Help for Families | Secondhand Drinking | Codependency
Parental Drinking | Children – They’re Watching…
Parental drinking – take note – your children are watching… Parental Drinking – What’s the Big Deal? I was on a neighborhood walk the other day and rounded the corner to see a dad and his two children approaching. One was still in a backpack, and the other was on one of those bicycle-type, 3-wheelers…
Read MoreEnjoying the Holidays With a Loved One Who Drinks Too Much
Holidays with a loved one who drinks too much? Are you prepared? There is an expression in 12-step program circles: “Expectations Are Resentments Under Construction.” And for the families of a loved one who drinks too much, holidays can be fertile resentment building grounds as family members, fraught with angst, worry about what’s going to…
Read MoreVeterans, Suicide and the Substance Abuse Connection
Veterans, Suicide and the Substance Abuse Connection. It’s real, and it’s rooted in the brain changes caused by the mental health impacts of war – anxiety, depression, PTSD, for example. These impacts often cause a veteran (and any person with a mental illness, for that matter) to turn to drugs or alcohol to self-medicate the…
Read MoreSecrecy and Shame Surrounding Addiction Keep Us Stuck
In my opinion, the secrecy and shame surrounding addiction – now understood to be a chronic, often relapsing brain disease – are what keeps us stuck in the old ways of treating, intervening and preventing substance abuse and addiction. The Historical Reasons When Robert Smith and Bill Wilson (Dr. Bob and Bill W.) co-founded Alcoholics…
Read MoreStandard Drink Label – Proposed Cigarette Label
Standard drink labels – simple, easy to read, informing you of how many standard drinks are in a drink container. In light of the proposed cigarette warning labels – isn’t it time? It’s in the news, today, articles and reader comments about the F.D.A.’s proposed graphic warning labels on cigarette packs, like this one, “F.D.A.…
Read MoreStandard Drink Labels – Isn’t It Time?
Standard drink labels – isn’t it time? Most definitely! Especially when a can of alcohol contains 5 standard drinks! Given the recent articles in a number of newspapers, news programs and online regarding the hospitalizations of young drinkers of the caffeinated alcoholic beverage, Four Loko, the call by 18 state attorneys general for the Food…
Read MoreSigns of a Possible Relapse | SAMHSA
Understanding that relapse can be part of a person’s recovery is important. But even more important is to understand the signs of a possible relapse so that it can be avoided all together. Addiction Relapse Explained Because addiction is now understood to be a chronic, often relapsing brain disease — one that results in cravings…
Read MoreFeelings During Early Recovery From Addiction | Alcoholism
Addicts | alcoholics experience a number of common feelings during early recovery from addiction | alcoholism. Learning what they are and that these feelings and emotions are normal during early recovery is important not only for the addict | alcoholic, but for their family members and friends, as well. Knowing the Common Feelings During Early…
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