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A Married Couple Gets Anxious About Their Hazardous And Abusive Drinking And Wonders If They Exhibit Any Alcohol Dependency Signs And Then Feels Motivated And Inspired About Working On Their Alcohol Problems

July 9th, 2010 Neil Warner No comments

Jerry and Sarah have been married for four years. They wanted to have some excitement and fun before they decided to have some kids and so they intentionally created an extraordinarily active social life.

The key problem, it needs to be emphasized, is that just about everything they do socially has something to do with drinking. For example, all of the happy hours, dinner engagements, sporting events, parties with friends, and family get-togethers they attend somehow include drinking.

Jerry and Sarah Begin to Perceive Some Clear-Cut Alcohol Related Problems That are Related to Their Hazardous Drinking

If they were occasional drinkers, this wouldn’t be a big problem. Because they drink in an irresponsible manner, however, they are starting to become aware of some instantly recognizable alcohol-related difficulties in their lives.

As an illustration, just three days ago Jerry was placed in custody for his first DWI and has been ignoring responsibilities at work because of alcohol-related health issues. Moreover, Jerry’s last two or three performance evaluations at work have been less than acceptable and he has started to fail to recall what he does or says when he drinks. As a final point, Jerry has been experiencing sleep-related problems and his family is starting to show concern about his drinking difficulties.

Similar to Jerry’s circumstances, Sarah has been feeling depressed about life in general and to handle these feelings, she has been drinking more intensely than any time in the past eight months. Not only this, but Sarah has been getting more than a few painful migraines and suffering from severe hangovers because of her drinking. Finally, Sarah has been feeling appreciably less energetic when she awakens in the morning, she has been showing up late for work, and she has been getting some unhelpful criticism from her friends, family members, relatives, and coworkers about her hazardous drinking.

Watching the TV and Happening upon An Interesting Documentary About the Signs of Alcoholism

One Monday evening while watching TV, Jerry and Sarah without any planning whatsoever discovered an exciting documentary about the signs of alcoholism.

This television documentary was a real shock to Sarah and Jerry because many of the alcoholism signs that were emphasized gave them the impression that they were unswervingly related to more than a few of the alcohol-related drinking problems Jerry and Sarah had been experiencing.

A Candid Chat About Drinking Activities Reveals Alcohol Related Legal, Health, Relationship, Employment, and Financial Problems

After watching the television program, Sarah and Jerry determined that they needed to have an honest conversation about their drinking situation. They both were in agreement that most, if not all, of their social functions somehow involved drinking, that they were drinking irresponsibly, and that as a couple, they were starting to make note of alcohol related health, relationship, financial, legal, and employment problems for the first time in their lives.

With thoughts of the TV documentary still etched in her mind, Sarah asked Jerry if some of the alcoholism signs they have been displaying could be a warning that they are alcoholic or conceivably becoming alcohol dependent. Jerry didn’t know the answer to Sarah’s inquiry and so he suggested that they make an appointment with one of the physicians at the local drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic to find out more about the severity of their drinking situation.

Coming to Grips With Your Drinking Problems Just May Reduce Your Anxiety and Give You A Degree of Peacefulness

Strangely enough, even though their drinking situation hadn’t yet changed, it was clear to see that Jerry and Sarah were at least concentrating on their drinking problems, they were willing to find out more about their drinking circumstances, and they were concerned about how they could appreciably lessen or eliminate the alcohol-related difficulties that had started to intensify.

When Sarah and Jerry went to bed that night, they decided that the next morning, Jerry would call and make an appointment for both of them at the alcohol abuse rehabilitation clinic located downtown. After they made a promise to one another that they would do whatever it takes to conquer the alcohol-related problems that had manifested themselves in their lives, they in point of fact had the best night’s sleep they could recollect in the last seven months.

Just before she fell asleep, Sarah turned to Jerry and pointed out how simple it is to decrease one’s anxiety and in point of fact experience a degree of peacefulness by dealing with one’s problems with conviction and coming to a decision to do something affirmative about them.

Technorati Tags: alcoholism, inspiration, relationships, self improvement

A Married Couple Gets Anxious About Their Hazardous And Abusive Drinking And Then Experiences Some Self Esteem, Positive Attitude, And Personal Happiness And Success About Confronting Their Alcohol Issues

July 7th, 2010 Neil Warner No comments

Jerry and Sarah have been married for four years. They wanted to have some excitement and fun before they decided to have some kids and so they intentionally created an extraordinarily active social life.

The key problem, it needs to be emphasized, is that just about everything they do socially has something to do with drinking. For example, all of the happy hours, dinner engagements, sporting events, parties with friends, and family get-togethers they attend somehow include drinking.

Jerry and Sarah Begin to Perceive Some Clear-Cut Alcohol Related Problems That are Related to Their Hazardous Drinking

If they were occasional drinkers, this wouldn’t be a big problem. Because they drink in an irresponsible manner, however, they are starting to become aware of some instantly recognizable alcohol-related difficulties in their lives.

As an illustration, just three days ago Jerry was placed in custody for his first DWI and has been ignoring responsibilities at work because of alcohol-related health issues. Moreover, Jerry’s last two or three performance evaluations at work have been less than acceptable and he has started to fail to recall what he does or says when he drinks. As a final point, Jerry has been experiencing sleep-related problems and his family is starting to show concern about his drinking difficulties.

