Prevention | Intervention
Workplace Costs of Secondhand Drinking
The workplace costs of secondhand drinking are significant to employees and to the company or agency’s bottom line. Secondhand drinking – the negative impacts of a person’s excessive drinking behaviors on others – directly affects nearly 80 million Americans. These are the husbands, wives, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, boyfriends, girlfriends and co-workers who repeatedly deal…
Read MoreFears for Children When Divorcing an Alcoholic
The thought of divorcing an alcoholic * is terrifying for so many reasons, but when one has children, it can be paralyzing. Time and again I receive phone calls and emails from spouses expressing fears like these: “I am terrified to divorce because my children aren’t safe with him/her they drink.” “He drinks and drives…
Read MoreHidden Half-Empty Bottles – Should I Dump Them Out or ???
Some variation of this question comes up often, “I found hidden half-empty bottles of vodka all over the house. Should I dump them out? I did that the last time, and he accused me of snooping…not trusting him.” I remember that sick, kicked-in-the-gut feeling when I found my loved ones’ hidden half-empty bottles. Sometimes I’d…
Read MoreUnderstand Brain Maps | Change a Habit | Change Your Life
Understand brain maps and you can learn how to change a habit, change your life. Now that’s a bold, somewhat bizarre statement. Nonetheless, it holds the key to the power each of us can wield over the health of our brain and therefore the quality of our life. Here is a very basic explanation. How…
Read MoreWant to Prevent Addiction? Assess Your Risk Factors
Want to prevent addiction? Of course you do – even if it’s not your own. Maybe it’s your child or friend or significant other’s substance use you’re worried about. So the obvious question then is, “How?” [But before I continue, there’s been a great deal of research and advanced understandings about the term addiction (drug…
Read MoreSober Up Fast – Is It Even Possible?
Sober up fast? Is that even possible? The short answer is, “NO.” But what about throwing up, taking a walk around the block, drinking coffee, or taking a cold shower? Doesn’t that work? Still, “No.” In fact, the only thing that can sober a person up is TIME. Why time? It has to do with…
Read MoreHonor Veterans Support Their Mental Health
One of the most important ways we can honor our veterans this Veterans Day is to support their mental health. And I mean SUPPORT as in doing the same kinds of things we do to SUPPORT a person’s physical health. We don’t question or shame or expect speedy results when a person seeks help and…
Read MoreIt’s Just Marijuana or Is It?
“It’s just marijuana!” I can’t tell you how many times I hear this in my work. Many go on to defend using marijuana as safer, less harmful to self and others than drinking alcohol or using other drugs, like cocaine or prescription pain meds. It’s Just Marijuana or Is It? Now I am the last…
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