Often loved ones or friends in Alcoholics Anonymous have many questions about meetings and the process designed to help people get sober. It is natural to have questions but it helps to understand why anonymity is so important to the process of sobriety, recovery and AA. Within AA Itself Most people who are not members Read More…
Learn Whether Gender Matters in Addiction Recovery
Addiction has historically been seen as a man’s problem, not one that typically affects women. Recently, addiction research has focused attention on the differing impact addiction has on women and men. Women and men process the experience differently and often need different support mechanisms to get through addiction recovery. Learn more about whether gender really Read More…
How Do I Navigate Jealous Emotions?
Jealousy is an emotion everyone experiences at some point. Human beings have a variety of emotions and sometimes jealousy pops up. Responding to this emotion is a choice and is something that does not need to take over a person’s life. Learn how to live with this challenging emotion. Wallowing in Jealousy Jealousy becomes a Read More…
What is Powdered Alcohol and How is it Abused?
For the first time in the history of the United States, powdered alcohol products are now on sale. The goal is to mix the powder into water which makes it seem almost like a protein shake, but with alcohol. A real concern is raised about how the alcohol will be used, including whether people will Read More…
Characteristics of Adult Children of Alcoholics
Alcoholism is a family disease that affects not only the person with addiction but everyone in that person’s inner circle. At home things may be chaotic, disorderly and dysfunctional but may also branch into severe abuse. Children raised in homes with this type of rancor often exhibit behaviors based on traumatic experiences. Learn more about Read More…
Is Drinking Absinthe Dangerous?
What is Absinthe? It’s an herbal liquor consisting of anise, fennel and wormwood. The liquor is green in color, which is derived from the chlorophyll of the wormwood leaves. A component of wormwood is thujone, which can be toxic in high doses, and is known to block gamma-aminobutyric receptors in the brain, which can lead Read More…
What Are the Family Dynamics of Addiction?
Like everything else, addiction must be put into context. Addiction does not happen in isolation. It is important to learn the context in which it has developed. How did the individual with an addiction become addicted? Was it due to their socio-economic class? Family circumstances like divorce? Peer pressure? Addiction and Family No man is Read More…
How Do I Form Relationships in AA?
“No intimate relationships during the first year of sobriety” is something individuals in recovery hear all the time in 12 step programs. However, very few individuals heed this piece of advice. When people get sober, it opens up a world of possibility for them, including getting back many of the things they have lost. Many Read More…
Why Do People Smoke and Use Alcohol?
While alcohol can have immediate life-threatening effects in the form of an overdose, it can also prompt other harmful behaviors like so-called “social smoking” when drinking. As anyone who has ever been to a bar can vouch drinking and smoking is a popular combination. Many people find it difficult to have one without the other. Read More…
Dangers of Drunk Driving
Making it home safely after a drink or two does not justify the risks and dangers of drunk driving. When putting the keys into the ignition and driving away following some drinks, people’s lives are not just at risk but so are those of others on the road. Learn more about the dangers of drunk Read More…