Similar to Jerry’s circumstances, Sarah has been feeling depressed about life in general and to handle these feelings, she has been drinking more intensely than any time in the past eight months. Not only this, but Sarah has been getting more than a few painful migraines and suffering from severe hangovers because of her drinking. Finally, Sarah has been feeling appreciably less energetic when she awakens in the morning, she has been showing up late for work, and she has been getting some unhelpful criticism from her friends, family members, relatives, and coworkers about her hazardous drinking.

Watching the TV and Happening upon An Interesting Documentary About the Signs of Alcoholism

One Monday evening while watching TV, Jerry and Sarah without any planning whatsoever discovered an exciting documentary about the signs of alcoholism.

This television documentary was a real shock to Sarah and Jerry because many of the alcoholism signs that were emphasized gave them the impression that they were unswervingly related to more than a few of the alcohol-related drinking problems Jerry and Sarah had been experiencing.

A Candid Chat About Drinking Activities Reveals Alcohol Related Legal, Health, Relationship, Employment, and Financial Problems

After watching the television program, Sarah and Jerry determined that they needed to have an honest conversation about their drinking situation. They both were in agreement that most, if not all, of their social functions somehow involved drinking, that they were drinking irresponsibly, and that as a couple, they were starting to make note of alcohol related health, relationship, financial, legal, and employment problems for the first time in their lives.

With thoughts of the TV documentary still etched in her mind, Sarah asked Jerry if some of the alcoholism signs they have been displaying could be a warning that they are alcoholic or conceivably becoming alcohol dependent. Jerry didn’t know the answer to Sarah’s inquiry and so he suggested that they make an appointment with one of the physicians at the local drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic to find out more about the severity of their drinking situation.

Coming to Grips With Your Drinking Problems Just May Reduce Your Anxiety and Give You A Degree of Peacefulness

Strangely enough, even though their drinking situation hadn’t yet changed, it was clear to see that Jerry and Sarah were at least concentrating on their drinking problems, they were willing to find out more about their drinking circumstances, and they were concerned about how they could appreciably lessen or eliminate the alcohol-related difficulties that had started to intensify.

When Sarah and Jerry went to bed that night, they decided that the next morning, Jerry would call and make an appointment for both of them at the alcohol abuse rehabilitation clinic located downtown. After they made a promise to one another that they would do whatever it takes to conquer the alcohol-related problems that had manifested themselves in their lives, they in point of fact had the best night’s sleep they could recollect in the last seven months.

Just before she fell asleep, Sarah turned to Jerry and pointed out how simple it is to decrease one’s anxiety and in point of fact experience a degree of peacefulness by dealing with one’s problems with conviction and coming to a decision to do something affirmative about them.

Technorati Tags: alcoholism, relationships, Self Esteem, self improvement

A Woman Displays Symptoms Of Alcohol Dependency And Depression, Gets Inspired And Motivated About Making An Appointment To See Her Physician About Her Abusive And Hazardous Drinking, And Starts To Address Her Anger, Stress, And Time Management Issues

July 6th, 2010 Neil Warner No comments

Teresa was a forty-six-year-old legal secretary who realized that she had a drinking problem. For instance, within the past seven months she has experienced the need to have one or two drinks before going to work, two months ago she failed a random blood alcohol test at work, seven weeks ago she got arrested by the police for “driving under the influence”, and finally, for approximately six months she has begun to forget what she does and says when she goes out drinking with her pals.

Similar to other people, Teresa’s experiences with alcohol started out slowly and continued at this tempo for quite a long time because sometimes she engaged in intermittent social drinking. In fact, for about four years, every time she went out with her coworkers to drink, she made sure to drink in a responsible manner. Something about her drinking activities, nevertheless, seemed to radically change when she got divorced from her husband.

So She Can Come to Terms With the Breakup of Her Husband More Rapidly, Teresa Decided to Start Going Out More Frequently With Some of Her Friends Who Love to Party

Teresa got very “down” about the divorce from her husband, and as a way to stop fixating on her disheartening emotions she came to a decision that she would begin hanging out more routinely with some of her friends who love to drink.

Quite forthrightly, Teresa believed that having fun almost every day by getting an alcohol “buzz” with her friends would help her recover from the divorce of her husband with less misery.

Anger, Time, and Stress Management Problems

Teresa also reasoned that drinking and partying with her buddies would help her avoid her stress, anger, and time management difficulties.

Teresa’s Drinking Increases Significantly the More Habitually She Goes to Happy Hours, Private Parties, Sporting Events, Family Get-Togethers, and Dinner Dates With Her Friends

It didn’t take very long, however, before her drinking increased to a significant degree the more often she went to and drank at private parties, dinner dates, happy hours, sporting events, and family get-togethers with her buddies. What is more, the fact that her drinking pals were all quite a bit younger than she was and therefore able to party more carelessly was one of the reasons that she didn’t direct more of her attention to her increased drinking. In a word, she was drinking and having fun just like everyone else in her group of pals without too much deliberation regarding the effects of her abusive and irresponsible drinking.

Yet somewhere in the recesses of her mind she realized that she more likely than not needed alcohol counseling but steered clear of the thought as much as humanly possible.

