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.

How Drug Addiction Impacts Your Body

According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, substance abuse can contribute to more than 70 conditions that require medical treatment. And women are often at greater risk, as their bodies retain chemicals for longer periods of time. 

Here is a look at a few of the major organs impacted by abusing drugs and alcohol. 

Your brain:

• Memory loss
• Low IQ
• Sleep problems
• Learning difficulties
• Cognitive problems 
• Brain damage

Your eyes: 

• Dilation
• Hallucinations
• Conjunctival lesions
• Corneal ulcers
• Talc retinopathy
• Permanent vision loss

Your teeth: 

• Cavities
• Tooth decay
• Gum disease
• Tooth loss
• Gingivitis
• Periodontitis (gum disease)
• “Meth mouth”
• Oral cancer

Your heart: 

• Rapid or irregular heart beats (arrhythmia) 
• Sudden increase in blood pressure
• Endocarditis (inflammation of the heart lining)
• Dilated cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart)
• Vascular thrombosis (clots in the coronary arteries
• Collapsed veins
• Bacterial infections of the blood vessels and heart valves

Your liver:

• Drug-induced liver injury (DILI)
• Drug-induced hepatitis
• Liver damage
• Liver failure

Your kidneys:

• Lesions on the kidneys
• Rhabdomyolysis
• Kidney cancer
• Kidney failure
• Irregular hormone levels

Your stomach:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Bowel tissue decay
• Acid reflux
• Constipation
• Ulcers
• Damage to the digestive system

Your reproduction:

• Changes in menstrual cycle
• Sexual dysfunction
• Infertility

Your emotions: 

• Mood swings
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Insomnia
• Psychosis

Stopping the Side Effects of Addiction
The best way to combat the physical and emotional health consequences of substance abuse disorder is early intervention. Don’t wait. If you or someone you love has a drug problem, Rising Roads can help you get the help you need today. Call: 866-746-1558. 

Study: Alcohol-Related ER Visits Soar, Especially Among Women

Between 2006 and 2014, the rate of visits to the ER for alcohol-related issues increased by nearly 50 percent – especially among females and middle-aged drinkers, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

“In just nine years, the number of people transported to the ED [emergency departments] annually for medical emergencies caused or exacerbated by alcohol increased from about 3 million to 5 million,” said NIAAA Director George F. Koob, PhD, in a statement. 

“These findings are indicative of the detrimental effects that acute and chronic alcohol misuse have on public health, and the significant burden they place on our healthcare system.”

What’s behind the dramatic increase in alcohol-related ER visits? The study authors say it remains a mystery, in part because the same nine-year period showed a mere 2 percent increase in per capita alcohol consumption and only an 8 percent increase in overall ER visits.

"The lowest hanging fruit in terms of hypotheses is that there must be an increase in risky drinking in some people," study author and neuroscientist Aaron White told NPR.org. 

Perhaps the most concerning part of the study was that the increase of chronic alcohol misuse-related visits, such as alcohol withdrawal and alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver, was primarily driven by females (6.9 percent versus 4.5 percent in men, annually). 

“Recent studies suggest that the drinking habits of females and males are becoming more similar in the United States,” said White. “The larger increase in the rate of ED visits among females compared to males provides further evidence of narrowing gender gaps in alcohol use and related harms. This trend is concerning given that females appear to be more susceptible to some of the detrimental health effects of alcohol.” This includes liver damage, heart disease and breast cancer.

According to the NIAAA, women face higher risks than men because:

• Women typically start to have alcohol-related problems at lower drinking levels than men
• Women typically weigh less than men
• Pound for pound, women have less water in their bodies than men do, and alcohol resides predominantly in body water

Alcohol Abuse Treatment for Women 

Rising Roads Recovery is dedicated to helping women who are struggling with alcohol use disorder and/or a co-occurring mental disorder. Our treatment center was created to inspire women to thrive in recovery. To learn more, call today: 866-746-1558.

Street Drugs and Pregnancy: What You Need to Know

Did you know that roughly one in 20 women – or 5 percent – take street drugs during pregnancy? And, according to a recent California-based study, marijuana use among moms-to-be climbed from 4.2% to 7.1% from 2009 through 2016. 

Whether pot, cocaine, heroin or ecstasy, street drugs and pregnancy just don’t mix — and can cause devastating (even fatal) effects before, during, and after pregnancy for you and your baby-to-be. This is because many substances pass easily through the placenta, so the drugs you take during pregnancy, to some degree, reach the baby. In fact, when a baby is exposed to drugs in the womb before birth, he or she can experience severe drug withdrawal immediately or up to 14 days after birth.

Complications caused by street drugs don’t just end after childbirth. Drug addiction can also lead to mental health issues and severely impair your ability to parent. In turn, as the child grows older, his or her physical, mental and emotional development will suffer. 

