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15

Apr 2016

Moderation Management – A New Definition of Recovery

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We’ve all heard of alcohol rehabs and addiction centres but hardly will you ever come across an alcohol management centre which drives on drinking moderately. Speaking honestly, drinking alcohol isn’t half bad! Now indulging in abusive behaviour is a different playing field altogether. The name of the game is to drink responsibly so you don’t prove harmful to yourself or to others around you. Moderation management is the need of the hour per se, much more than alcohol recovery programs. Both have applications in our current society but statistics point towards the need of the former, a need which is far from fulfilled.

As per the study of multiple independent researchers, the number of problem drinkers in the country is at least three times more than the number of alcoholics. This argument says something! People are indulging in alcohol abuse every passing threat causing a threat to society. Also, you will find thousands and thousands of alcohol-related programs and schemes which are resorting to the betterment of a minority alcohol drinking community. Doesn’t make good sense, does it?

Ergo, incorporating moderating programs is a foregone conclusion. Before we hit the nitty-gritty, let us first understand what a moderation program is!

 

What is a Moderation Management Program?

For all those people who are concerned about their bad drinking habits, Moderation Management (MM) is a behavioural change program which aims to educate people when it comes to making some much needed positive lifestyle changes. One of the prominent values of this program is to make people accountable for their actions, which allows them to accept the responsibility of choosing their own path on the road to revival to be it abstinence or moderation.

The various actions that one needs to undertake via this program are:

  • Timely identification and recognition of the development of a riskier drinking behavior.
  • Creating awareness about the downside of binge drinking, alcohol abuse and how moderate drinking mitigates all those risks.
  • Understanding that permanent change occurs in a progressive manner and that there is no quick fix in situations like these.
  • Make good use of the mutually supporting environment mustered during the program.
  • Implement goal setting measures, practices resistance and track your progress.

Need For A Moderation Program

 

First things first, there is an incessant need of a moderation program because currently, there are none! Every alcohol based program out there resorts to fixing extremes i.e. turning alcohol addicts into completely sober individuals which don’t work for the best every single time. Such an 180-degree change often sees people take drastic measures as and when they either return to full-time drinking again or harming themselves physically or picking some other addiction to compensate.

By the time individuals reach a stage where they are totally alcohol dependent, bringing about a permanent change becomes all the tougher. A moderation management program firmly believes that these situations need attention in their nascent stages so that the aspects of control and resistance can be practised and put into action from the get-go. This makes the moderation programs less expensive and more effective. Apart from this, the programs are much shorter in duration and are usually less intensive in nature.

The fight between ‘Moderation Management’ and ‘Abstinence’ has been an age old struggle. One functions on bringing a positive change slowly but surely and the other functions in extremities. You don’t need to look far to know which method is more effective.

04

Apr 2016

Drink Like A Gentleman – Alternatives To Complete Abstinence

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When people talk about getting over alcohol abuse they have complete abstinence in mind. In fact, most research institutes have believed that complete abstinence is the only way to quit alcohol. Well, this isn’t the only option.

Recent research has shown that people who switch to drinking moderate amount of alcohol could help in getting rid of alcohol addiction. Alcohol abuse and addiction are two different things. Addiction means being dependent on a substance and inability to resist yourself from consuming it which leads you to alcohol abuse that is drinking alcohol in excessive quantity and more than you intend to drink which could harm your internal organs.

The term “Moderation Management” isn’t something we made up but it is actually a thing. Sometimes will power alone isn’t enough and man has to find alternate ways to cope with alcoholism and moderation drinking is one such alternative. For an alcoholic there are only two ways towards a long and healthy life one is abstinence and the other is moderation.

Abstinence is the practice of restraining oneself from alcohol and tries to quit it for good whereas moderation is drinking an average amount of alcohol and avoiding extreme or excessive drinking. Both of these practices can be achieved only by sheer will power and controlling oneself.

Meditation, self-discipline and support from your family members could be the compass that could point you in the right direction. Even if you are alone these thing could lead you towards the path you desire and where you have the control over thing with a little help from your friends.

It might be a little difficult for someone to quit something they are dependent on in an instance so the ways to complete abstinence go through the valley of moderation. The first thing you need to do is to convince yourself and understand the risk of alcohol abuse.