Teresa Gets a Physical, ”Comes Clean” About Her Hazardous and Excessive Drinking to Her Doctor, and Discloses the Truth About Her Constant Negativity

One late afternoon during her annual physical exam, her doctor asked her if she drank alcohol. Not wanting to tell “stories” to her physician, Teresa ”came clean” and stated that she routinely drinks more than she should. In reality, she articulated that she frequently drinks in an abusive and excessive manner. Then Teresa told her doctor about her dejection. More precisely, she articulated that shattered relationships often elicited a negative progression of events typified by increased drinking which further led to more dismal feelings that, in turn, led to even more drinking. And this is exactly what took place when her husband and she got divorced ten months ago.

When her physician heard this, he told Teresa that according to various alcoholism facts and statistics on alcoholism he was exploring, alcoholism and depression routinely arise in the same individual. He then informed her that some of the alcohol statistics, facts, and research investigations he has been reading about also underline the fact that people who drink in an excessive and irresponsible manner and who also experience depression need to get treatment for both medical circumstances.

Teresa’s Healthcare Practitioner Makes an Appointment for a Psychological Appraisal and For an Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependency Assessment

Teresa’s physician then articulated the following: “I am not trying to make a snap diagnosis, but with your medical circumstances we may be working with two separate matters. Consequently, I think we should schedule an appointment for you to get an alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction appraisal from my partner, Dr. Bakos, who is an alcohol addiction specialist. Whether your drinking problem is more associated with alcohol dependency or alcohol abuse is not clear, but I think that further evaluation is reasonable. Then I feel we need to make an appointment for you to get a psychological assessment from another one of my partners, Dr. Berger, who is a clinical psychologist. I want to get a better understanding about your sadness and see how much your depression and drinking are interlinked.” Teresa expressed her approval of her healthcare practitioner’s plan of attack and thanked him for his help.

Teresa Manages Her Stress, Time, and Anger Management Problems

In all honesty, Teresa now experienced a sense of personal happiness and self esteem because she finally became inspired to do something constructive about her abusive and excessive drinking and her depression. What is more, Teresa also knew that after alcohol rehabilitation she would be better able to address her stress, time, and anger management difficulties. Now all she had to do was to try to trim down on her drinking and get ready for her appointments.

Technorati Tags: alcohol abuse, Anger Management, relationships, self improvement

Coping With Stress At Work

July 3rd, 2010 Neil Warner No comments

Our jobs serve an important purpose in our lives.Your job gives you somewhere to be each day, personal satisfaction and sense of worth, money to pay for all that you need and a social network. But for many of us, our jobs are filled with causes of stress and concerns. We spend our days worried about job-related issues. While some pressure at work is necessary to make our work fulfilling and to make us more productive, stress happens when the pressure is excessive and / or continuous and we do not have adequate recovery time. Researchers have found that one in six people rates his or her job very or extremely stressful, and one the primary reasons for absence due to illness is job stress.

Although work-related stress can be triggered by sudden, unexpected pressures, it is often the consequence of a combination of stressful factors that build up over time. You can feel work-related stress due to a myriad of factors. For example, the environment in which you work, the hours and schedule you work, the dynamics of your interactions with your coworkers, not being challenged enough, or feeling too overwhelmed due to not having the skills needed to complete the job.

You can experience physical and emotional and mental problems due to work-related stress. Physical symptoms can include headaches, backache, tiredness, sleep problems, digestive problems and sweating. Psychological symptoms of stress may involve a lowered sex drive (libido), difficulty concentrating, disrupted eating patterns, feelings of irritability and mood swings, a lack of motivation, and feelings of not being able to cope.

You cannot just eliminate stress from work completely. You must learn to cope with your work-related stress appropriately and properly. If you are going to have a job, you will have stress. There are three basic approaches to dealing with stress:

- Changing how we react to an event that causes stress

- Reducing the way stress affects our body

- Changing the way we cope with stress

If you cannot get your work-related stress alone, then you will need to see a professional, who may be able to find individualized methods for you to cope. Getting specialist help does not mean that you are weak or that you are ‘giving in’, just that you have recognized a problem and want to solve it. Your doctor will be able to spot the physical symptoms of work-related stress and they will also help you identify the causes of stress, give advice on relaxation techniques and / or refer you to a counselor.

If you believe your stress at work is being caused by someone harassing or bullying you, you will need to report this to your personnel or human resources department. Being victimized at work is something that no-one should have to face and the good news is that the vast majority of companies now have policies in place in order to deal with this type of problem. Remember that the law is on your side so even if your manager does not take action then you can take it without their permission.

If you liked this, try : Work Stress

Technorati Tags: mental health, self improvement, stress, work stress

Upper Management Launches More Than A Few Programs That Inspire The Employees To Lower Alcohol Abuse Related Issues

July 3rd, 2010 Neil Warner No comments

Heather is a forty-seven-year-old woman who is the director of the human resources department at a large aluminum fabricating company. To trim down the costs correlated with employee alcoholism and alcohol abuse, poor employee work performance, work related injuries, excessive sick days, and increasing absenteeism, Heather and the other members of upper management put into operation quite a few programs that made the work atmosphere considerably more healthy, more productive, and safe.

As an illustration, thirteen years ago Heather and the other members of top management instituted an Employee’s Assistance Program so that all the employees had access to top shelf counseling for their personal problems that could adversely affect their personal well-being, health, and their work performance.

The Company Executives Build a State-of-the-Art Workout and Exercise Room Complete With Mirrors, Exercise Charts, a Personal Trainer During Business Hours, Weights, Exercise Equipment, and Scales

As another illustration, nearly six-and-a-half years ago Heather and the other VIPs constructed a forward-looking exercise and workout room complete with mirrors, scales, exercise charts, weights, many different types of exercise equipment, and a personal trainer during business hours.

