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. 

3 Strategies for Building Stronger Relationships with Compassion

If you’ve made the courageous decision to pursue a sober lifestyle, you know that developing new life skills is an important component of a sustainable recovery. And, learning how to become more empathetic and compassionate towards others is certainly one of the most valuable life skills that can help you thrive socially and professionally.

It can help you build stronger and more resilient personal relationships with others and develop a solid social support system. Demonstrating that you care about those around you is a powerful skill that can help you become closer with your friends and loved ones.

3 Ways to Become a More Compassionate Friend

(1) First, seek to understand. 

If someone close to you is having a bad day, your first instinct might be to jump into the discussion with your suggestions. But, sometimes the act of listening is really all that they need at that time. Sit down with them to hear them out in a distraction-free environment. Give them time to talk things out. And, don’t be afraid to ask questions to help clarify how they are feeling and why. They’ll likely appreciate that you took the time to better understand their perspective.

(2) Consider the bigger picture and try not to take things personally. 

While your first instinct may be to react to the situation at hand, that may just escalate their emotions. The next time you encounter a less than positive interaction with a coworker or a friend, take a deep breath and press pause. They may be dealing with a stressful situation in their personal life that is spilling over into their interactions with others. If someone you know starts to act in a way that is out of the ordinary, consider the possibility that they are working through a challenging season in their life.

(3) Show compassion to yourself. 

One good rule of thumb is to be as kind to yourself as you would treat a good friend. No one is perfect and we all make mistakes from time to time. Remind yourself that you are a work in progress and have already come a long way. Don’t focus on your mistakes. Learn from them and move on. Instead, concentrate on your goals and continue to use that positive momentum to fuel your recovery!

Learn Healthy Life Skills During Transitional Residential Care

At Rising Roads Recovery, we are committed to helping women find lasting sobriety and start to heal from the burdens of addiction. Using a comprehensive approach, clients participate in 12-step programming in addition to holistic therapies including mindfulness training, experiential therapy and workshops designed to help build healthy relationships. If you’d like to learn more about our gender-specific treatment for drug and alcohol addiction, please call us today at (866) 746-1558.

The 12 Step Alcohol Addiction Treatment Model: What You Need to Know

If you are researching rehab facilities and their treatment services, you’ve probably noticed that many offer 12 step programs for those dealing with an addiction to alcohol.

Originally created in the 1930s, the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) 12 step model is one of the most widely recommend programs for addiction recovery and has transformed the lives of millions, enabling them to finally achieve a lifetime of sobriety.

But, you might be wondering what a 12 step recovery program is - and how exactly it works. In general, this treatment model is firmly grounded in a spiritual approach where alcoholics find inner strength by turning to a higher power. With the help of licensed addiction specialists and regular support groups, alcoholics are guided through a series of twelve core beliefs in order to find and maintain a sober lifestyle.

The Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Steps 

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable. 
2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. 
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. 
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. 
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

How Can Addicts Apply This Information to Real Life?

It’s important to note that these 12 steps represent more than just a lesson plan or a list of “rules” that participants must abide by. 12 step programs are actually much more powerful than that. Addicts who take part in 12 step programs use these teachings to begin an entirely new, sober lifestyle. This treatment method helps those dealing with addiction issues learn how to apply these principles in virtually each and every part of their life by taking accountability and making healthier choices. 

Many addicts initially learn the principles of these 12 steps as part of inpatient and outpatient care at rehabilitation centers and then go on to continue their sobriety by attending weekly support groups in their community.

Rising Roads Recovery Rehab Treatment Services 

Rising Roads Recovery is a small residential treatment center in Orange County, California dedicated to helping women heal from addiction and co-occurring disorders. With comprehensive clinical care and a 12 step model for alcohol addiction recovery, Rising Roads Recovery can help you find lasting sobriety and a more promising future.

And, with hundreds of 12 step addiction recovery groups in and around the area, you can also find extended support by attending weekly meetings in the community.

To learn more, call (866) 746-1558.