Alcohol abuse is the root of many lives threatening condition including liver cancer, pancreatitis, fatty liver disease, alcohol poisoning and it can also increase the chances of heart related condition. An individual start drinking to feel calm & relaxed and to run away from the stress and tension of daily life but the irony here is that the route that he has chosen leads him to the destination i.e. misery.

So, don’t you think that it’s better to train yourself to drink moderately like gentlemen do? Whenever someone forces you to drink or luring you towards another peg just remember drinking doesn’t make you a man. A man is someone who has complete control over his life and whose life is not controlled by alcohol. Be the person who knows when to stop. Everyone needs a little break from life and it isn’t bad to drink a little bit. The line between binge drinking and moderate drinking is pretty thin and only you are the one who can draw that line and decide which side you want to be on.

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04

Apr 2016

How To Cope With An Alcoholic Partner

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The line between moderate drinking and excessive drinking is pretty thin and when someone close to you cross that line then it becomes difficult for us to deal with them. Some of us might feel that life is too short to deal with this kind of situation. This feeling would never emerge if you knew how to cope with your partner’s shortcoming.

There will be a time when you’ll feel hopeless because you won’t have the power to do something that can change the person or guarantee that they’ll stop using alcohol. But, the one power you have is to get a hold of yourself and prevent your family from being dysfunctional.

Studies have found that the primary reason for a family to be classified as “dysfunctional” is because the earning members of the family are alcoholic which leads them towards the path of self-destruction. An alcoholic’s mind stops working the way it is supposed to and sleep deprivation due to alcohol abuse might impact their professional life too.

Research have found that if an individual try not to stress too much on partner’s being an alcoholic then it could impact the well-being of the entire family and influence others, specially kids to follow their footstep too. It is important to put your family’s well-being on the top of your priority list because only when you’ll get a hold on your own life then only you’ll be able to persuade someone else to walk on the righteous path.

Humans are not meant to live alone and all by themselves, on the contrary we need someone to talk to and support us in the time of family crisis. So, you need people who understand your problems and care enough to be available for you at all times. A support group, family member, self-help group could be the shoulder you could lean on.

A positive attitude towards life could change your destiny. When your partner is an alcoholic and is hard to deal with then a positive attitude give you power over your circumstances instead of your circumstances having power over you.

Children have the power that mature people don’t have; such is the power of ‘resilience’. Living with an alcohol abuser could be difficult and the domestic conditions could impact a child’s mind. Being able to recover from an emotional trauma could be hard for an adult but it is child’s play for a kid which helps them getting over things quickly. Explaining your kids the dependence over alcohol could help them understand the situation and will help them cope with it.

An intervention is one regime that has been widely practiced by families and rehabilitation centres. Emotions can help a person getting rid of alcohol or at least cut down enough to be functional. Gather the family members who have good rapport and can easily connect with your partner. Sometimes words become the medicine that can cure the incurable.

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16

Mar 2016

What Happens When You Drink During Pregnancy?

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Being blessed with a child is one of the most wonderful things in the world. Humans are mortal beings and they cannot live forever but they have the ability to prevent the extinction of their race by reproducing. A women carries and nurtures a child inside her for nine months so that the child can stand on his own feet against all odds. An expectant mother is responsible for the health and wellness of the child she carries from the time when a women becomes pregnant to the time the delivers the child. If an expectant mother is consuming alcohol then this could cause harm to the child she carries.

 

What can happen when a pregnant women drinks alcohol?

Some may think that the alcohol a pregnant women consumes goes to their system and doesn’t affect the baby but it’s the other way around. When a pregnant women drinks alcohol no matter how little then the alcohol in mother’s blood passes through the umbilical cord to the unborn child. So if the mother is consuming alcohol that means the baby is also consuming it. Alcohol can harm a child in a number of ways:

  • Mothers who consume alcohol while pregnancy can have miscarriage.
  • Apart from miscarriage and stillbirth, alcohol can also cause Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) which is a group of physical and psychological conditions that can make day to day activities difficult for someone. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder can easily be prevented by simply not drinking alcohol. In order to spread awareness about this condition, the ninth day of the ninth month i.e. September 9 of every year has been marked as FASD awareness day.
  • Alcohol can also cause stillbirth where an infant has already passed away in the womb.

It is understood that it might be difficult to control the urges and one might find it hard to sleep without having a few drinks. Some people say it is okay to have few drinks while pregnancy but in reality there is no way of proving that and taking such a huge risk on the basis of what “some people say” is just stupidity.