In addition, approximately three-and-a-half years ago Heather and the other members of top management invested in a distillation system that filters all the drinking water that is obtainable all through the building complex. Similarly, a year-and-a-half ago, Heather and the other company administrators started a “walking club” that is essentially intended for employees who want to work on their cardiovascular system.

The VIPs Initiate a Weight-Watchers Class and Sign Up a Weight-Loss Healthcare Professional to Oversee the Program

As another illustration, around two years ago, Heather and the other company executives launched a “Weight-Watchers” class that presently meets every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11 AM until noon. Furthermore, top management hired a weight-loss trainer to administer the program.

In a similar manner, a year ago Heather and the other company executives put into operation a “Stop Smoking Club” for workers who want to stop smoking.

In the last nine months, in a joint venture with the Employee’s Assistance Program, Heather and the other members of upper management launched an “Anger Management” class for employees who want to learn how to better deal with their temper.

The Company Executives Establish a Drug and Alcohol Testing Program

In the last three-and-a-half months, Heather and the other members of top management established a drug and alcohol testing program that is linked with their drug and alcohol abuse prevention program. In truth, Heather is the primary individual in the company responsible for getting the message out to all the workers about the drug and alcohol testing program as well as the drug and alcohol abuse prevention program.

One of the main elements of the drug and alcohol abuse prevention program is a class entitled “Alcoholism and Depression” that meets every Wednesday after work. The primary idea with this class is informing workers that excessive drinking and depression frequently take place in the same person. It is hoped that knowing this information will be able to help an individual address both medical problems and get the alcohol counseling and mental health counseling he or she needs.

Upper Management Launches an Alcohol Statistics and Facts Class

Another relatively recent enhancement to the drug and alcohol abuse prevention program is a class entitled “Alcohol Statistics and Facts.” The rationale behind this alcohol statistics facts class is the reality that several individuals are unsuccessful in their attempt to recognize the full impact of the consequences of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency without first hearing about some of the alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency facts and statistics that are available. As a result, one of the objectives of this class is to provide a range of alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics and facts in order to help employees gain a better understanding of the host of issues that are related to abusive and hazardous drinking and how they can stop these problems from taking place.

Most recently, Heather and the other company administrators, via observations from employees, developed a class that centers directly on severe drinking entitled “What is Alcoholism”? This class meets every Thursday morning a half hour before work and focuses primarily on the differences between alcoholism and alcohol abuse, on the stages of alcoholism, and on the different types of therapy that are available for people who have alcohol drinking problems such as people who drink in an irresponsible manner.

The Employees Get Inspired By the Changes Put Into Operation By The Company VIPs

Every single one of these health and preventative maintenance programs was anything but inexpensive.  However, the company executives think that they are many thousands of dollars ahead due to the fact that they were able to inspire all of their employees to want to work in a healthy, more productive, and safe work atmosphere.

Technorati Tags: health and fitness, relationships, self improvement, teenage alcohol abuse

There’s Room For Hope If Those Who Engage In Unhealthy And Abusive Drinking Can Become Persuaded To Receive The Alcohol Rehabilitation And The Time, Anger, And Stress Management Classes They Require

June 27th, 2010 Neil Warner No comments

The medical establishment defines various illnesses and diseases as “silent killers.” Diseases like mesothelioma, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, obstructive sleep apnea, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and numerous kinds of cancer such as breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, and rectal cancer are relatively well known silent killers.

These medical diseases are called silent killers because early on in the medical ailment there are normally few if any symptoms to suggest that a difficulty exists. Then as the medical condition advances, conversely, and as the medical difficulties start to emerge, a medical calamity can happen.

Continuous and Repeated Drinking Is a Silent Killer

I claim that excessive and abusive drinking is also a silent killer. If truth be told, some individuals can drink for a substantial number of years without experiencing any serious alcohol related difficulties in their lives. When irresponsible drinking is repeated over time, it can be noted, negative alcohol effects become more perceptible and more difficult. Possibly the best example of what I am articulating happens during the transition from alcohol abuse to alcohol addiction.

Clearly, numerous alcohol induced problems can be cloaked and easily hidden while an individual engages in in hazardous and irresponsible drinking. When the drinker in reality becomes an ongoing alcohol abuser or an alcohol addicted individual, it can be highlighted, the negative alcohol effects become quite discernible and more serious. Unfortunately, this info about alcoholism and alcohol abuse doesn’t seem to be discussed as much as it could be.

Problem Areas That are Adversely Affected by Hazardous and Excessive Drinking Over Time

What are some of the areas in life that are adversely affected over time by continuous and repeated irresponsible and excessive drinking? When people first begin to engage in heavy and abusive drinking, they are often unaware of what their alcohol abuse is doing to their mental health, to their relationships, to their health, to their jobs, and to their finances.

As the hazardous and irresponsible drinking continues, conversely, it usually leads to friendship, relationship, marital, communication, and commitment difficulties and frequently results in divorce and affairs. In a similar way, many, if not most alcohol abusers ultimatley go through alcohol induced health problems such as alcohol poisoning, hangovers, a loss of energy, and sleep disturbances. Other alcohol related diseases include the following: sexual problems, vitamin deficiency, liver disease, nerve damage, and stomach ulcers.

