Tag Archives: drinking

How to stop drinking

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How to stop drinking

how to stop drinkingDrinking isn’t a scary thing until it becomes a problem. It gets especially scary when you find yourself drinking even when you don’t want to. It can seem impossible to overcome your drinking but there are actually steps you can to stop drinking. As long as you haven’t reached the point of no return you can do what you need to rewind and stop your problem drinking in its tracks.

How to stop drinking: acknowledge why you do it

Why do you engage in your drinking? You have to be able to answer that question in order to stop drinking. Is it to help you with anxiety and stress? It may be hard to admit why you have you are drinking but you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge exists. Admit why you engage in the problem drinking to yourself and you are on your to stopping drinking.

How to stop drinking: Think rational thoughts instead of sitting in denial

You probably understand at a conscious and intellectual level that your drinking is unhealthy yet you keep on using or drinking and this baffles you. If you are in denial about your drinking this is probably why. If you can’t get through the day without a shot of vodka, you may be self-medicating and if you have reached the point of knowing its bad and can’t stop you may need outside help from something like a drug rehab to stop drinking. Realizing this is a rational thought.

How to stop drinking: Using coping skills

People never break bad habits they merely replace them with new ones. Recognize that you get a reward of some sort from smoking, using drugs, and drinking. Find something else to give you that reward and you have found new coping skills and have stopped the drinking. If you have reached the point of no return and need to attend rehab it is still a very good idea to find new coping skills for life for when you are out of rehab. Finding new coping skills can stop drinking in its tracks. And if you can stop drinking then you can begin to live a healthy life again. You have the ability to quiet yourself without drugs and alcohol; without your alcohol. You also have the ability to reduce stress without drugs and alcohol. Find new things to use to stop drinking instead of drugs and alcohol which fuel it.

How to stop drinking: Have a support system and become accountable

If you truly want to stop drinking and get clean then you are going to need help from people and you are going to need to be accountable to those people. Accountability means showing up when you say you are going to and no longer engaging in alcoholic drinking behaviors like being flaky. The support system you have is meant to help you stop drinking by telling you the truth about yourself when you want to go into denial about your drinking. Your support system will also help you to find new ways to be healthier and do those things with you. Support and accountability can also come in the form of rehab to stop drinking.

 

 

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

Alcohol and IBS

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Alcohol and IBS

Drinking a lot of alcohol can cause a lot of problems including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Even if alcohol is only consumed occasionally it could end up doing damage to internal organs. It is a widely known fact that the ill effects of alcohol can be avoided by avoiding alcohol all together or by staying way below the recommended levels of alcohol intake. Although, someone who has irritable bowel syndrome may find that they are better off not drinking at all because even one drink could cause their symptoms to flare up.

What is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?

IBS is a functional disorder that is in the intestines. IBS doesn’t cause actual damage to the bowels but the symptoms can be really unpleasant and can also interfere with a person’s ability to enjoy life normally. Those people with IBS may have to deal with pain and/or discomfort in the abdominal area. They might also have to deal with frequent episodes of diarrhea or constipation. It is believed that about 20 percent of the US population will have to deal with the symptoms of IBS at some point in their life.

What is the cause of IBS?

The actual known cause of IBS is unknown but it could be due to many factors including:

  • Having a sensitive colon
  • High and long lasting stress
  • Bacterial infections
  • A more mild form of celiac disease (celiac disease causes damage to the small intestine and make it hard for the body to absorb certain foods)
  • High levels of serotonin in the gastrointestinal tract which can interfere with normal bowel movements and increase the sensitivity of pain receptors
  • An effect of taking antibiotics because the medication may kill harmless bacteria in the intestines that are used for normal bowel function
  • An alteration or change to normal bowel function which can leads to strong spasms or temporary suspension of bowel function
  • Over activity in the gut can also cause IBS

What are the symptoms IBS?

  • Abdominal pain
  • Bloating
  • Cramping with bowel movements
  • Constipation
  • The need to strain when passing stool
  • Diarrhea
  • Urgent need to open bowels
  • Loss of appetite
  • Belching
  • Tiredness
  • Nausea

 Alcohol and IBS

Alcohol and IBS do not mix well. Alcohol increases the severity of IBS symptoms. Even just one alcoholic drink can be enough to cause an attack of IBS. Because alcohol is a poison or toxic substance that irritates the bowel it is extremely common for IBS to have their symptoms flare up after drinking. Some alcoholic drinks are less likely to cause a flare up of IBS symptoms. It is known that beer can make symptoms of IBS much worse. Many people with IBS report their symptoms for IBS getting significantly better after they stopped drinking all together. It may be best for someone with IBS to stop drinking to see if it gets any better.

