Jul
22
2008
As you progresses through recovery, life once again begins to take on some normality and routine is a welcome by product of this. As each new day passes, you strive to accomplish as much as possible in any twenty-four hour period. Initially it is exciting rediscovering things with a sober eye and perhaps trying new things as well.
As time goes on you may begin to notice a certain melancholy when doing some mundane task that takes you back to before your drinking got out of hand. This task may be more difficult than you remember it being or not taking as long to complete. One thing is apparent, you realize now how much time you wasted on drinking, how much time has passed, and how much you have to make up for.
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Jul
17
2008
This is a useful phrase when it pertains to how we deal with the frustration in our lives created by others. Most of us can remember a time, probably many times, when we drank because of someone else “driving us to drink”. Some may even say it was as good an excuse as any for drinking too much. Problem drinkers and alcoholics have an egocentric personality and do not usually take well to other strong personalities confronting them. Continue Reading »
Jul
14
2008
Part of the denial process for an alcoholic or problem drinker is wrapping their head around the fact that they may actually be an alcoholic. Up to this point in your life, an alcoholic might be the person you see sleeping off on a park bench with a newspaper blanket. Alcoholics are those people who are destitute and sick, stumbling around uncontrolled, making fools of themselves in public. No way could a person of your stature be an alcoholic.
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Jul
02
2008
Alcohol recovery is a process that takes time, patience, fortitude and perseverance. Each set back will rip just a little more tenacity from your already shallow reservoir of resolve to beat the illness you are tasked with fighting. Little wonder then that small breakthroughs need to be savored and appreciated. Any disease that requires you to live minute to minute, hour to hour and day to day to survive the initial onslaught of demon compulsions is a tough adversary and so any victory is sweet. Continue Reading »
Jun
12
2008
The alcoholic brain is an active brain. Your mind is always racing with thought, not all of which is pertinent in any way, some significant and some of it plainly bordering on insanity. Even after you quit drinking alcohol, this active mind is a real problem for the recovering alcoholic. It is literally why many may have start drinking in the first place.
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Jun
03
2008
These days one hears the phrase life coach or life strategist used a fair bit. People from all walks of life tend to need some personal development as they proceed with their life’s journey. Whether it is for their career path, personal improvement and health concerns, they believe a personal coach will help their development. Those folks that can’t afford the real thing will cruise the aisles in bookstores for just the right self help book for their particular shortcoming.
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May
30
2008
“Magic Bullet” Requires Commitment and Ongoing Consultative Therapy
Breaking an alcoholic or problem drinker’s resistance to treatment is a critical dilemma that many have experienced. Medical experts have developed drugs to treat the symptoms of withdrawal, the cravings that drive so many to drink and the depression that so often is related to alcoholism. The medical community is far better equipped today to deal with harmful alcohol addictions then anytime in history. Yet the struggle to accept the fact that a serious problem exists is still preventing millions from seeking help.
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May
27
2008
So you’ve decided to take the pledge. Or maybe you just decided it’s time you started controlling your alcohol consumption better.Congratulations!
There are some simple steps to take that will make it easier for you to reach your goal of modified or total abstention from drinking. Your compulsion to drink could become obsessive in the early stages, washing over you in waves like wild surf.
If your spouse is still drinking, even socially, watching as they nurse their drink like a child with their first ice cream cone of summer makes it worse. At this crucial time in your recovery, your spouse should abstain from drinking in front of you until you are better able to deal with others drinking around you. Continue Reading »
May
22
2008
Alcoholics are renowned for being stubborn people who could use a healthy dose of modesty. Being humble is not on their radar. There is no standard template that defines ALL alcoholics, but they do share many qualities, most of which they’d be advised not to brag about. The most compelling character trait of most alcoholics is their selfishness. I’m speaking of selfish behavior that occurs before they do something about their drinking.
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May
16
2008
If you were diagnosed with a health problem like high blood pressure and your doctor told you needed to exercise more, eat right, quit smoking and take a particular medication religiously or else you won’t last long, you’d get serious no? Why would treating your excessive drinking be any different?
If left untreated, your abusive drinking will only get worse and eventually kill you just as surely as if you ignored your physician regarding high blood pressure. The only difference is alcohol will be a painfully slow demise littered with familial collateral damage caused by your inability or selfish refusal to formulate and stick to plan of recovery.
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