Category Archives: Abstinence

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.

What is alcohol detox?

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Alcohol detox for those who have found themselves physically dependent on it is an absolutely integral and lifesaving part of the recovery process. The literal definition of alcohol is; treatment to rid the body of poisonous substances, specifically in this instance alcohol. Alcohol detox is where the initial physical cleansing of the body happens, so alcoholics can continue on alcohol free. Most alcohol detox facilities make it their mission to give the people there the most comfortable alcohol detox possible because it can be severely uncomfortable. At an alcohol detox it is almost guaranteed that each individual will be in a safe, comfortable and medically supervised program. Alcohol detox gives alcoholics who have been surrounded by chaos a peaceful and relaxing environment. The setting during alcohol detoxification is imperative so most alcohol detox facilities try to give a tranquil and serene experience with special accommodations, food, comfortable beds etc. Not only that but alcohol detox has a knowledgeable and caring staff that treats each alcoholic who comes in with respect so they can get the most out of their stay and be comfortable.

Entering alcohol detox

When an individual first enters into alcohol detox they are assessed in order for the facility to meet their detoxification needs. The average length of stay in alcohol detox is 4-10 days. During this time in alcohol detox everyone is bound to have alcohol withdrawal symptoms due to the alcohol leaving their body and this can be very uncomfortable and scary. This is why alcohol detox makes sure that during those 4-10 days that they are physically cleansing that everything is personalized to their needs so they can be medically assisted in the best ways for them. Doctors begin overseeing treatment in alcohol detox from the moment the individual arrives.

What to expect from alcohol detox

What each individual can expect from alcohol detox is the highest level of care. The reason alcohol detox focuses so much on the quality of their care is because this is the beginning for each individual on their way to achieving their goal of long term sobriety. An inpatient alcohol detox guarantees an effective medical detox experience where the recovery process can start.

Alcohol detox is just the beginning

Alcohol detox is just the beginning of the journey into sobriety but it is one of the most imperative parts of it. This is where alcoholics go to get a clean body, mind and soul in order to begin taking those steps to true healing. Alcohol detox also gives each individual multiple outlets and tools that they will be able to use as they go forward and their alcohol detox ends. Some of the things that many alcohol detox facilities recommend after the detox process is complete are inpatient residential alcohol treatment, or outpatient alcohol treatment. The chances of an alcoholic finding success in sobriety go up significantly if they attend some kind of alcohol treatment after their time in alcohol detox is complete.

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

How To Stop Drinking

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How to stop drinking

Ok, so if you don’t have a problem with alcohol, the good news is you can just stop drinking. Don’t drink anymore. Problem solved. However, you probably wouldn’t be looking at this article if it were that simple. Chances are, you’re probably already experiencing some negative consequences as a result of your drinking. You may have even tried to stop drinking before and it didn’t work. Or maybe you’ve just noticed that the number of drinks you have every week has slowly started to creep upward.

How to stop drinking: Assess the problem

Ok, so it’s time to get honest about the problem, even if it’s just to yourself. How much do you drink, and how often? How long has it been going on? If you’ve been a daily drinker for some time, odds are that you will experience some withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop drinking.

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can begin as early as two hours after taking your last drink. They can range from moderate (mild anxiety, shakiness) to severe (seizures, delirium tremens) depending on how long you have been drinking. The severe complications can lead to death in some cases, so if you have been drinking daily for a while, you shouldn’t try to get off alcohol on your own, which brings me to my next point….

How to stop drinking: Consult a doctor

Don’t feel like you need to quit alone. Even if you haven’t been drinking long enough to have withdrawal symptoms, it is much easier to quit with some help. A doctor can help you assess your drinking and give you counsel on resources that can help you to stop drinking. They may even be able to prescribe medication to help with withdrawal or point you towards a medical detox facility. Also, your doctor can give you information regarding mental health professionals, support groups and drug and alcohol treatment centers in your area.

How to stop drinking: Get rid of all your alcohol

In the beginning, it’s much easier to stop drinking if you first clear out all of the alcohol in your home. Ask family and friends if they can refrain from bringing alcohol to your house when they come over and try to avoid situations where there will be a lot of drinking. If you have been drinking for a long time, it may be difficult at first to find activities that do not involve alcohol. It is important to keep busy when you try to stop drinking and find some things you enjoy doing without having to be drunk.

How to stop drinking: Take care of yourself

It is much easier to stop drinking when your body is getting good food and enough rest. Exercise can also be a great way to release endorphins, manage stress, and cut cravings. Take extra good care of yourself when you try to stop drinking, especially in the beginning. Try to reduce outside stress as much as possible, and try new, healthy ways to deal with anxiety and stress.

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

The Other Hangover

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The Other Hangover

Everyone knows what a hangover feels like. The parched mouth, aching muscles, and splitting headache are all unfortunate consequences of a hard night of drinking. “The Other Hangover” is less easily explained. It sometimes starts with a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. You wake up and realize that something is wrong, but you can’t remember what it is. Slowly, flashes of what you did the night before begin to play in your head. Maybe you got in a fight; maybe you danced topless on the bar. Whatever it was, you begin to realize that your overindulgence the night before may have cost you a lot more than your bar tab.

This is what’s known as “The Other Hangover.” It’s the embarrassment, guilt, or shame you feel due to the dumb decisions you made under the influence of alcohol.

The Other Hangover: Anti-Drinking Campaign

“The Other Hangover” is a concept developed by University of Minnesota undergrads. This semester, the campus has been plastered with posters and ads that try to convince students not to overdo it at the bar.

The idea came from a group of advertising students tasked with creating a responsible-drinking campaign for a national competition last year. The students surveyed their peers and found that the threat of most negative consequences (DUI, alcohol poisoning, and death) was not enough to scare them into drinking responsibly.

The ads feature things like women dancing provocatively at a bar with the caption “Reputations Aren’t Drunk Proof”  and a guy with an arm around a girl and the other hand holding a drink which read “Before you got wasted, you weren’t known as ‘The Creep’”.

Some have praised The Other Hangover Campaign for relating to college students on a level they understand. Since young people tend to think they are invincible, traditional campaigns focused on the dangers of drinking don’t seem to do much good.

Critics of the campaign call it “drunk shaming” and say that it reinforces sexist stereotypes (i.e. if you are a woman and you make out with a guy at a bar, you’re a slut.) The message, they say, is don’t get to drunk, or you’ll do something stupid and everyone will hate you. They claim that there are better and more effective ways to teach college kids responsible drinking.

However, maybe the ad will work where others have failed. It is no secret that campaigns like “The Faces of Meth,” which show the physical deterioration of people who have been arrested for multiple charges of possession, has been more effective on teenagers than more traditional campaigns. Some think this is because it shows teens something that they actually care about – i.e. the erosion of their physical appearance, rather than something that they think could never happen to them-i.e. car crashes or overdoses. Similarly, The Other Hangover ads play on the social consequences of drinking rather than the physical or legal consequences. According to its creators, it targets the things that young people “truly care about.”

http://www.theotherhangover.com/

http://jezebel.com/the-other-hangover/

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

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.