 

 

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

What are Delirium Tremens?

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What are Delirium Tremens?

Delirium tremens or DT’s for short are a severe and possibly fatal form of alcohol withdrawal. Delirium tremens involve sudden and severe mental or nervous system changes. Anyone who has ever seen someone experience delirium tremens knows how frightening and scary they can be.

Delirium tremens don’t only happen to someone who is withdrawing from alcohol but this is when they are most common. Delirium tremens can occur due to head injury, infection, and illness too. Delirium tremens due to alcohol withdrawal though are probably the most severe.

When someone becomes physically addicted to alcohol they change the physical make-up of their brain. Then when they try to stop drinking the brain is no longer getting what it needs to take care of the body and that is when alcohol withdrawal begins.

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms usually begin within 72 hours of the last drink and can last up to 10 days after that. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms once they begin can quickly become more severe and worsen.

  • Body tremors
  • Changes in mental function
  • Agitation, irritability
  • Confusion, disorientation
  • Decreased attention span
  • Deep sleep that lasts for a day or longer
  • Delirium
  • Excitement
  • Fear
  • Hallucinations (seeing or feeling things that are not really there)
  • Increased activity
  • Quick mood changes
  • Restlessness, excitement
  • Sensitivity to light, sound, touch
  • Stupor, sleepiness, fatigue
  • Seizures

Most common in first 12 – 48 hours after last drink

  • Usually generalized tonic-clonic seizures
  • Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Difficulty thinking clearly
  • Fatigue
  • Feeling jumpy or nervous
  • Feeling shaky
  • Headache
  • Insomnia (difficulty falling and staying asleep)
  • Irritability or excitability
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nausea
  • Pale skin
  • Palpitations (sensation of feeling the heart beat)
  • Rapid emotional changes
  • Sweating, especially on the palms of the hands or the face
  • Vomiting

Other symptoms that may occur:

  • •Chest pain
  • •Fever
  • •Stomach pain

And delirium tremens. Delirium tremens are a medical emergency and are one of the biggest reasons why someone who is experiencing alcohol withdrawal should seek outside help immediately if they begin experiencing any of the alcohol withdrawal symptoms mentioned above. Delirium tremens look a lot like seizures and the usual treatment for them includes the same medications that would be used to help seizures. For instance, valium, Ativan and diazepam are quite common for the treatment of delirium tremens and alcohol withdrawal in general.

Someone who is getting ready to experience delirium tremens will usually show some signs such as the following:

•Heavy sweating

•Increased startle reflex

•Irregular heartbeat

•Problems with eye muscle movement

•Rapid heart rate

•Rapid muscle tremors

The most important thing about delirium tremens is that they can be fatal. This is why it is so absolutely imperative that anyone experiencing any level of severity of alcohol withdrawal should check into an inpatient detox facility or go to the hospital. For someone who is going through the alcohol withdrawal themselves they won’t be able to help themselves should they begin to experience delirium tremens. Delirium tremens also for the person who is not medically equipped can be extremely scary. So if you begin to experience any type of alcohol withdrawal seek medical attention immediately.

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

Smoking and Drinking Together Cause Massive Hangovers

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Smoking and Drinking Together Cause Massive Hangovers

The other morning I woke up with what felt like a massive hangover. My head hurt, my eyes were grainy, and I felt sick to my stomach. The funny part was-I hadn’t had any alcohol the night before. I’d stayed out late, and I’d smoked a lot of cigarettes, but I didn’t have an alcoholic drink. I’d never thought about it before, but that morning I realized that part of the reason I felt so terrible after a night of drinking was the fact that I got very little sleep and smoked a lot of cigarettes.

Smoking and Drinking Together Cause Massive Hangovers: The Research

A lot of people smoke and drink at the same time. Even many nonsmokers will have a few cigarettes when they are out on the town. But studies suggest that smoking and drinking together cause massive hangovers. Findings published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs found that at the same number of drinks, people who smoke more have been shown to have more intense hangovers the next day. Smoking itself was shown to increase chances of a hangover more than nonsmoking. The subjects in the study were asked to rank hangover symptoms like nausea, headache, and difficulty concentrating.

