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Alcohol

          September, 2016

Quote of the month  

 " 90% of Americans 
with a 
substance 
abuse 
problem 
started 
smoking, 
drinking or 
using other 
drugs before 
age 18."
 
found on
abovetheinfluence.com
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Masters Degree - Applied Psychology from Seton Hall University

 

Post-Masters Degree-Marriage and Family Therapy from Seton Hall University

 

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

 

Private Practice 

since 2008

 

Married 27 years

 

Mother of 2 young adult daughters 

 

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Alcohol, while a legal substance, can cause challenges for many individuals.  Some are able to control their consumption while others are unsuccessful at maintaining balance.  Many of my clients have struggled with this balance recently so I decided to seek some current information to show the impact alcohol really does have on our society today and what we can do about it so the next generation is possibly better off. 

Most of us have been taught that alcohol is something for adults to do.  You have to wait to a certain age before it is "legal" to drink.  What if your ideas about alcohol were to change?  Does it really help you to relax at night, or does it just help you to move away from reality...until another day?  You can be a happy, funny and joyful person without alcohol.  Commercials show us that you need alcohol to be the life of the party.  Try a party without alcohol.  Try a month without alcohol.  See if it makes a difference in your life.  You could be doing your kids a favor in demonstrating that there is more than one way to think about this substance.

Please view this information thoughtfully.  Please do not be so quick to say that this does not apply to you.  You owe it to yourself and your family to evaluate if alcohol gets in the way of you enjoying life to the fullest.

As always, please pass along this newsletter to anyone you feel may benefit from it's content.
   
Sincerely,
   
Maryellen Dabal, MA, LMFT
305 Miron Drive 
Southlake, TX 76092
817-876-9958   
 
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Go to www.dabalmft.com.  Click on the newsletters link at the bottom of the home page. Enjoy.....
  
From The Positive Perspective......

Statistics
  • According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 31 percent of total fatalities - a total of 9,967 alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in 2014.
  • The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that 16.3 million adults ages 18 and older (6.8 percent of this age group) had an Alcohol Use Disorder in 2014.
  •  According to the World Health Organization, in 2012, 3.3 million deaths, or 5.9 percent of all global deaths (7.6 percent for men and 4.0 percent for women), were attributable to alcohol consumption.
  • The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that more than 10 percent of U.S. children live with a parent with alcohol problems, according to a 2012 study.
 
There are many approaches to controlling alcohol consumption.  It is important that you seek help or guidance that works for you if alcohol is not controllable in your life.

One approach is AA, Alcoholics Anonymous, founded my Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in 1935.  This organization uses the Big Book and group meetings to give support to each individual participating.  Meetings are held worldwide and work off the idea that eventually giving back to others who are suffering is a way to stay on track. Some other groups similar to AA, with different names, have also popped up in communities.  Go to a trusted source to find out about these other resources as well.

Another approach called Structured Family Recovery, was founded by Jeff and Debra Jay. Debra's book called It Takes A Family, published in 2014, explains that recovery is not just for the individual who struggles with the addiction, but for the entire family of individuals who are a significant part of the addict's life.  The first half of the book describes the many effects of alcohol on a person's brain and lifestyle while the second half of the book encourages regular family structured meetings with specific topics to discuss at each planned gathering.  There is also the option of using a Structured Family Recovery clinician in those family sessions if needed to provide additional structure.  Having these meetings via conference call technology encourages success, as you don't have to be in the same room, home or even town to be a part of the meeting.  Family support for recovery shows a tremendous increase in the long term success for the addict.

Another book called This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, by Annie Grace, published in 2015, is a book of the life-struggle of the author who explains that the reason many people do not succeed in controlling the alcohol consumption in their lives is because they only seek to change the conscious mind.  Her explanation is that it is more important to alter the unconscious mind, which stores our beliefs. Our beliefs are guided by the path we take which starts with our experiences and observations. Those experiences and observations lead us to make assumptions in our life.  Those assumptions lead us to conclusions which form our beliefs.  If we can alter our experiences and observations and think differently, we might be able to change our unconscious mind and therefore our beliefs about alcohol.      It is a very thought-provoking book indeed.  If you allow yourself to consider her written word, you might be able to control your alcohol without outside help.

Seeking help from a therapist or a counselor who is trained as a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, LCDC, can be of great assistance as well, as their training specializes in helping those with this type of challenge.

The last and most intensive approach is to seek a treatment center. Options include inpatient as well as outpatient experiences.  While each facility may look at detox and treatment a little differently, researching a possible facility as well as visiting one and asking questions before a commitment is made can help make the decision easier.  The only stupid question is the one not asked.

Some helpful websites for further information on this topic are listed below.

Alcoholics Anonymous                 http://www.aa.org  
Al-anon                                           http://www.al-anon.org
National Council On Alcoholism and Drug Dependence - Self Test
 
Please visit this topic for yourself as well as for those around you.  If you have information to add that has been omitted in my newsletter, please let me know and I would be happy to send out a follow up with more information. Being drunk, not remembering last night and being hung over is not a way to live life.  Think of all the energy being wasted and all the memories you won't remember.  You are worth so much more than that.  I believe that.  Do you?
 
Thank you for looking at all of my newsletter topics ..... From The Positive Perspective. 
 
Stay well.
    
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I welcome feedback regarding the newsletter or questions about my practice.  I can be reached at maryellen@dabalmft.com .  I cannot, however, give advice through email. For more information on my practice please visit my website: www.dabalmft.com

I wish you well...