Tips For Alcohol Sobriety While Celebrating

It can be difficult for many people to practice alcohol sobriety while attending celebrations. It may seem that no matter where you look, you will find people drinking and celebrating with various types of liquor, and you may feel the familiar sense of temptation to have a drink. However, if you are a recovering alcoholic, it is important to remember that even one drink can send you on a slippery slope down the road of alcoholism.

However, as a celebratory or sobriety survival guide will tell you, the important thing about staying sober during a festivity is to simply follow a few easy tips, each of which can help you fight away temptation while still celebrating with your friends.

Tips To Stay Sober 

 

Reconnecting with an AA group or its former members is an excellent way to get and provide much needed support during this difficult time. Invite each other over and share stories and talk about your personal successes over temptation. Even if you find yourself struggling just a little bit, you can call an AA friend and know that he or she will be there for you. There is no reason to feel alone while attending a party, because for as many people that will be drinking, there will also be those who will not be.

Depression is not an uncommon symptom of past alcohol abuse. Even a recovering alcoholic may feel depressed, and for such times, it is important to keep your spirits up without resorting to alcohol. This involves starting a hobby, finding an interesting television show, or grabbing a new book and immersing yourself in the story. If the depression becomes too severe, then it is a good idea to speak to your doctor about the possibilities of an antidepressant.

Offer to be the designated driver for people during the party. This helps in the tremendous way that it gives you an important sense of obligation to stay sober for the safety of your friends and family. By assuming responsibility for getting them home, you will be able to hold off on drinking.

Treatment For Alcoholism

 

Treatment for alcoholism can be as simple as living one day at a time. Even if you go one day without a drink, you have made an important improvement for that day. The days will continue to add up, until you will have gone a week without alcohol, and then a month, and then a year, and the feeling of pride and self satisfaction will be more than worth it.

Getting Sober - Now

 “ If he is not interested in your solution, if he expects you to act only as a banker for his financial difficulties or a nurse for his sprees, you may have to drop him until he changes his mind. This he may do after he gets hurt some more. If he is sincerely interested and wants to see you again, ask him to read this book in the interval. After doing that, he must decide for himself whether he wants to go on. He should not be pushed or prodded by you, his wife, or his friends. If he is to find God, the desire must come from within.” - pg. 95 from the chapter entitled “Working With Others” from The Big Book Of Alcoholics Anonymous

In order to get to the place where we are open to receiving inpatient drug rehab most of us have to first get to the place where we are so desperate that we are able to surrender. When it comes to drug and alcohol abuse it is more than a matter of not having enough will power it is an allergy of the body and a disease that centers in the mind therefor most of us are not successful when it comes to trying to quit on our own. Through the help of a drug addiction detox, or AA we are able to recover from this seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. This is a self-diagnosed disease. Only you know if drugs and/or alcohol are a problem and only you can decide to take the steps towards getting the help that you need.

Communicating Concern For A Loved One’s Alcoholism

Communicating concern for a loved one’s alcoholism is an act that takes a great deal of strength, love, and courage. In most cases, it may appear easier to simply look the other way, though, in order for your relationship and your friend to continue, the issue must be addressed. Though the process can be emotionally draining, it is often far less complex than you might expect. In this entry, we will walk you though a few tips to help you express your concerns.

1 – Determine a location. Though it may seem natural to stage the conversation in a home setting, these areas often serve to create feelings of anxiety, defensiveness, and aggression. Opting for a quiet and neutral spot where you can both express yourselves will be ideal for subduing any harsh feelings and avoiding interruption.

2 – Choose your words wisely. Be compassionate, but focused. Beating around the bush will only increase defensive feelings, and will do little to serve your end goal.

Try using the word “I” more than the word “you.” “You are doing…” comes off much more aggressive than “I feel that…”

Plan out what you want to say beforehand to help ensure a smoother conversation. The better prepared you are, the easier this whole deal will be.

3 – Offer your support. Make sure to communicate your compassion and commitment to the relationship. The more positive you are, the better the chances your point will be well received. 

If you have a friend or family member struggling with an alcohol dependency, out Above It All treatment specialists are available to help. Give us a call today, and let us help your loved one back on track towards the happy, healthy, and fulfilling life they deserve. 

Reclaim Your Life

Overcoming addiction is about reclaiming your life and making it better. Above It All Alcohol Recovery and Treatment Center’s alcohol & drug abuse rehab program in California provides the opportunity to achieve a level of wellness that few people experience.  We will be concerned about your physical and mental health, offering program options for those with chronic pain, PTSD or trauma.  We help you learn ways to better manage your life, while addressing co-occurring conditions such as anxiety, depression, or abuse. A Christian rehab center, we will support your spiritual development -- without imposing specific beliefs --to help you re-discover a sense of purpose.  Developing the skills that will help you manage stress, reduce conflict, and have happier relationships, is also part of our addiction treatment program.