Smoking and Drinking Together Cause Massive Hangovers: What causes a hangover?

Alcohol is broken down in the liver first to acetaldehyde, then to harmless acetic acid. Acetaldehyde is the main chemical that is responsible for the symptoms of a hangover. Smoking also increases your acetaldehyde in the body and this is why smoking and drinking together causes massive hangovers. The severity of a hangover is directly connected to the amount of alcohol an individual drinks and how much sleep he or she has gotten, and according to this new study, whether or not the person smoked a lot of cigarettes.

The hangover symptoms that individuals feel can be caused by:

  • urination (resulting in dehydration)
  • immune system response
  • stomach irritation
  • poor sleep quality
  • drop in blood sugar
  • dilation of blood vessels

Smoking and Drinking Together Cause Massive Hangovers: Prevention and cures

There is no real “cure” for a hangover. Most of the classic hangover cures really don’t work. The only really cure is time or preventing the hangover in the first place. Obviously, if you want to lower your chances of getting a hangover you can cut down on the amount that you smoke while you are drinking or not smoke at all. Also, getting adequate rest and drinking a lot of water have been shown to reduce your chances of getting a hangover. The main cause of hangovers, however, is binge drinking. Binge drinking is defined as having more than four drinks in a sitting for men, and five drinks for women. This type of drinking, where your blood alcohol content increases quickly in a short amount of time, is the most important factor in getting a hangover. This is because your body gets overwhelmed and cannot break down the alcohol as quickly as you are consuming it, causing a buildup of acetaldehyde.

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

Hangover Story: College Student Falls Asleep in The Wrong Dorm Room

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After a long hard night of drinking Jason, a student of Florida State, was ready for bed. It seemed to be like any other normal night of drinking. Go out to the bar, get smashed and come back to the dorms to rest up before class on Monday. Little did he know is when he got on the elevator he pressed the button for the fourth floor instead of the second. This was the catalyst to an interesting morning that was mixed with a massive headache, fatigue and dehydration otherwise known as a killer hangover.

 As Jason, took the elevator to what he thought was the second floor of the dorms he held himself up wanting nothing more than his bed. Soon the elevator doors opened and being as drunk as he was he didn’t even notice that not only was he not on the second floor but he was on the girl’s floor. “I thought it looked a little unfamiliar” Jason said “but I was so drunk I barely thought about it” He stumbled and staggered his way to the room he thought was his, opened the door and slowly climbed into bed. “The spins were seriously bad” Jason said, so he grabbed the trashcan and puked for a good five minutes into it and then “I just passed out.” Jason reports.

Next thing he knew he was being awoken by three very angry girls who were holding what looked to be like a backpack full of books covered in puke. They were yelling and it didn’t do much to help his headache. Reports say that the girls were “Screeching so loud you could hear them down the hall”. “It suddenly dawned on me”, says Jason. “I definitely wasn’t in my own dorm room and what I had thought was the trashcan was one of the girl’s backpacks.” With that Jason said he quickly grabbed his keys and ran out the door, hoping no one would know about the awful mistake he had made. As he made it back to his own dorm room he stopped by the bathroom only to catch his reflection in the mirror. “I had obviously been passed out longer than I thought, the girls had drawn all over my face and then I remembered I had fallen asleep with my shoes on!” Jason said while shaking his head.

Jason finally made it to his own bed where he then slept for another 12 hours until the hangover wore off. “I missed my Monday classes.” “It totally wasn’t worth it” Jason says. With that Jason did have this to say though, “If you are going to drink make sure you are somewhat coherent. You never know what it’s going to be like waking up after a long hard night of drinking. Seriously. I didn’t have to deal with just a hangover but also the back lash of an embarrassing night for the next three months, I think the girls even got some pictures”

Moral of this story: If you are planning on getting hammered make sure you know where you are or have someone with you. Also drink plenty of water and eat something!  This would have kept Jason somewhat coherent. This would have also helped with Jason’s headache, dehydration and vomiting. Sometimes hangovers are inevitable but they can be eased up a little. The best advice though is still to just not drink.

 

 

 

 

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