Risks of Substance Abuse During Pregnancy

Many women who use street drugs may use more than one drug and also have other unhealthy behaviors, like smoking and drinking alcohol, according to the March of Dimes. This makes it a bit tricky to pinpoint exactly how each drug affects pregnancy. Still, there are plenty of adverse health effects linked to these risky behaviors, including: 

• Infertility
• Problems with the placenta
• Preterm labor
• Miscarriage
• Stillbirth
• Premature birth 
• Low birth weight
• Smaller-than-normal head size (called reduced head circumference)
• Heart defects
• Birth defects
• Infections, including hepatitis C, HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) and Zika
• Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS)
• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) 

Addiction Treatment for Moms-to-Be
Pregnancy is the perfect opportunity to take charge of your health and change any patterns of alcohol and/or substance use. At Rising Roads, we understand the unique challenges of women and our female staff can help you start on a healing path toward lasting sobriety. To learn more, call us today: 866-746-1558.

Special Report on Women's Wellness

What does wellness mean to women and what wellness challenges do women face the most? The consumer health website Everyday Health set out to answer these questions and more with a first-of-its-kind survey entitled “Special Report on Women’s Wellness 2017.” The report, which analyzed results from 3,000 women, ages 25 to 65, across a geographic, economic and cultural spectrum, is divided into 11 sections including:  

• The Stress of Anxiety
• Harassment Reckoning 
• Sexual Health and STDs 
• Sleep
• Millennials 
• Finances 
• Work-Life Balance 
• Body Image and BMI
• Wellness Predictors

Some of the survey findings include:

• 50 percent of women reported that stress and anxiety tops their list of wellness challenges.
• 67 percent of women said they were more likely to stress out or get anxious, compared with 33 percent who said they were more likely to meditate or calm themselves.
• 81% of women are not getting a good night's sleep on a weekly basis.
• One third of the respondents, across all age groups, are more afraid of loneliness than a cancer diagnosis.
• 50 percent feel "loved, cherished, supported or special to someone else."
• 50 percent laugh out loud weekly, if not daily.
• 1 out of every 2 respondents worry about the health and wellness of someone else on a daily basis.
• Nearly 75% of women surveyed claim body and self-image negatively affect their wellness.
• 69% of women identify financial security as one of the top values that matter most to their overall wellness, with 1 in 2 worrying about their finances weekly.
• 7 out of 10 women would prefer to be known for their brains over their bodies.
• 75 percent of survey respondents say they put caring for themselves last. 

The hope is that these results shed light on how to make women feel empowered and inspired to live their best lives and achieve their highest level of wellness. To this end, along with the results, Everyday Health gathered reactions and tips from more than a dozen health experts. 

One area of particular concern, according to the experts, was selflessness. "It's second nature for women to put everyone else ahead of [us], but when we do that, our own health suffers,” Laura Berman, PhD, a world-renowned sex and relationship educator and therapist, popular TV, radio, and internet host, a New York Times bestselling author, and an assistant clinical professor of ob-gyn and psychiatry at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, told Everyday Health.

“We can't be our best selves if we are tired, cranky, and miserable. Self-care is our responsibility and our right as human beings.”

Take Back Your Health

At Rising Roads our staff is here to help women put their physical and mental health first. To learn more about our psychiatric consultations and addiction treatment programs and offerings, call us today: 866-746-1558.

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Real New Year's Resolutions from Real Women

For many women, the New Year often starts with an unrealistic self-improvement pledge. Yet resolutions like “I resolve to drop 20 pounds” or “give up sugar” are often hard to stick with over the long haul and they won’t necessarily strengthen your inner self and recovery journey. 

What’s more, according to the American Psychological Association, some overly ambitious resolutions made during the New Year only result in excess stress. Your best bet: Stick with simple and realistic resolutions. We scoured the web for some ideas from real women that might work for you

Resolve to stop apologizing. Do you tend to apologize for everything, even when you have nothing to be sorry for? "Everyone who knows me knows that 'I'm sorry' basically falls out of my mouth,” Devin, 23, of Manalapan, NJ, told MariaClaire.com.  “I'm constantly apologizing for everything that happens around me. 'I'm sorry you walked into me on the subway! I'm sorry I need to ask my manager for guidance and might be disturbing her!' So this year, I'm going to own my shit and stop apologizing for things I don't have to apologize for."

Resolve to stop negative self-talk. “That negative inner voice that plants seeds of self-doubt is what I'd like to leave in the past,” Lauren, 27, of Atlanta, GA, told MariaClaire.com. “It demotivates me, keeps me from enjoying the subsequent event, and wrecks my confidence at critical moments. I plan to put a more positive spin on my inner negativity… to encourage myself rather than tear myself down."

Resolve to say “no” without guilt. "It's very easy to find yourself in a position where saying 'no' to an event or to a request, or even putting yourself first, can ignite a sense of guilt,” Sheri, 29, Arlington, VA, told MariaClaire.com. “This year, however, I will commit to the things that I have the capacity for and the desire to do, and confidently say no, otherwise."

Resolve to begin the day with "me" time. "Last year was full of anxiety… I knew I needed a change in order to be a better person and be more present in my life," Trinity S. Perkins, of Woodbridge, VA, told Prevention.com. "I resolved to enjoy some 'me time' first thing every morning — even if only for 10 minutes. I'll do things like lie in bed and take note of things I'm grateful for, put my phone on 'do not disturb' until I've finished my morning workout, and read for pleasure while enjoying my morning coffee.” 

Women and Addiction Recovery
At Rising Roads Recovery, we know that every woman who comes to us is incredibly unique and needs to be treated that way. One size does not fit all – and one future does not work for everyone. To learn more about our addiction treatment programs, call 866-746-1558.