comes to what we put in it. The body only needs enough food and liquids to keep it alive. Alcohol, though it has some benefits, can do us more harm than good if taken in large amounts, especially over a long period of time. When we ingest alcohol it goes into our blood stream, pumps into our brain throughout the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and the limbic system.  In the brain, alcohol latches onto the membrane of cells. It affects the neurotransmitters sent between different cells. These messages control what a person thinks, does and feels. By inhibiting some messages, and encouraging others, alcohol changes behaviors and thoughts.

This article is for informational purposes only. We’re not trying to tell anyone what to do but we just want to spread information on how to make the best choices when deciding to drink any alcoholic beverages; even those labeled non-alcoholic. Oh, yeah they do have alcohol in it so be careful.

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