December 20,2008 - Celebrating Sober
BREAKTHROUGH ADDICTION RECOVERY HOUR
DECEMBER 20, 2008
Brian: Welcome to the Breakthrough Addiction Recovery Hour, Happy Holidays Jill! I hope you are getting into the spirit with this wonderful Christmas music.
Jill: We are all laughing there should be little cartoon characters dancing around with the music. Thanks for joining us today in this wonderful balmy Florida type of weather. I am sure if we sing White Christmas across Atlanta something may happen.
Brian: Magical thoughts perfect
Jill: Unfortunately when you through alcohol and drugs into the mix of the holiday season high stress and celebration people think that things will be different this time if they drink or take drugs. I know one thing for sure Brian, we are heading into ground zero coming up this week and next week even though some are going back to work and the the new year. On Friday a lot of you went on vacation and
Brian: Become laid back and it can catch up with you.
Jill: Let’s talk about what is going on. During the week of celebration we have parties, in-laws, we also have a celebration after celebration and we could light up the phones by just asking who was at a party last night and has one tonight and tomorrow. For the last years alcohol has been a right of passage for the holidays and so this year we put ribbon on bottles booze.
Brain: That is magical thinking.
Jill: Call us and get in on the discussion, 770-226-0920 and if someone is outside the area it is 888-920-2665 and if you want to call a loved one or a friend you can listen live at www.920.WGKA.com and hit listen live. If you have good internet.
Brian: We are going to be talking not only about the individuals maintaining sobriety. But they don’t have to throw a party or family coming over and what can they do to keep their place safe. Strategies to plan in advance just as you would the menu and give you a heads up on how to plan a safe alcohol free holiday season. I am excited about that
Jill: Parties family celebration time off work, they are driving around to places they don’t get to go to during the year and vacations and those can be stressful and they can be fantastic and then when you add alcohol you know you can see a lot of difficulty as the holiday season goes in lives dealing with depression and
Brian: The sadness and those listening that have made a choice to stop drinking this is the very first Christmas that they say what do I do now. How do I celebrate without drinking. There are things that they can plan because if you don’t plan they will set themselves up for failure. Individuals may become over confident and not having resistance skills and get into the magical thinking.
Jill: That term comes from reading a newsletter from Dr. Aman on Brain News. Don’t medicate with alcohol and drugs this season. It hits the nail on the head, “Sometimes we set ourselves up to fail on the holidays thinking for some magical reason this year will be different when we haven’t done anything to take care of the problem it is easy to slip into overeating isolating and abusing alcohol and unfortunately the relief wears off fast.” Many people that don’t have the dependency may set themselves up to start drinking and abusing because of how good it felt during the holidays and then carry it on from going back to work, tight finances and keep drinking each night and this could be the time of year that they start on this difficult path.
Brian: Feeling good is a good point, when the client goes back and reflects on the first drink they discover that those euphoric feelings and new that this was the key to feeling good and we know at least 9% of addicts move down that road as a result of this feeling. If you are listening and you had that experience be very aware.
Jill: The genetics and the way your body breaks it down. When people come in and we give them this information they are surprised and so we can research this we use the Matrix Model for neuro biological factors. We use the book Seven Weeks to Sobriety by Dr. Joan Larson and deals with the metabolism and how it responds to the client. We will give the books away today and I am in a giving mood and we will send you a book and it may not get there before Christmas. 770-226-0920 that number is 770-226-0920 we are going to go into a break and if someone does call we will hold you over.
Commercial Break
Jill: Welcome back, this is the Breakthrough Addiction Recovery Hour and we are talking about the holiday season, the most wonderful time of the year! Oh know it is not the most wonderful time? Before break we got a couple calls we have a call right now from Jan, hey Jan how are you?
Jan: Well, I was spinning the dial and you have made me think of my college girls and the culture of the campuses they have been on, it is so casual now the alcoholism, they don’t know if they are predisposed to it.
Brian: You are on target, what we have seen with binge drinking on campuses the best thing to do is educate, educate and give as much information as you can and let them do the talking. You have planted seeds in their lives, and if there is predisposition to alcoholism that is an indication that there is propensity to moving to that direction.
Jan: I can certainly say that on both sides there are those abusing alcohol.
Brian: There are the differences with those that use and don’t move to abuse or dependence. There are those moving into problems as a result of drinking, if they see those occurring that will be something for them to look at. If the drinking is in that realm then it needs to be brought to attention.
Jill: There are organizations on campuses about responsible drinking and the health alert for those in this lifestyle. Those thoughts if they can verbalize those, you have something to work with. The brain change by the use of the alcohol is very important to understand and substances will change the brain and how it deals with the world around them. Their emotions stress they are building brain circuitry right now.
Brian: As they begin to cope with different stresses in college and use alcohol as a way to feel better is a real problem. So
Jill: Hope this helps
Jan: Yes, I am going to explore what the University has available.
Jill: This book we will send you has a lot of good information if there is problematic drinking going on. Our engineer will take you name, we have another caller, Shawn,
Shawn: Well I was wondering about the balance between mind and body and reading about it and even in high school they taught how chemicals and such throw the body off and you have given the information out and breakthrough is a great word because education is what helps you break through..
Jill: When you talk about the brain people start to listen, it isn’t the moral failure it is what is happening in the brain
Brian: There is help out there and ways the brain can heal, there is hope and many times those moving through it feel hopeless, there is help and hope and we use medications to help people deal with cravings and I hope you got the website and you can learn more about our programs.
Jill: Shawn, we have your address and we are going to send the book out to you it should be real helpful.