Although few studies says that you can have one or maximum of two unit of alcohol in a week after your first trimester. It is also advised that not a single drink should be consumed during the first trimester. Binge drinking is a ‘big’ no-no if you are pregnant. If you have three to four drinks then it will be considered as heavy drinking but if you consume six or more then that would be considered as binge drinking. It will be a sin to do such thing to a child who hasn’t even born yet. As there is no scientific evidence on how much alcohol consumption can be safe for a pregnant women so it is advisable not to drink alcohol at all during pregnancy as it may or may not cause harm to an unborn child. In any case it isn’t worth to take such a big risk.

“First you take a drink then the drink takes a drink then the drink takes you”.

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15

Mar 2016

How to Deal with Drinking Urges when you’re expecting?

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Urges are strong desires or impulses that tempt you to do something. When we are addicted to something we get these random impulses that force us to do those things. Drinking urges works in the same way. A regular drinker gets drinking urges every once in a while. These urges could be because of absolutely no reason or there could be something that is triggering it. A stressful or tension ridden situations could be the trigger to these urges. Cutting down your alcohol consumption could be another cause to have these cravings for alcohol.

Drinking is not a crime but drinking when you are pregnant is a crime committed in nature’s court. Drinking alcohol when you are an expectant mother can cause life threatening medical complication for the child. When an expectant mother drinks alcohol it also reaches to the baby in the womb through the placenta. Drinking during pregnancy could cause Miscarriage, Still Birth or a group of medical conditions called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). FASD could cause physiological or psychological harm to a child.

Tips to control these urges

Controlling the urges to drink could be a mentally difficult task but it isn’t impossible. If you know how to recognize the types of impulses then it will be a lot easier for you to control these triggers. Urges can be either internal or external and you should try to control them accordingly.

Once you are able to identify the type of urges then it will be easier for you to cope up with the triggers.

  • Internal Urges can leave you a little flustered because they come out of nowhere. When you get these urges to drink, at that time you should focus on the thought because of which is forcing these emotions in your brain. These emotions could be a positive feeling of excitement or could be due to something depressing or sad. Besides psychological emotions this urges could also be triggered by a physical sensation like headache, nervousness, tension or anxiety.
  • A note to yourself: Always keep on reminding yourself that why have you chosen a path where alcohol is there. You can write down the reason why you are not drinking on your phone’s notepad that will keep on encouraging you to control the internal urges.
  • A good listener: It is always good to have someone close to you by your side in difficult times. When you are trying to stop doing something on which you are debating with yourself whether it’s right or wrong at that time all you need is someone who care enough to listen to your problems and motivate you to do the right thing.
  • Identifying External Urges is like a child’s play. It could be a person, place, party or a thing that triggers these urges. Whenever you see a person drinking or offering you a drink then you get these cravings and you are not able to resist it. Avoid being in these kind of situations.
  • The power of a positive no: When someone offers you a drink a gentle no would be sufficient to get you out of that situation.

“When you drink something, the baby drinks the same with you”.

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01

Mar 2016

Alcohol – Changing ‘The You’ in You

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Life is a like a puppet show without a puppet master, no one is pulling the string but we still dance and play along. Some of us who get tired of playing find ways to run away from it. When life leaves them high and dry they lean towards whiskey and rye. Some people say alcohol is like the liquid version of Photoshop, it edits the reality into something beautiful but the truth is the reality remains the same.

Life might look better when you are drunk but alcohol is only a mask of happiness as soon as it wears off the harsh reality remains the same. Alcohol affects you physically and mentally. A study on alcoholism recommends men to consume a maximum of two drinks a day and women to limit it to one drink a day. If an alcoholic is consuming alcohol in the recommended quantity then it can also be a little beneficial for a person. It decreases the chances of someone getting coronary heart disease, blood clot, kidney and gall bladder stones and it has also been observed to increase bone density in females.

People who consume larger or more than the recommended quantity are more likely to experience the negative effects of alcohol. It includes many kinds of cancer, shrinkage of the brain, memory loss and change in personality. Long term use of alcohol could have many effects on you.

