Posts Tagged 'alcoholism'
C.A.G.E – a short test for alcohol problems.
Published May 28, 2012 Addictions 2 CommentsTags: alcohol abuse, alcohol problem, alcoholic, alcoholics, alcoholism, booze, C.A.G.E. alcohol test, drinking, drinking problem, drunk, substance abuse, substance use
E – Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning, and eye opener, to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?
Happy Independence Day
Published July 4, 2011 Addictions Leave a CommentTags: alcohol problem, alcoholic, alcoholics, alcoholism, drinking too much
As we celebrate Independence Day for our country,
take a step toward personal celebration…
and ending your own dependence on alcohol or drugs!
Much is made of the capacity to manage one’s life independently, but so many people find themselves struggling with their dependence on alcohol or drugs and 
sometimes lose confidence in their own inner strength.
At its most extreme consequence, alcohol and drug dependence can rob one of friends, family, purpose and promise, until the person 
ceases to understand or accept the terrible price others may have paid for caring about them and trying to be loving and supportive even when the addiction turned cruel.
If you are questioning your own use of alcohol or drugs, and think that just maybe the people who have suggested it’s a significant problem are right, why not seek a professional opinion? Call a qualified therapist today, and begin the process of exploring and illuminating your lifestyle choices and their impact on you and on the people in your life.
Climb out of the depth of your addiction and reclaim your life. Your therapist and the people who still care about you will believe in you until you can believe in yourself.
YES YOU CAN.
Poor Me!
Published July 13, 2010 Addictions Leave a CommentTags: alcohol problem, alcoholic, alcoholics, alcoholism, drinking problem, making changes, recovery, recovery from alcoholism
Poor me.
POUR ME!
Alcohol addiction, if you are struggling for sobriety, is a formidable adversary. Something that will make your battle more difficult is to have an attitude of entitlement. Yes, you may have experienced some serious losses due to your drinking, and you deserve empathy and warm wishes as you confront your painful and even damaging behavior. It is not helpful to your recovery however, or to your rebuilding of relationships, if you keep the perspective of having been “deprived” of your rightful
privileges and possessions. In fact, if you have lost people dear to you and possessions you worked hard for, it may be more helpful to accept that you traded them away in return for “that feeling.” The loss of meaning and positive self-regard, through neglect, distraction and deceit is painful to accept. Only through acceptance of our own frailty can we hope to re-build a whole and wholesome self. All else is simply a flight into health; and short-lived at that.
Recovery can be an arduous process if properly done. Try not to run before you can walk.
If you want to fly, take the time to grow wings.
Yes. You can.
Drunk? And starving yourself too?
Published January 28, 2010 Musings 4 CommentsTags: alcohol problem, alcoholics, alcoholism, anorexia and alcohol, eating disorder, women and alcohol
A new medical and behavioral condition has been identified by The Eating Disorder Center of Denver. They call it
DRUNKOREXIA Seriously.
Drunkorexia, is mostly experienced by young women and is characterized by their uncontrollable habit of starving themselves all day to save the calories that they will then take in through the alcohol they drink later. Food is typically shunned all day and drinking starts in the afternoon and continues into the night. If these young women do eat (usually only nominal amounts), then they also will purge either through intentional vomiting or more often through the involuntary vomiting associated with severe intoxication. They continuously lose weight while they habitually drink until intoxicated.
Many of these women are also suffering from the influence and emotional intimidation both of general society as well as their husbands or partners. They tragically try to conform to the distorted “photoshopped” images of waif-like girls that dominate female images in our social media, often because a male partner taunts them with jibes about being overweight.
And while men report drinking similar amounts of alcohol to women, the frequency of “binge” drinking is higher among women. The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders reports that 72% of women who are addicted to alcohol also have an eating disorder!
If you can take a clear look at your life, and at your drinking behavior, and if you can see that you too are continuously starving yourself — losing weight to “look good” for someone – while you drink your life away in loneliness and despair, then it’s time for you to make an appointment with a qualified therapist. Begin today to re-claim both your natural beauty and your independence from alcohol.
Re-claim your life. 
For more information on this critical issue, and on the Eating Disorders Center of Denver, visit this link: http://tiny.cc/EgMMR.
T-ACE: Test your drinking behavior
Published January 11, 2010 Addictions Leave a CommentTags: alcohol problem, alcoholic, alcoholics, alcoholism, test for alcoholism
Happy New Year???
Have you resolved to reduce your drinking?
Many people have a holiday season filled with a little (or a lot) too much alcohol. Perhaps there was a round of parties, each more “wet” than the next. Or maybe it was a quiet holiday season, with time at home – maybe with just a few family or friends – and plenty of time to sip your way through the week.