Furthermore, many, if not most individuals who involve themselves in alcohol abuse in the end suffer from alcohol related financial difficulties. Strangely enough, while a number of problem drinkers complain about their financial predicament, they regularly make their financial circumstances worse by spending more of their money on alcohol.

Anger Management, Stress Management, and Time Management Problems

Similarly, drinking behavior frequently leads to anger management, time management, and stress management difficulties. In addiction, many, if not most heavy drinkers, due to their irresponsible and hazardous drinking, in the end display employment problems such as poor performance evaluations, absenteeism, alcohol related accidents, showing up late for work, and making mistakes on the job.

In addition, heavy and abusive drinking in the long run results in various mental health issues like denial, obsession, depression, extreme mood swings, and anxiety. And lastly, it should come as no surprise that people who involve themselves in alcohol abuse can get a “driving under the influence” arrest almost any night or day of the week due to their abusive and heavy drinking and driving.

The Moral of the Story

The lesson to be learned is this: people who engage in excessive and abusive drinking need to learn how to drink in moderation and responsibly or get the alcohol detox and the alcohol treatment they require. This is important for individuals who involve themselves in hazardous drinking so that they can either drink responsibly or begin to live an alcohol-free life and steer clear from the huge number of alcohol related issues described above. Obviously, receiving exceptional alcohol abuse help will be important along these lines.

It is also significant for problem drinkers to either learn how to drink responsibly and in moderation or totally abstain from drinking so that they can avoid a life of alcohol addiction. In sum, people who involve themselves in abusive drinking need to refrain from excessive drinking so that they can avoid the alcohol related silent killers that are interlinked with irresponsible and hazardous drinking. Again, obtaining exceptional alcohol abuse rehab will clearly go a long way toward achieving this goal.

Technorati Tags: alcohol abuse, health and fitness, relationships, self improvement

A Health Instructor In The Most Popular Private High School In The State Motivates Her Pupils To Learn About Alcoholism Signs And How To Enhance Their Personal Happiness And Success, Positive Attitude, And Self Esteem

June 27th, 2010 Neil Warner No comments

Miss Benning was a health instructor at the most popular private high school in the state. Although she had been teaching for only one year, she had already achieved a reputation as an educator with a teaching methodology that motivated and encouraged her students to think and to learn.

For instance, one Monday afternoon at 1:30 she addressed the students in her class and said the following: “For the next four or five days we are going to learn about some basic alcoholism facts from a general viewpoint and we are also going to learn about several of the most typical signs of alcoholism from a more specific viewpoint.”

“Not all of these alcoholism signs will undeniably prove that someone with a drinking problem is an alcohol dependent individual, but the more signs that an individual manifests, the stronger the probability that he or she is an alcohol dependent individual.”

Miss Benning then explained to the class members that each pupil would be responsible for researching three alcoholism signs and then presenting his or her findings to the rest of the class via a eight minute oral presentation.

The Students are Energized About Giving A Broad-Based Presentation to Their Fellow Students About The Signs of Alcoholism

After learning about the diverse alcohol dependency signs for quite a few days, the time had finally arrived for the student presentations. It was instantaneously noticeable that the pupils were energized about the subject matter because the information that they presented was outstanding. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the passion displayed by the pupils in her classroom regarding this subject could not be overstated.

The day after all of the pupils completed their presentations, Miss Benning passed out a sheet of paper with a list of all the alcoholism signs that were presented and discussed in the presentations and in class. Miss Benning then asked her pupils to study the list and rank the top five alcohol addiction signs that were most indicative of alcoholism. After about twenty minutes, Miss Benning collected the sheets of paper and informed her pupils that after she examines the numbers, she will reveal her findings the next school day.

There was some real anticipation by the students while they were walking out of Miss Benning’s classroom. One could swear that her pupils couldn’t wait for the next day to arrive so that they could find out the results of their in-class research.

The Students Compare Their Results With the Results From A Team of Alcoholism Authorities

When the next school day finally came, Miss Benning handed out a sheet of paper that listed the top three alcohol dependency signs according to the students’ rankings. To the right of these results, she included another column that was labeled “experts’ response.” She then informed the pupils in her classroom that the numbers in the extra column she added represented the responses that were put together by a panel of drug and alcohol abuse professionals.

Miss Benning asked the students in her classroom to look over the information on the sheet of paper she passed out and then to raise their hand if they had any issues, concerns, or questions. Within a minute or two, just about every pupil in the class raised his or her hand. It was evident that the pupils had some issues, concerns, or questions about their results versus the answers given by the experts. For example, just about every person in the class had an issue with the highest ranked answer given by the experts, that is to say, “Do you feel unusually sick when you quit drinking?”

The Central Difference Between Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Addiction is the Physical Dependency That is Experienced With Alcoholism and Not With Alcohol Abuse

Miss Benning then told the pupils in her classroom why this answer was the most clear-cut sign of alcoholism. She pointed out the fact that the most important difference between alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse is the physical dependency that is experienced with alcoholism and not with alcohol abuse.

For all intents and purposes this means that when an alcohol dependent individual suddenly quits drinking, he or she will suffer through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Miss Benning then told the students in her class that alcohol withdrawal symptoms are responses by the body and by the brain to the deprivation of alcohol to which they had become acclimated. Stated another way, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are messages from the brain and from the body telling an alcohol addicted individual that something is dreadfully out of kilter and needs to be rectified. These signals consist of several uncomfortable, dangerous, and painful withdrawal symptoms that can possibly lead to a person’s death if the proper therapy is not promptly received.

