Screening for a Drinking Problem
Screening for a drinking problem boils down to one simple question, “Do their behaviors change when they drink?” If you’re reading this post, you have likely been hurt, frustrated, concerned, angered, and/or scared by a loved one’s drinking. You’ve likely tried talking, yelling, cajoling, negotiating, looking the other way, believing their promise(s) to stop or…
Read MoreChildren of Addiction Awareness Week
Children of Addiction (COA) Awareness Week is an annual event celebrated around the world during the week of Valentine’s Day. This year it will be held February 9 – 15. It is sponsored by the National Association for Children of Addiction, NACoA.org, whose mission is to eliminate the adverse impact of a parent’s alcohol and…
Read MoreStep Away From the Conflict – Change Where You Think
Conflict often reigns supreme in families where there is unacknowledged, unhealthily undiscussed, undiagnosed and/or untreated addiction and/or substance abuse. And because both sides believe they are “right,” the conflict continues or spreads into other areas of the relationship. But, given neither person can control what the other is doing in their brain, it follows that…
Read MoreProtecting Yourself From Secondhand Drinking
Secondhand Drinking – what is it, and how does a person protect themselves from it? What is secondhand drinking? It is being on the receiving end of a person’s (family member, friend or stranger-on-the-street’s) drinking behaviors. What are those drinking behaviors? Fighting with friends or family about the drinking; saying or doing things you don’t…
Read MoreSecondhand Drinking Prevention
Secondhand Drinking Prevention occurs when we understand what secondhand drinking is, what it does to a person’s physical and emotional health, and how it contributes to a person’s risk factors for developing a drinking problem. [Please note that the concepts in this post apply equally to Secondhand Drugging Prevention, as drug misuse works similarly in…
Read MoreHelp for Families Struggling with Substance Use Disorder
Finally! Help for families struggling with substance use disorder is now in legislative form before Congress — H.R. 5572 in the House and S. 3179 in the Senate. This legislation is called the Family Support Services for Addiction Act. And its existence is huge! Why? It means the message is finally getting through that FAMILIES…
Read MoreSick and Tired of the Drinker’s Lies and Broken Promises
If you love someone who drinks too much – whether it’s binge drinking on the week-ends or drinking several drinks a night or you might even think of them as an alcoholic, but your not for sure, sure – then you’ve likely been told by your loved one things like: I am soooooo sorry. You…
Read MoreWhy We Love an Abuser?
Why we love an abuser – and for the readers of this blog – why we love someone who’s an alcohol or other drug abuser – is an unanswerable question when you’re living with it. I know in my case, it took me decades to finally get the help I needed to answer this question…
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