self-help for people who wouldn’t be caught dead doing self-help

Warning: Drinking Alcohol Doesn’t Drown Sorrows – It Drowns Positivity

Far too many people turn to alcohol to drown out their sorrows. Unfortunately alcohol is a depressant and does the exact opposite. It drowns out positive thoughts – and makes dark thoughts even darker.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, nearly one-third of people with major depression also have an alcohol problem. Plus, alcohol has been linked to aggression, anger, anxiety – and many types of cancer.

Basically, you might think alcohol will relieve whatever’s troubling you – but it simply temporarily distracts – then offers up far greater problems.

If you’re wondering if you (or someone you love) has an alcohol abuse problem, consider the 13 signs below. If far too many of these signs feel very familiar, you may want to seek out a therapist, attend an A.A. meeting, or look into the types of treatment offered at a CARF-accredited rehab center like Seasons in Malibu.

13 Signs You Have A Problem With Alcohol Abuse:

1. Alcohol has motivated you to make some silly (a.k.a. stupid) decisions in your love life (a.k.a. sex life).

2. Your social life is centered around drinking. If drinks aren’t available, you don’t enjoy yourself – or don’t attend.

3. Your social life also includes spending intimate time alone with a drink.

4. You abuse the promise of “just one more.”

5. Your hangovers begin to feel like the-doorstep- of-death.

6. If you don’t drink, you get a “hungover” feeling: nausea, shakes, sweaty, or anxious.

7. You regularly need to make apologies for things you said/did when drunk.

8. You regularly have blackouts – and you can’t remember what you said/did when drunk.

9. You need more (and more!) drinks to get drunk.

10. You regularly have problems at work or school (i.e. not showing up, being consistently late, poor performance).

11. You’ve been arrested while under the influence (e.g. for fighting or driving badly).

12. You have health issues due to drinking.

13. You’re willing to give up things you truly love because you’d rather spend your money and time on alcohol.

If you relate to far too many of these 13 signs, you’re not alone. And you don’t have to recover alone. In fact it’s best if you seek support when you attempt recovery. The process will be safer and easier when you have a trained therapist by your side – or are a good supportive team, like the folks at Seasons in Malibu, a dual-diagnosis addiction treatment center that incorporates a holistic approach to recovery as part of treatment.

If the grip of alcohol is making you feel like you’ll never be able to un-grip that bottle, I want you to know that recovery is possible. Very possible. In fact, more than a third of U.S. adults who were dependent on alcohol are now in full recovery, says the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

The time is now. Please seek support.

This post contains some sponsored material, but all opinions are my own.

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Karen Salmansohn (Founder)

Hi I’m Karen Salmansohn, founder of NotSalmon. My mission is to offer you easy-to-understand insights and tools to empower you to bloom into your happiest, highest potential self. I use playful analogies, feisty humor, and stylish graphics to distill big ideas – going as far back as ancient wisdom from Aristotle, Buddhism and Darwin to the latest research studies from Cognitive Therapy, Neuro Linquistic Programming, Neuroscience, Positive Psychology, Quantum Physics, Nutritional Studies – and then some.