Miss Benning then discussed the multitude of alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be gone through when a person who is alcohol dependent suddenly quits drinking.

The fact that Miss Benning tried to emphasize was this: an individual who engages in alcohol abuse can experience almost any and every one of the alcohol dependency signs that the students had ranked, but the one sign or symptom that few, if any, people who engage in alcohol abuse ever experience is alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

To articulate this as plainly as possible, Miss Benning stressed the fact that alcohol abusers, unlike alcohol addicted individuals, are not alcohol dependent and accordingly, when they quit drinking, they almost never go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

The Pupils Feel They Have Discovered An Irregularity With the Findings From The Board of Chemical Dependency Authorities

The pupils also had a problem with the second ranked answer given by the drug and alcohol addiction professionals, to be exact, “Have you ever had a drink the first thing in the morning to get rid of a hangover or to steady your nerves?”

Miss Benning explained to the students in her classroom that this sign does not automatically indicate that the problem is alcoholism, but that it does stress the need that people who are addicted to alcohol have to drink in order to avert alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

After Miss Benning explained the importance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the individual who is alcohol dependent, the students started to comprehend the major difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction.

To add a sense of closure to the subject matter, Miss Benning asked her students to take out a piece of paper and answer the following question: “if every person who is alcohol dependent knew about every one of the alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcohol addiction signs we have studied, what percentage of them do you think would obtain alcohol addiction rehab?”

After approximately three or four minutes, Miss Benning asked for the pupils’ responses. While many pupils believed that approximately 80 to 90 percent of alcohol addicted people would ask for alcohol rehab if they knew about the facts related to alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcohol addiction signs, most of the students believed that this number would not be less than 50 percent.

The Pupils Were Amazed to Learn That Only 25% of Alcohol Addicted Individuals in the United States Ask For Alcoholism Treatment

To the astonishment of most of the students, Miss Benning stated that according to different scientific investigations, only 25% of the people who are addicted to alcohol in the United States seek alcohol dependency treatment. This astonished most of the students because they believed that exposure to the awful statistics and facts linked to alcohol addiction would motivate most of the alcoholics to obtain alcoholism rehabilitation.

Miss Benning then explained that alcoholics not only need alcohol on an everyday basis in order to function but they also need alcohol on an everyday basis so they can prevent possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Apparently, the alcoholic’s need to drink on a daily basis is stronger than logic or facts. Without a doubt, because the need for alcohol is “reality” to the alcohol addicted individual, this is a thorny issue that is hard to reverse.

The Occurrence of Mental Health Problems and Alcohol Dependency Often Results in Relationship, Divorce, Marital, and Friendship Problems

Finally, Miss Benning explained to her pupils that it is relevant to comprehend that alcohol dependency and different mental health problems like depression are highly related. In addition, the incidence of alcoholism and mental health problems commonly lead to relationship, friendship, marital, and divorce problems.

The Students are Enthused to Learn About Alcohol Addiction Symptoms and Signs in Today’s Society

A few minutes later the bell rang, indicating that the end of class had arrived. Based on the excitement displayed by the pupils when they were leaving the classroom, Miss Benning realized that she had motivated and stimulated her students to stop and think about an important health and social problem that exists in our country. It was clear to see that her students also learned how to fortify their positive attitude, self esteem, and personal happiness and success.

Technorati Tags: alcoholism, positive attitude, relationships, self improvement

There’s Room For A More Positive Attitude And More Self Esteem If Those Who Engage In Unhealthy And Abusive Drinking Can Become Persuaded To Receive The Alcohol Detoxification And The Alcohol Treatment They Require

June 25th, 2010 Neil Warner No comments

The medical establishment defines various illnesses and diseases as “silent killers.” Diseases like mesothelioma, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, obstructive sleep apnea, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and numerous kinds of cancer such as breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, and rectal cancer are relatively well known silent killers.

These medical diseases are called silent killers because early on in the medical ailment there are normally few if any symptoms to suggest that a difficulty exists. Then as the medical condition advances, conversely, and as the medical difficulties start to emerge, a medical calamity can happen.

Continuous and Repeated Drinking Is a Silent Killer

I claim that excessive and abusive drinking is also a silent killer. If truth be told, some individuals can drink for a substantial number of years without experiencing any serious alcohol related difficulties in their lives. When irresponsible drinking is repeated over time, it can be noted, negative alcohol effects become more perceptible and more difficult. Possibly the best example of what I am articulating happens during the transition from alcohol abuse to alcohol addiction.

Clearly, numerous alcohol induced problems can be cloaked and easily hidden while an individual engages in in hazardous and irresponsible drinking. When the drinker in reality becomes an ongoing alcohol abuser or an alcohol addicted individual, it can be highlighted, the negative alcohol effects become quite discernible and more serious. Unfortunately, this info about alcoholism and alcohol abuse doesn’t seem to be discussed as much as it could be.

Problem Areas That are Adversely Affected by Hazardous and Excessive Drinking Over Time

What are some of the areas in life that are adversely affected over time by continuous and repeated irresponsible and excessive drinking? When people first begin to engage in heavy and abusive drinking, they are often unaware of what their alcohol abuse is doing to their mental health, to their relationships, to their health, to their jobs, and to their finances.

