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Friday, November 30, 2018

Gratitude: The Heart of Recovery

Many of our readers are familiar with the names David and Nic Sheff. Perhaps you have read the bestselling books about addiction and recovery from the father and son authors. For those of you who haven’t had an opportunity to immerse yourselves in their writing, please consider doing so at your earliest convenience. People recovering from mental illness and their families will discover a lot of useful information packed inside the Sheffs' books; titles which include:
The two writers have more books in their respective catalogs, but the titles above are an excellent place to commence reading. While the primary focus of the above reads is Nic’s addiction and recovery, there is much packed inside that the families of alcoholics and addicts can find useful for their lives. Alcohol and substance use disorder, after all, is a family disease; the condition does not discriminate, and without treatment, the outcomes are never optimistic.

 

The Heart of Recovery


recovery
It’s likely that you have seen the title, "Beautiful Boy" in the headlines of late due to a recent movie release. David Sheff’s memoir and Nic’s memoir were used as source material for the film. Those interested in seeing the movie would do well to read their publications first, but doing so is not a requirement for following along.

While we do not want to include spoilers in this article, we thought we'd share a few kernels from a recent interview Nic gave to The Fix. As a matter of fact, since finding sobriety Nic has written many articles for the online addiction and recovery news publication. Sheff was asked if gratitude is the very heart of his recovery? His response is inspiring:

 “Every day, gratitude is such an essential part of my existence. Battling this disease, I have gone through such hell that coming out the other side is something I need to acknowledge on a daily basis. I try to be grateful and to express my gratitude. The amazing thing about being sober is how you learn to appreciate and love the simple moments of life. I am so grateful to be able to go out on a walk with my dogs or go out to dinner with my wife. The little things are so sweet like just watching a movie. Gratitude is a gift of sobriety that I keep close to me.” 

Please take a moment to watch a short trailer:


If you are having trouble watching, please click here.

The Miracle of Recovery


Healing is possible for all who ask for help and are willing to take steps toward a better future. At Celebrate Hope, we can help you put an end to the cycle of addiction and bring about lasting changes. Please contact us today to learn more about our faith-based addiction treatment program. Help is available. Call Today! (800) 708-3173.

Friday, November 9, 2018

High-Volume Alcohol Use is Risky

alcohol use
Experts in the field of addiction medicine understand that there is no safe amount of alcohol. While one can imbibe the substance moderately and experience few, if any, problems, research continues to show that even occasional drinkers are at significant risk of health problems.

At Celebrate Hope, we use this platform to shine a light on drug and alcohol use with the intention of helping young people make informed decisions about substance use. Many factors determine who will experience issues with drug and alcohol use, but there are certain behaviors that experts believe elevate an individual's likelihood of developing a use disorder.

When it comes to alcohol – the most popular drug worldwide – heavy episodic use is associated with increasing one’s risk of developing an alcohol use disorder. Teenage and young adult binge-drinking is also a common trend among individuals who often go on to experience problems later in life. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or above; typically, when men consume 5 or more drinks or women consume 4 or more drinks in about 2 hours. People who drink heavily put themselves at a higher risk of alcoholism and alcohol-related health problems.

The Risks of High-Volume Drinking


Impressing the dangers of alcohol use upon young people is vital. It is fair to say that too many young adults fail to see the harm in high-volume drinking. A new group of studies shows that many college students do not grasp the specific behaviors and risk factors associated with alcohol-induced memory loss, otherwise known as ‘blackouts or brownouts,’ according to a Brown University press release. The findings come from three separate studies appearing in the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, the journal Addictive Behaviors, and in the journal of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

"We don't yet know what long-term effects having a blackout or repeated blackouts has on the brain," said Kate Carey, a professor with the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown's School of Public Health. "We do know that having alcohol-related memory impairment is associated with other negative consequences." The consequences include:
  • Hangovers
  • Missed Classes
  • Fights
  • Sexual Assault
  • Overdoses
  • Mental Health Problems
The research shows that forty-nine percent of participating college students experience blackouts and brownouts in the past month, according to the press release. Brownouts were found to be more common than blackouts, 32% compared 5%.

“Studies like these, addressing attitudes toward blackout drinking as well as what students know and do not know about blackouts, give us clues about how we might intervene to reduce this high-risk outcome,” said Jennifer Merrill, an assistant professor of behavioral and social sciences at Brown who was involved in the studies. “This work helps us to identify where there is room to correct any misconceptions students have about the causes and consequences of blackouts.”

 

Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment


Again, there is no safe amount of alcohol! Risky drinking practices can be a slippery slope to myriad problems down the road. If you are struggling with alcohol use and are in college, we can help you break the cycle of use disorder and to begin working a program of recovery. Please contact us today.

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