  • Abusing alcohol could increase the chances of heart disease.
  • It also makes an individual an addict which could lead to self-destructing behaviour changes. A person becomes lethargic with continuous consumption of alcohol and also becomes less functional which affects their working abilities.
  • This hugely affects their professional life. If the parents in a family are alcohol abusers then the kids are more likely to think that this is a normal thing. This kind of dysfunctional atmosphere can impact a kid’s mind deeply. There is a higher chance of depression in kids if the kids are brought up in a dysfunctional family.
  • Reports have shown that a majority of people who committed suicide have been abusing alcohol to run away from the daily stress.
  • Alcohol can also lead to pancreatitis which makes the pancreas hyper active and releases acid in the body affecting other organs. An acute pancreatic patient can have severe stomach aches and burning sensation and it also increases the chances of having sugar and other conditions.
  • Insomnia is another commonly found condition in alcoholics. Alcohol abusers find it hard to sleep without drinking which leads to other psychological problems.
  • Alcohol is known to damage the liver which helps purifying the blood that pass through the digestive tract and also produce proteins that make it possible to clot blood.
  • It causes brain to shrink and it impacts daily life of an individual. Alcohol causes conditions like Alzheimer’s disease where a person is not able to recollect memories.

It about time you take control over your life and push away the alcohol that can drive your life towards nothing but destruction.

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01

Mar 2016

How Is Alcohol Making You Repulsive And Anti-Social?

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Drinking is an easy way out from all the stress and tensions of the daily life. It makes you feel light and happy and takes you into a state of euphoria. It might also increase self-confidence and makes an individual more social. These are the primary reasons why someone would toss down a few peg or pints in their system. This psychological satisfaction is like cheating your brain to be in a state of happiness when in reality you are stressed.

According to studies, alcohol works like a depressant and one of its main side effect is depressing the functioning of the central nervous system. The ironic thing is that people abuse alcohol to feel light and escape the depression but in reality they are sinking even deeper into it.

Apart from psychological side effects there are other things that affect your social life. In the beginning people might like you because of the social ability you got after gulping a few pints but eventually when you become an addict it will make you repulsive.

  • People don’t like a person with drinking problem because when you are 3-5 drinks down, you are confident and funny and people would like having you around but after having 5 or more drinks you become a liability for them.
  • Being a long term drinker can cause brain shrinkage, depression, tremors, insomnia and dementia etc. that could impact your personal and professional life. When these negative effects comes kicking in then initially your friends and family would empathise with you but if you keep on walking the same path, you would not get the same support.

Alcoholism would impact your professional life too. When you become an addict to alcohol you start experiencing problem with sleeping without alcohol and which also impacts your day to day functionality. You would be lazy and lethargic at work which could get you into some serious trouble. Your boss would curse you for being sluggish at work and there is a possibility that you could lose your job. This could make you depress and again you would lean towards the one thing which caused all this.

Alcohol can make an individual moody and perverse. An alcoholic can become difficult to deal with and could cause disturbance in a household’s equilibrium and make the family dysfunctional. Children who grow up in this kind of atmosphere think that this is normal. Alcohol abuse could cloud your judgment and make you irrational. There have been many reports of child abuse in families where parents were alcoholic.

Think twice before it is too late, becoming an addict is easy but getting rid of this addiction is very difficult and could make you self-destructive. One can get rid of alcoholism with will power and support of your loved ones. Only you can get rid of this addictive substance which could poison your life. When your loved ones will see that you are trying to quit, they will definitely come back to support you through this. It may feel like ripping off a bandage that has been on your skin for a long time but once you rip it off the mark will eventually fade away.

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10

Feb 2016

The ‘What’ & ‘Why’ of Post-Holiday Body Cleansing

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‘Weekends, Holidays, Festivals and Vacations’ – When you hear these words, you see the light of hope at the end of the tunnel. This tunnel is the days spent at work and when you finally reach at the end of it then you think that you will live like there is no tomorrow. Get real guys! Because this tomorrow would come eventually and you’ll regret it when it is here.

Everyone needs a break from the day to day stress and tension caused because of working hard to achieve the life you desire. This break is necessary to maintain work life balance. So, when the weekend arrives you switch on your binge mode on without thinking about the outcomes. You drink and you eat and you repeat the same thing till you pass out and when the next morning hangover comes bursting, you feel like your body had taken a toll last night both mentally and physically.

