Enabling Behaviors and Alcohol

With alcohol, as with any addictive substance, there are a few different beverages that can take a casual drinker over the edge to becoming a full on alcoholic. These beverages are not all that harmful in and of themselves in small doses, but they can lead to heavy drinking quickly and easily. There are 3 types of enabling alcohol these are wine coolers, mixed drinks, and heavily flavored alcohols. These three beverages are highly addictive for a series of reasons and each of them tend to contribute to alcoholism when paired with enabling behaviors.

Wine coolers are notorious for becoming gateway or enabling beverages for a few different reasons. These drinks are somewhat low in alcohol content so it does take several to make a person become inebriated, the second reason these are enabling is because they are normally consumed in social situations where the pressure to drink is higher and alcoholic accountability is lower. The last reason is that these drinks do not taste like hard liquor, they often have fruity and pleasant flavors which makes drinking several far easier than drinking hard liquor.

Mixed drinks are another touchy area. These drinks are also very tasty which makes it easy for someone to drink three or four without realizing what they have done. These drinks also often contain more than one type of alcohol and have a higher alcohol content than those drinks that are pre-bottled. This higher alcohol content and pleasant taste make it hard to drink just one. Flavored alcohols are another issue to contend with. Again these are not unpleasant in flavor so drinking three or four shots or glasses is much easier than shooting liquor that is going to burn on the way down.

Keeping these issues in mind when drinking socially is the best way to prevent alcoholism. Though drinking one or two drinks every now and again is not necessarily alcoholism, it can help contribute to a problem with alcohol down the road. Alcohol abuse intervention is a very real issue and many that drink recreationally are faced with this type of treatment to help curb their drinking and get their lives back on track. Taking the time to really think about what is being done and to consider the toll that heavy drinking takes on lives is one of the only ways to stop this sort of unwanted behavior.

Painkiller Addiction

If you are suffering from a condition that causes moderate to acute pain then your family doctor will probably prescribe painkillers such as OxyContin to help you manage the discomfort. These drugs are relatively safe and improve the overall quality of life for many people. But patients should be aware of the risk associated with addiction to pain meds.

Oxycodone can be preferable to other types of pain relief such as morphine because it carries less side effects such as nausea, depression or respiratory problems. However, a small number of patients may experience unpleasant symptoms such as itching, a dry mouth, headaches or feeling light headed. Only in rare cases will there be a severe reaction such as respiratory failure and other life threatening conditions.

The problem is, these side effects - if the patient gets them at all - do not compare to the misery of the withdrawal symptoms if the patient has developed a dependency on their pain medication. They may also become hooked on the feelings of calm, happiness and euphoria which may result from taking opiates, and increase their daily dose to unsafe levels to achieve a greater high. This will make withdrawal symptoms worse. Relapses are extremely common among pain med addicts.

The symptoms of oxycodone withdrawal may include anxiety or panic attacks, muscle cramps or pain, nausea and flu like symptoms. Insomnia is another common side effect of discontinued use of pain medication.

To reduce the risk of unbearable withdrawal symptoms - which will increase the chances of the patient relapsing and starting their pain medication again - the drugs should be discontinued gradually. It is also essential that it is done under the supervision of a medical professional such as the family doctor or, in the worst case scenario, in a rehab clinic.

Reduce Stress By Observing These Simple Tips

Living with stress is not something that is foreign to most adults. Handling stress is something that is learned, and it only becomes a problem when it begins taking over your life. Then it is up to you to learn new coping mechanisms to calm yourself down. Here are a few examples.

One of the things that you can do when you are feeling anxious is to go to the spa and get a massage. This will help to reduce the amount of knots that you have in your body so that you can maintain your flexibility and reduce the strain that you feel.

If you have ever heard the saying that laughter is the best medicine, it's true! A great way to reduce stress is simply to laugh. Laughter is nature's way of reducing the levels of stress hormones in your body. Along with reducing stress hormones, laughter also increases the good hormones in your body like endorphins and neurotransmitters, all of which help to make us happy.

If at all possible, avoid negative people who only bring you down and stress you out! People with bad attitudes are often contagious and in order to preserve a positive attitude and keep yourself on track you need to keep away from them. A neighbor or co-worker who is always complaining is nearly always going to cause you stress so walk away!