Alcohol is the most commonly used and widely abused psychoactive drug in the world. It is a legal drug, while its consumption is regulated by the U.S. Government, you can buy and obtain alcohol at bars, restaurants, grocery stores, liquor stores, and even gas stations. Alcohol causes more harm to people than any drug of abuse, legal or illegal. Because it impairs judgment, alcohol is to blame for a multitude of car accidents, many of them fatal.

Law enforcement has cracked down on Driving Under the Influence with harsher penalties and laws enacted. Organizations have sprung up in response to the increase in drunk driving, the largest being Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). It is estimated that 75-80% of those incarcerated are in prison for committing a crime while under the influence.

A critical aspect of the recovery process is preparing for the next step -- living a better life that is drug and alcohol free.  Together we will develop a plan for the future, coordinating the support necessary to help you stay clean and sober.  In the months and years ahead we will be here to help, offer advice, support and encouragement as you journey forward. Above It All Treatment Center, we are here for you.

Sleep & Alcohol – Facts & Effects

On average, adults tend to sleep between 7 ½ & 8 hours per evening. While the exact functionality of sleep is unknown, most evidence points towards the idea that a lack of it can result in a variety of consequences, including breathing impairments, depression, and heart disease. In addiction, daytime exhaustion due to lack of rest is often attributed to impaired occupational and social function, memory deficits, and automobile accidents.

The consumption of alcohol has been seen to cause sleep disorders by way of disrupting the duration and sequence of the various sleep states and altering the amount of total sleep time.

Non-Alcoholic

Following the initial stimulation post consumption, alcohol ingested around bedtime may work to decrease the amount of time necessary to fall asleep. Due to its sedating effects, many individuals suffering from insomnia use alcohol as a way to ensure a quick and easy transition into dreamland. Unfortunately, studies show that the alcohol consumed within the last hour before sleep may actually serve in disrupting the end half of the sleep cycle. As such, those who utilize alcohol as a sleep tool may often experience fits of daytime sleepiness and fatigue.

Alcoholic

Sleep disturbances that are attributed to alcoholism include frequent awakenings, a decrease in sleep quality, and a prolonged pre-sleep period. Hasty consumption reductions in alcoholics may result in alcohol withdrawal syndrome, including insomnia and fragmented sleeping patterns.

Recovery

Aside from minor improvements following the initial withdrawal period, sleep patterns in recovering alcoholics run the risk of never returning to normal. Studies show even abstinent alcoholics to suffer from poor sleep quality, with increased sleep fragmentation and decreased SWS. Ipso facto; relapse in severe alcoholics may result in increased SWS and decrease sleep fragmentation. Though this improvement may work to promote relapse to a small extent; in time, sleep disruption will once again rear its ugly little head.

Fighting the Addiction of Alcohol

Steve explains how alcohol addiction consumed his mind. 

via Above It All Treatment

Rules Of 12 Step Recovery Programs

When considering attendance at 12 step recovery programs, it’s important to obtain a basic understanding of program rules and guidelines. In this entry we will seek to outline these regulations to prepare you for your visit.

Truth be told, there is only one true requirement for AA membership: The desire to stop drinking. This tradition is #3 of the 12 traditions outlined throughout the Alcoholics Anonymous program, and is commonly read aloud during each meeting. If you’re just beginning your recovery, you may not be aware of the power these traditions hold; you may not have even known they existed prior to reading this!

The best way to comprehend the traditions is through comparison to the 12 steps. Where as the 12 steps apply to the individual; the 12 traditions apply to the group as a whole.

While this lonely tradition may seem fairly self explanatory, there is more to it than initially meets the eye. Tradition #3 entails a member’s desire to quit drinking, making the declaration of being an alcoholic, and placing a focus on the alcohol addiction even in cases where the individual is addicted to multiple substances.

“Desire” is a tricky little point to focus on. What one member perceives as desire may not do the trick initially… It may actually be more of a wish that anything else. In order to get the most out of a 12 step program addiction, members commit themselves full-heartedly to the process.

This doesn’t go to say that someone perceiving desire is not welcome to receive alcohol addiction help; Desire does not designate a promise, but rather a high level of intent. What may initially begin as wishful thinking or a desire perception may ultimately blossom into full-fledged desire with time. As such, it’s important to understand that AA membership takes little more than a declaration of membership. However, the true and potential results of the program will only be realized with dedication and “true” desire from an individual intent on improving their own situation.