It's National Eating Disorders Awareness Week

It’s National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, February 26 through March 4, and this year’s theme is “Let’s Get Real.” Myths and misconceptions about eating disorders can lead to fewer diagnoses, treatment options and pathways. To help set the record straight, the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) gets real about many common myths:  

• Myth: Eating disorders are a choice. Patients don’t choose to have an eating disorder. They are bio-psycho-social diseases, which means that genetic, biological, environmental, and social elements all play a role. What’s more, eating disorders commonly co-occur with other mental health conditions like major depression, anxiety, social phobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Substance abuse and eating disorders frequently co-occur, with up to 50% of individuals with eating disorders who abuse alcohol or illicit drugs, according to the NEDA.
• Myth: Eating disorders aren’t that serious. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness and they also come with a slew of health consequences, including heart attack, kidney failure, osteoporosis, electrolyte imbalance and emotional distress. 
• Myth: Eating disorders only happen during adolescence. Eating disorders are often associated with straight, young, white females, but in reality, they affect people from all demographics. In fact, there’s been a rise in the rates of eating disorders and body dissatisfaction among middle-aged women, notes the NEDA.

8 Signs of Eating Disorders
Could you or someone you love have an eating disorder? The NEDA suggests watching out for the following warning sings: 

• Preoccupation with weight, food, calories, dieting, and/or body image. 

• Development of abnormal, secretive, extreme, or ritualized food or eating habits. 

• Withdrawal from usual friends and activities. 

• Evidence of binge eating, such as the disappearance of a large amount of food. 

• Evidence of purging behaviors, including frequent trips to the bathroom after meals, self-induced vomiting, periods of fasting, or laxative, diet pill, or diuretic abuse. 

• Compulsive or excessive exercising. 

• Discoloration or staining of the teeth. 

• Feelings of isolation, depression, anxiety, or irritability.

Ask About Our Psychiatric Consultations

At Rising Roads, our staff is here to help you take your physical and mental health back. To learn more, call us today: 866-746-1558.

Learning to Love Your Sober Self

There’s no better time to start taking steps to love your new sober self than on Valentine’s Day. 

Whether you’re struggling with feelings of uncertainty or guilt over past deeds, today is the perfect day to begin forgiving yourself and to start moving ahead as you learn to make better, brighter choices in life. 

Devote a few minutes today to showing yourself a little appreciation – you deserve it! A few small gestures can help you build your confidence and learn to love the new sober you! 

Do something that feels good. Nurturing your body is one of the best ways to achieve self love –whether you do some yoga, whip up a superfood-charged snack or just soak in a bubble bath. And don’t forget to nurture your mind, too. Carve out a few moments today to meditate, listen to an interesting podcast or do a crossword puzzle.

Create an enjoy-life calendar. Start today and schedule into each day this week some small thing you would enjoy doing – and make it happen. Some ideas: 

• Give yourself a pedicure or facial.
• Call your sister or best friend.
• Sit down and color or sketch.
• Try a new recipe.
• Begin reading a best-seller or self-help book. 
• Soak up the sun for 15 minutes.
• Start a new hobby.

Plan your future. Spend some time today setting some future goals (small and big) for yourself. This will give you something to look forward to in your new sober life. Just remember to make them S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound).

Celebrate a small win. Take a minute today to pat yourself on the back for any recovery milestones or victories that you’ve recently achieved. Write them down and keep them in a mason jar or shoe box so you can reference them on those days that you need some extra encouragement.  

A Sanctuary to Find Self-Love

At Rising Roads, we have crafted an environment that will make each woman feel great about her surroundings, which will help her feel great about herself. To learn more about our programs and facility, call today: 866-746-1558.

Do You Have a Drinking Problem? Questions to Ask Yourself

More than five million women in the U.S. drink "in a way that threatens their health, safety and general well-being," according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Heavy drinking can lead to a host of health complications for females, including liver disease, brain disease, cancer and heart disease. And these effects tend to occur more quickly and last longer in women. What’s more, chronic drinking can put your family, job, relationships and finances at risk. 

If you ever find yourself wondering if you have a drinking problem, you might want to start by answering some of these questions outlined in a recent Women’s Health article. Try your best to be honest, and if you find yourself nodding, question after question, make an appointment with your healthcare professional. 