But it’s happened before, and each time you ask yourself if it’s time to seriously cut back.
Here’s a quick and easy screening test to see if you may have a problem with alcohol.
The T-ACE Test is composed of only 4 questions, but has proved useful in diagnosing alcohol problems in both men and women.
T - Does it TAKE more than 3 drinks to make you feel high?
A - Have you ever been ANNOYED by people’s criticism of your drinking?
C - Are you trying to CUT DOWN on drinking?
E - Have you ever used alcohol as an EYE OPENER in the morning?
A “yes” answer to any two of these four questions is an indication of possible alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence.
** Remember: as with all screening tests, a more in-depth evaluation is needed if there is an indication you may have a problem. If you answered even one question with a “yes” it may be time for you to consider talking to a professional therapist about what’s going on in your life and to get support in deciding whether you need more focused help with reducing or eliminating your alcohol use.
Make your Happy New Year a decision, not a question. 
Falling Off of the Wagon…
Published October 12, 2009 Addictions Leave a CommentTags: alcohol problem, alcoholic, alcoholics, alcoholism, falling off the wagon, maintaining sobriety, off the wagon, on the wagon, sobriety, staying sober
… is easy. Remember, it’s moving!!
So you have to hold on. And that can be hard.
How many times have you promised yourself that you would cut back your drinking after a particularly dramatic event that was embarrassing or humiliating for you? Or perhaps for someone who you say you care about? Have you left someone emotionally wounded with hateful words or actions? Perhaps you don’t even know… can’t remember, but have a vague sense that you have hurt someone beyond measure by saying or doing the meanest thing you could think of at the time.
Or maybe you have wounded yourself with injuries self-inflicted accidentally or purposely while intoxicated beyond control? Because Life is not static, not fixed in a moment in
time or in memory, it’s important to remain resilient and determined to meet each day’s challenges with an intentional and positive attitude, including when your personal challenge is alcohol addiction. Many clients have told me the old not-so funny joke – with a wry yet sad smile on their faces: “Yes, I’ve stopped drinking. Many times!”
If this is true for you, then start work to realize the truth of your addiction and your destruction of your own life and the lives of those you claim to hold dear. Seek help to accept this truth, confront it and ultimately to overcome it so that you can transform it into another more enlightened, joyous, productive and loving truth.
You will see the change in the eyes and hear it in the voices of the people you know and meet.
And, you will see it in your own eyes when you look into the mirror.
Reclaim your life, and also the love of those around you.
Yes You Can.
How much do you drink? Count your drinks accurately.
Published September 24, 2009 Addictions Leave a CommentTags: alcohol measures, alcoholism, counting drinks, drinking levels, drinking problems, measure your alcohol, measuring drinks, standard drink equivalents
Do you drink alcohol? If so, do you really know how much you drink?
Many people who drink, and particularly those with significant challenges in their use of alcohol, do not have an accurate sense of the amount of alcohol they are consuming. By underestimating the amount of alcohol you use, you are fooling yourself about the extent of your drinking, and perhaps the seriousness of your drinking problem. You can use the measures below for a more accurate understanding of the amount of alcohol you’re using, and seek appropriate support and treatment if needed. For example, if you drink beer, one beer is counted as 12 ounces of beer. If you have a 40 oz, even though it’s only one can it has to be counted as 3+ beers.
Beer (12 oz) a 12 oz = 1 drink/ 16 oz = 1.3 / 22 oz = 2 / 40 oz = 3.3
Table Wine (5 oz) a 750 mL bottle = 5 drinks
80 proof / hard liquor (whiskey, gin, vodka, scotch, bourbon, brandy, cognac) is measured by the “shot” or 1.5 ounces.
a mixed drink = 1 or more depending on the recipe for the cocktail
taken straight, 1.5 oz = 1 drink / a pint = 11 drinks / a fifth = 17 drinks
If you’re unsure whether you can maintain an accurate count of your alcohol use, consider using a glass that is 1 standard drink of whatever type of alcohol you use. That way the math will be easy! And don’t assume that a mixed drink in a bar is understrength. Some bars are overly generous in their pours, and may be serving you 2 ounces or more of alcohol in each drink, especially those more exotic cocktails that call for 3 or 4 different alcohols.
Do yourself, and those who love you, a good favor. Be aware of your alcohol consumption and take steps to moderate it so that it is healthy both physically and socially. And if you ever find yourself apologizing by saying”…but I was drunk” then you know you need to take a very serious accounting of your drinking behavior and it’s impact on your life and the lives of others.