I say it is okay to live it up a little bit and you deserve it; but what you also deserve is to know how you can prevent yourself from a dire situation when things go south. Ergo, we are here to rescue you from the hangover:

  • The first and foremost thing that will push the restart button of your body is sleep. Get a good night sleep of 8 – 10 hours for the next 5 days and try to wake up at a normal time as per your daily routine. This will reset your body clock back to its optimum level.
  • In order to flush out all the toxins in your body that have been built up because of all the different drinks you had in the weekend or during the holidays. It is essential to drink 2-3 liters of water a day to cleanse your body.
  • A tea is an amazing ingredient to help cleanse your body and one such tea is dandelion root tea that will detoxify your liver. It can be easily be found at the super mart near your home. Green tea is considered to be effective as well, being consumed worldwide as it contains essential antioxidants.
  • A healthy diet plan is necessary to fulfill all the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Eat green and fresh vegetables like broccoli, spinach and asparagus and keep your hands away from those sweets, no matter how tempting they are.
  • You may take vitamins in order to replenish your system, the count of which drastically reduces during the weekend’s course.
  • I know some of you might be itching to get back to the gym and some of you will deny needing it, but remember that exercise releases all the toxins out and is very therapeutic for your body.

Well, there it goes! Just be religious towards your body no matter what. Stay balanced by having fun in a wholesome manner and then give due consideration to your health needs as well. This way you’re golden!

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21

Jan 2016

Fun Ways By Which You Can Say No To Drinking At A Party

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Believe it or not, sometimes saying ‘No’ actually works! Especially in situations where you need to drive back to your home sweet home after a stellar drinking session. Learning when to stop is the key here because even a single drop more, and you could go back to the pavilion with a duck on your head, if you know what I mean. Funny how euphemisms work, isn’t it?

Well, drinking isn’t bad, never did we claim that. Drinking if done responsibly is far away from being hazardous. Obviously, that comes with a clause, a clause which shouldn’t be broken.

So now you’ve reached your friend’s bachelor party and you’re going to party like there’s no tomorrow unless all you lot are geeks and only mathematic floats your boat. After being a few shots down, you realize you need to drive back home. Let the resistance kick in and to avoid an awkward moment with friends, opt for a funny story why you can’t drink more. For sure, they’re going to take the mickey out of you anyways, but at least you’d have a reason they’d believe:

1. I Have A Bad Stomach:

Just make some weird hand gestures by touching your stomach and tell them what you have. Even if they don’t believe you, they’ll at least be grossed out, grossed out enough to let you go responsibly rather than playing beer pong with your forehead.

2. Breaking News People:

Just claim that you’ve had an emergency and make the most serious and terrified expression that you can conjure. Let your forehead wrinkles do the magic and your friends will definitely believe you. Some might even offer you help and that’s another puzzle you’d have to solve. Don’t go on telling more lies though for karma might come get you then.

3. My Wife/Husband Is Alone At Home:

Just tell them that your better is alone at home and you need to tend to them as soon as possible. Now comes the awkward bit when your friends will realize how stupid you were not to bring them with you. Then move forward and tell them that they’re sick with fever. Ever got out of going to your Maths Tuition on a Sunday because Manchester United was on? You get the gist!

4. Burp Out Loud!

You heard it! Burp out loud and tell them that you’ve eaten the world alive and you can’t take anymore. If you do, you’ll vomit all over the party. Still, if some of your friends insist, ask them to stay close and fake a few vomit sounds in their ears and they’ll back out and let you leave in a matter of seconds.

5. I’m On Meds! Do You Want To Kill Me?

Just give a fancy medical made up name and tell them you can’t mix it with alcohol for it can kill you or you can have a reaction. Personally, this is the safest bet unless one of your close friends’ is a know-it-all-doctor who might bust your facade. Now that we’ve helped out, we sincerely hope you take a note of some of these reasons that will actually work and do the magic for you. At the end of the day, all we want is for you to drink responsibly and get home safely.

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16

Dec 2015

How much can I drink and stay under the limit?

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There is no fool-proof way of drinking and staying under the limit. The amount of alcohol you would need to drink to be considered over the driving limit varies from person to person. It depends on:

  1. your weight
  2. your gender (men tend to process alcohol faster than women)
  3. your metabolism
  4. the type and amount you’re drinking
  5. your current stress levels
  6. whether you’ve eaten recently
  7. age (younger people tend to process alcohol more slowly)

Even small amounts of alcohol can affect your ability to drive so the only safe advice is to avoid any alcohol if you are driving.

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