Here’s a promise: Getting help for alcohol abuse is one decision you’ll never regret. 

• Does your social life revolve around alcohol? Losing interests in hobbies or people you once socialized with because you’re preoccupied with drinking or finding the next drink is a common sign of alcoholism.  
• How much do you drink? The rule for women, according to the NIAAA, is no more than three drinks in a sitting and no more than seven per week. But even if you don’t exceed that amount, it doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have a problem. Alcoholism is a progressive disease, so be on the look out for any upward trends – drinking more or longer than intended, for instance -- notes Women’s Health. 
• If you wanted to stop drinking, cold turkey, could you? Ask yourself how many times you’ve really tried to cut back or stop, and failed. 
• What’s your intention when you drink? “If you need alcohol to survive the day or to function, or if you feel physically compelled to drink, it would be a smart move to start exploring help,” licensed mental health counselor and registered dietitian Anna Ciulla, RD, told Women’s Health. 
• Has a friend or family member expressed concern? If your mom, sister, friend, spouse or partner expresses concern, listen. Along the same lines, if you notice yourself making excuses for your drinking — “I only drink expensive wine” — it’s time to get help. 

To further assess whether you could have alcohol use disorder, here are a few more questions to ask yourself, notes the NIAAA: 

Have you:

• Spent a lot of time drinking? Or being sick or getting over the aftereffects?
• Experienced craving — a strong need, or urge, to drink?
• Found that drinking — or being sick from drinking — often interfered with taking care of your home or family? Or caused job troubles? Or school problems?
• Continued to drink even though it was causing trouble with your family or friends?
• More than once gotten into situations while or after drinking that increased your chances of getting hurt (such as driving, swimming, using machinery, walking in a dangerous area, or having unsafe sex)?
• Continued to drink even though it was making you feel depressed or anxious or adding to another health problem? Or after having had a memory blackout?
• Found that when the effects of alcohol were wearing off, you had withdrawal symptoms, such as trouble sleeping, shakiness, irritability, anxiety, depression, restlessness, nausea or sweating? Or sensed things that were not there?

Alcohol Abuse Help for Women
Making the decision to seek help for your own addiction, or helping a loved one to decide to seek help for alcohol abuse, may be the biggest and most important choice of your life. Let us lead the way. To learn more about our rehab services for women, call today: 866-746-1558. 

Most Women Don't Know Heart Disease Risk

February is American Heart Month – do you know if you’re at risk for heart disease? Well, given that heart disease is the third greatest health problem facing U.S. women – behind mental health and cancer – it certainly can’t hurt to know for sure. 

High cholesterol, diabetes and obesity can all lead to heart disease and stroke. And yet six in 10 women are unaware of their cholesterol numbers, blood sugar levels or body mass index, according to recent poll of more than 1,000 U.S. women.

Ninety percent of the women surveyed said they consider heart-related conditions a serious issue, and more than 37 percent say they have a heart-related condition, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, or a history of stroke.

And while awareness among women has increased in past decades, “there is still room for significant improvement,” Dr. Sharon C. Reimold, a cardiologist at UT Southwestern in Dallas, said in a statement.  

“We need to understand more about the attitudes of women toward heart health so they can be proactive in addressing their own personal risks as well as those of their families,” she said.

In honor of American Heart Month, take the time to get your numbers checked. The MinuteClinic, the retail medical clinic of CVS Health, will offer no-cost screenings every Wednesday in February at locations nationwide.

Substance Abuse and Heart Health
Doing cocaine just once could strain your heart, leading to high blood pressure, stiffer arteries and thicker heart muscles. And, in the first hour of smoking pot, a person’s risk of having a heart attack is nearly five times that of non-smokers. Alcohol takes a toll on your ticker, too. In fact, even without traditional cardiovascular risk factors, people are disproportionately prone to cardiac diseases in the setting of alcohol abuse, says researchers. This is especially true for women, who are more susceptible to alcohol-related heart disease than men. 

Get Help – Your Heart Will Thank You!

The best way to protect your heart is to commit to sobriety. And we can help! Reach out today to learn about our recovery services for women. Call: 866-746-1558.