Shawn: Merry Christmas.
Jill: That is cool hearing what others need to hear. It feels sometimes we are just talking to each other in the studio but when we get feedback it is pertinent. Jan said earlier, doesn’t everyone have someone on drugs or alcohol? It looks like we are coming to the break, give us a call 770-226-0920, we are going to talk about survival during the season.
Commercial Break
Jill: Welcome back we are so glad to be here celebrating the season with you going into ground zero let’s see Hannukah tomorrow night, solstice tomorrow, my birthday is tomorrow and that is a celebration and then there is festivus for the Seinfeld fans and Christmas and kwanza and then new years, so my gosh could we find one more holiday? I am the only one allowed the birthday. Lots of football too,
Brian: Ron is calling from Marietta, hello Ron
Ron: Well, I am trying to decide after listening to some of your program as to what approach to take, I have a 25 year old daughter who ten years ago was diagnosed with ADHD and five years ago in college got on meth and then rehab and her comments were that she was an addict. She has been on constant medication and has seen numerous doctors and we have been there and she has a social anxiety disorder especially durint the holidays it is a prime season for a melt down.
Brian: We do joke but it is a critical time and the stimulus is accelerated and that produces a lot of anxiety
Ron: The alcohol and the propensity with genetics, it does run on her mom’s side of the family and her biological father is a mystery so we don’t know much about the heritage. In the last five years she will drink every night away from home and how she hasn’t been arrested I don’t know. She has had several accidents,
Brian: Ron, has she had any help or sought treatment as far as in the present has she been involved with any type of counseling or education.
Ron: Because she has been classified as an adult we have been blocked out of it and
Brian: But in communication does she want help?
Ron: Well she says she has gotten counseling but my frustration is that I don’t see any improvement and at times I have a glimmer of hope
Brian: Ron our time is running out, let me suggest, it sounds like you have some communication so our program offers free consultations and if she will bring her in and let’s sit down and talk about where she is and what can help her. We offer a wide range of therapy and programs that could be helpful to her. Call us at 770-734-8091 that is the office and the website is www.breakthroughaddictionrecovery.com you are doing the best you can and you may want to take advantage of what we can offer you.
Jill: Hang on too let us get your address, we are at the break and we have another call holding. Jack don’t hang up we want to hear your story.
Commercial Break
Jill: This is the Breakthrough Addiciton Recovery Hour and we are rockin’ and rollin’, we are going to give a few more points on a sober season. Jack in Atlanta,
Brian: Jack welcome to Breakthrough Hour
Jack: Merry Christmas, I was listening about how to deal with the holidays since so many like to splurge. What I did, I am a business owner and had a lot of stress, when I would get home I would stress drink and a year and a half ago I changed that to running
I joined a team and when the holidays approached I didn’t know what to do and New Years also, I had decided a marathon by spring so I decided on New Years not to go out and I went out New Years Day and run farther than I had ever run, I did an 18 mile run and that changed everything for me, the light went on and I knew this was it.
Brian: What a great story, you did it naturally
Jack: It definitely changed my life and I cut out the bad habits, it worked for me and you can do it, it is a great way to get rid of stress.
Jill: Interesting, we are planning a show with a personal trainer and one of our psychologists about exercise and how it helps you in recovery. You used in place of the habit of drinking. You could have been an abuser but you did what we are going to discuss in a couple of weeks. You have set the stage, thanks so much. We will send you the book too. We appreciate your call and hopefully someone else would do what you have done.
Jack: Great thanks
Jill: Well, Brian I think you have a list for people trying to get through
Brian: A couple of things, first many times while trying to stay sober you need to increase your activities
Jill: He joined a team which is encouragement and accountability.
Brian: That worked for him and he made the right choices. Another is actually planning every day of the holiday if you are spending all day with drinking activities you won’t know what to do with your time. Fill your schedule with meaningful things that have a positive effect. Something that brings excitement. Get the dopamine released and you will want to do it again and again. Another is asking for support from family and friends and have someone join you
Jill : Right now you may have family flying in or the house is filling up with company, say to your family I am not pulling our the 5 bottles for dinner and if you want a glass you can have one, but I don’t want any and maybe someone will take up the cause and say let’s all stay away from the first glass let’s help her, that is support. How many family members are waiting for you to say that you don’t want to do this anymore.
Brian: A lot of families say that too.
Jill: When we come back we will be telling you about a new program at Breakthrough and we are offering it for free to families in recovery and we will talk more after the break.
Commercial Break
Jill: Welcome back to the Breakthrough Addiction Recovery Hour, we have a very exciting program to tell you about, at our office in Norcross, Georgia. If you are looking for a place to understand addiction for a family member.
Brian: This evolved from family members of our clients. They have an education class in our facility and the families decided that they needed support. For the month of January we are offering this program free for family members only. Anyone with a relationship and touched by addiction can have a place to talk and learn from others.
Jill: Addiction will effect the life of the family and whatever help the loved one needs but what you can do is something for yourself and this is what is so powerful and Dr. Lois Dutton will be leading this group she is amazing and can really pin point some of the most important issues in the lives of the family. Tuesday Night at Breakthrough 6PM to 7:30PM call us at 770-734-8091 and put your name on the list and we will be happy to have you. We are at the end of our program, next week we will be with our families and hopefully be running the “Best Of Breakthrough” I hope that you have a fantastic holiday whatever you celebrate, Merry Christmas. That was my sister’s Christmas CD playing, Joy Earle produced by Jeff Earle, if you want one, please call us at Breakthrough.
Brian: Happy Holidays Everyone!