As the hazardous and irresponsible drinking continues, conversely, it usually leads to friendship, relationship, marital, communication, and commitment difficulties and frequently results in divorce and affairs. In a similar way, many, if not most alcohol abusers ultimatley go through alcohol induced health problems such as alcohol poisoning, hangovers, a loss of energy, and sleep disturbances. Other alcohol related diseases include the following: sexual problems, vitamin deficiency, liver disease, nerve damage, and stomach ulcers.

Furthermore, many, if not most individuals who involve themselves in alcohol abuse in the end suffer from alcohol related financial difficulties. Strangely enough, while a number of problem drinkers complain about their financial predicament, they regularly make their financial circumstances worse by spending more of their money on alcohol.

Anger Management, Stress Management, and Time Management Problems

Similarly, drinking behavior frequently leads to anger management, time management, and stress management difficulties. In addiction, many, if not most heavy drinkers, due to their irresponsible and hazardous drinking, in the end display employment problems such as poor performance evaluations, absenteeism, alcohol related accidents, showing up late for work, and making mistakes on the job.

In addition, heavy and abusive drinking in the long run results in various mental health issues like denial, obsession, depression, extreme mood swings, and anxiety. And lastly, it should come as no surprise that people who involve themselves in alcohol abuse can get a “driving under the influence” arrest almost any night or day of the week due to their abusive and heavy drinking and driving.

The Moral of the Story

The lesson to be learned is this: people who engage in excessive and abusive drinking need to learn how to drink in moderation and responsibly or get the alcohol detox and the alcohol treatment they require. This is important for individuals who involve themselves in hazardous drinking so that they can either drink responsibly or begin to live an alcohol-free life and steer clear from the huge number of alcohol related issues described above. Obviously, receiving exceptional alcohol abuse help will be important along these lines.

It is also significant for problem drinkers to either learn how to drink responsibly and in moderation or totally abstain from drinking so that they can avoid a life of alcohol addiction. In sum, people who involve themselves in abusive drinking need to refrain from excessive drinking so that they can avoid the alcohol related silent killers that are interlinked with irresponsible and hazardous drinking. Again, obtaining exceptional alcohol abuse rehab will clearly go a long way toward achieving this goal.

Technorati Tags: alcohol abuse, health and fitness, relationships, self improvement

When Drinking Becomes A Problem That Requires Attention And When It Can Lead To Stress, Anger, And Time Management Issues

June 22nd, 2010 Neil Warner No comments

How do you identify the fact that you have a problem with your drinking? When is it evident that you are engaging in hazardous drinking?

If you have ineffectively made an effort to stop drinking or if you sworn to yourself that your drinking days are finished and then you were made aware that you were drinking excessively just a few days later, chances are quite good that you have drinking problems. The bottom line is that if you have attempted to terminate your drinking and cannot do this, then your drinking is controlling you, instead of the other way around.

In much the same way, if it takes larger amounts of alcohol to get the same “high,” you probably need to become aware that you have a drinking problem.

You may be telling yourself that the justification for your drinking is so that you can lessen your apprehension or get rid of the agony or depression that you feel. In much the same way, you may be trying to steer clear of a hurtful situation and may be looking for something more beneficial, more positive, or less regretful.

As you maintain your drinking, on the other hand, you will grasp the fact that drinking does not bring about the same high and you will also understand that drinking doesn’t help get rid of whatever triggered your pain in the first place. You may also become aware that the more you drink, the more depressed you feel.

As you continue to drink in an excessive manner, unfortunately, you may become alcohol dependent and, as a consequence, you may add another pivotal predicament to cope with rather than uncovering more efficient and wholesome ways of dealing with your alcohol produced predicament.

The Necessity for an Alcohol Appraisal

If you have determined that you have a problem with your drinking, perhaps the most positive thing you can do for yourself is to call your doctor or healthcare practitioner and schedule an appointment for a thorough physical and for an evaluation of your drinking activities.

If you really think that you have a crucial drinking problem, it may be a good idea to get prepared to hear that you need to get alcohol counseling.

At this juncture, what are your alternatives? You can without a doubt refuse to see your medical doctor and continue your pattern of irresponsible drinking.

It really doesn’t take a wiz kid, nevertheless, to comprehend that chronic, out-of-control drinking, if left untreated, will degenerate over time and doubtless lead to an early death. Consequently, your most positive choice is to confront your drinking circumstance and get the alcohol counseling you need.

The Sham of the Functioning Alcohol Addicted Individual

It is somewhat peculiar to note the fact that multitudes of alcohol dependent people lead busy and active lives and have pets, vehicles, houses, jobs, families, and any number of material possessions similar to individuals who are not alcohol dependent.

Many of these “functional” alcohol addicted individuals may have never been cited for drunk driving and may have been lucky enough to avoid all alcohol induced legal issues. Despite this good fortune, however, these alcohol dependent people need to drink in order to operate on a regular basis while continuing their facade as they associate with the outside world.

Ask anyone who has seen them when they are bingeing or in a drunken stupor or ask a family member about the problem drinker’s alcoholism, to the contrary, and they will be quick to state the authenticity of the drinker’s situation and the facts about the alcohol addicted person’s drinking predicament and about his or her alcohol induced problems.

Why Do Alcohol Addicted People Fail to Deal With Their Drinking Problems?