Your life will be less stressful if you keep up with house repairs. If you have three things that need to be repaired, that is triple the effort you will have to do. It is better to stay on top of things.

Being stressed out is not something new. Everyone has been there. But when it gets to be too much to handle, use these tips as guidelines to help calm you down and help you relax. Find even more ways to cope with stress, and you'll find you have less stress to cope with.

Conquering Depression At Home: Tips For Success

Whether your depression has its roots in genetics or circumstances, it can prove to be challenging on many levels. But getting the proper information and the proper therapy can put you on the path to good health and new found happiness. The information offered here will steer you in the right direction to cure your depression.

Avoiding all sugar types can actually help lessen your depression. These sugars are incorporated into the bloodstream at a quicker rate than carbohydrates from things like whole grains. This will make you feel more energized from the rapid carbohydrate flow, but you will become more tired and depressed after the excess carbohydrates are burned by your body's metabolism.

Going outside into the sunshine can help your depression.. There have been studies that show that lack of sunlight causes a worsening of depression.

By taking a hot bath, you can relieve depression and calm your nerves. Sitting in the bathtub with your favorite book or listening to soft, soothing music can help to make you feel better. Warm water will help to relax you even more, as the soothing temperatures will ease your muscles as well.

Use meditation to help you deal with the symptoms of your depression. It has been medically proven that meditation not only relaxes you and puts you in a better mood, but it can also lower blood pressure.

These medications can help restore your brain's neurochemical balance. Bear in mind that they are not the whole answer, but are most effective when combined with other strategies such as an exercise routine, therapy sessions and an overall effort to improve your life.

As stated previously in the article, depression is often very difficult to overcome. Do not let this statement scare you, but make sure you are prepared to deal with it. Armed with the key points to get you started in the right direction, it is all up to you to banish your depression.

Residential Treatment for Drugs and Alcohol

For many of us, making the decision to enter a residential treatment facility was one of the most arduous, yet most enriching decisions we have ever made. To take charge of your life and begin to deal seriously and wholeheartedly with the problems that you had been facing for perhaps  years, can be an exhilarating for yourself and your loved ones. The beginning steps into the journey towards your new and healthy future can be some of the best times of your life and one is one of the best things you can do for a better future.

When you begin an inpatient residential program, your body will begin to detox and all the substances that once permeated your body and mind will begin to leave your system and you will have an adjustment period where you will have to learn to function again without the presence of the drugs in your body. There are often a lot of unpleasant side effects from this ranging from DT’s, or delirium tremens, with alcohol to the shakes, nausea, chills and bone and muscle pain if detoxing from opiates. Depending on what substance was being used there can be a lot of differing side effects from the detox period and this period can often be very dangerous for your health. Choosing to detox in a residential treatment facility where the trained staff can support you during this period, monitor your health, and administer medications to ease your symptoms is a wise idea on many levels, not just the medical.

If there is one side effect that is common from all the detox periods of the various substances that one might enter rehab for, it is depression. Depression is a formidable foe. The level of depression that you can experience during this time can be very profound and sap your motivation and convictions to stay clean if you're not careful in dealing with it. There are a variety of ways to manage this depression during your stay in rehab. Perhaps one of the most simple is to keep a journal. Keeping track of your thoughts and feelings, listing the things that you are thankful for and goals that you have, can be a great tool for alleviating your blues. A lot of treatment facilities will also have a variety of activities for you to engage in that can be of great use to you. Exercise is a fantastic way to help your body build and maintain healthy levels of endorphins. If acupuncture is offered, you might consider going for a few treatments to help manage your depressive symptoms. Group activities are common as is art therapy. If you're having a hard time and feeling down and like you can't do it, talk to the staff there and talk to the other people there with you. The staff can help you by suggesting different strategies for dealing with your depression and even talking about it to those in the residential facility with you can be of great help.

Inpatient treatment facilities are a great place to start you on your path to sobriety. Being around others with the same goals and motivations is a tremendously supportive tool in getting you on the road to recovery. One need not be afraid of the depression that is sure to come when making such a major change of lifestyle, and as a side effects from detoxing, as there will be many ways available to you to manage your depression. Stay focused on your goal and remember that you are beginning a journey to change your life for the better!