As alcoholism research and statistics on alcohol abuse have highlighted, no matter how clear the alcohol-related problems seem to those who interact with the alcohol dependent individual, alcohol dependent individuals typically deny that drinking is the source of their alcohol-related predicaments. Not only this, but alcohol dependent people normally blame their alcohol-related predicaments on other individuals or upon other situations around them rather than seeing their part in the difficulty. In a similar manner, alcohol dependent individuals often display stress, time, and anger management problems.

The root of the predicament is that alcohol addiction is a disease of the brain. Once the individual has become an alcoholic, he or she commonly resorts to denial, manipulation, and lying as a way of dealing with the fact that his or her drinking is out of control. And to make matters more complex, the experience of alcohol withdrawal symptoms often thwarts the alcoholic’s rare attempts to suddenly abstain from drinking. As dreary as the alcohol dependent person’s life is, then again, the positive news is that quality assistance is commonly accessible – if the alcoholic reaches out and seeks alcohol rehabilitation.

Conclusion

Owning up to the fact that drinking is producing issues in your day by day functioning is perchance the easiest way to find out if you have a drinking problem. Stated differently, if your drinking is triggering issues with your health, at work, in your relationships, with your finances, at school, or with the legal system, then you have a drinking problem that needs to be tackled.

If you have a problem with your drinking, moreover, this means that you are involving yourself in alcohol abuse.

While some problem drinkers may be able to identify their “alcohol signs,” pinpoint their problems, and substantially decrease the quantity and frequency of their drinking, others, then again, need to tackle their drinking problems by getting professional alcohol treatment. What is more, due to their inclination to deny the facts and distort the truth, alcohol dependent individuals definitely need competent alcoholism treatment for their hazardous drinking.

And lastly, if you feel more depressed the more you drink, you will probably need to get treatment for your problem drinking and for your depression.

Technorati Tags: alcoholism, relationships, self improvement, stress management

How To Understand Feedback And Use It Effectively

June 19th, 2010 Neil Warner No comments

Executive coach and author Marshall Goldsmith wrote, “Feedback is a gift that only other can give.”  If that is so, why do so many people have trouble giving and receiving feedback?
A lot of it has to do with power. If we give feedback to someone, our motive may actually be to control them. When we resist feedback, we may really be resisting being changed. 

It can be very useful to clarify the reason for giving feedback before doling it out.  Here we will explain five different types of feedback and ideas for handling each type. 

Evaluation Feedback: This type of feedback is probably the most common in the world of work.Unfortunately, it is also the kind that is the least helpful. Evaluation feedback always happens at the end. The end of the performance year. At the end of a class that took a week. Once a project has been completed.  True, we all need to be willing to rate ourselves, and the evaluation feedback will improve our performance next time.  But why not give and get feedback when we can learn from it real time?

Real-Time Performance Feedback: This type of feedback is usually given by someone whose success depends on you; for example your boss.  While it may be couched as an observation or something for you to think about, when someone shares performance feedback, they intend for you to change your behavior.

When you sense that someone is trying to give performance feedback, it may help you both to get very clear.  Try asking, “what exactly would you like me to stop or start doing?” Once you’ve gotten the feedback, make the change!

Fine-Tuning: Fine-tuning feedback generally comes from people who are satisfied with the overall job you are doing, but see some areas you could tweak to get even better. One of the best examples of fine-tuning feedback I ever received was from a course participant.  She told me she enjoyed my course and then asked if she could share some feedback.  She shared that when I nodded my head while listening to people in the audience, it made her feel as though I was rushing.  WOW!  This blew me away because I had no idea that my behavior was having this negative impact.

Fine-tuning feedback is most effective when you share the impact a behavior has on you or on other people.  The person giving the feedback is not necessarily interested in controlling you, or even changing you. They share how a behavior impacts them, then gives the other person a chance to change, or not change.

Feed-Forward: Goldsmith came up with this one years ago. It means giving someone suggestions in advance about how to behave rather than waiting for them to fail and beating them up afterward. A great example of this type of feedback is when my husband gave his first presentation to the executive leaders in his company.  His boss gave him great feed-forward about how to dress, when to speak, how much detail to go into, etc.

Slap Upside the Head: Two years ago, a colleague who is also a great friend sat me down and said, “You are making yourself and others miserable.  What’s going on?”

This is the kind of feedback that only great friends can give.  It involves personal feedback that people share out of concern and caring. In his book, Who’s Got Your Back, Keith Ferrazzi gives some great examples of this feedback along with the assertion that we all desperately need people in our lives who care enough to give it.

Slap upside the head feedback is not given with the intent of controlling or even changing for the sake of the person giving the feedback. they give the feedback knowing what your objectives are for your life and they see that your behavior is keeping you from reaching them.
Summary
Those giving feedback:  Think through before giving feedback what the most appropriate form would be to achieve the intention you have for it.Keep in mind that unless you are in a position of authority, it is not your place to give evaluation feedback.  You can lead a horse to water . . .

If you are on the receiving end:  Keep in mind that we all are blind to certain things about ourselves, and feedback is one of the few ways to discover those things about ourselves.   Even if you ultimately disagree with the feedback, accept it as a gift from the person giving it. If it’s evaluation or performance feedback, you have a chance to change in order to do better in the eyes of others.  If it’s fine-tuning or slap upside the head feedback, you have the choice to change or not.

Wendy Mack is a consultant, speaker, and change catalyst who specializes in helping leaders mobilize energy for change, For more articles and resources on leading and communicating change visit: www.WendyMack.com.

Technorati Tags: evaluation, feedback, self improvement, workplace communication