Could You Benefit From A Work Stress Counsellor?

This is actually a perfectly natural response to what our brain perceives as a threat, hence why it sends us into 'fight or flight' mode. In more primitive times, this response would have actually served us well - say if we woke alerted to a predator approaching our cave or we had to protect our young from an intruder.

The body's fight or flight response would have, at one time, kept us alive and protected our offspring - as we still see in animals all the time. However, these days, the actual threats that we face on a day-to-day basis where this kind of response could come in useful are minimal, but our minds and bodies haven't quite caught up.

When it comes to everyday problems, once the moment has passed we're usually able to return to our composed selves. So, what happens when we aren't able to switch off from it? Long-term, this can have a detrimental affect on our sleep patterns, our mental health and even our immunity to certain illnesses, so should be taken seriously.

One of the main culprits of stress is work-related pressure. There is so much out there telling us we need to 'get ahead', make more money or compete with our colleagues, that we can forget to look after ourselves when we're caught up in it all. It's easy to forget that this negativity can trickle into all aspects of our lives, including our relationships.

This can then have a knock-on effect, causing us to make poor choices when it comes to our diets, sleeping habits and self-care. Not only this, but stress can cause many people to look for relief from sometimes destructive substances like alcohol, cigarettes or even drugs, if not dealt with in the right way.

If you're finding yourself increasingly burnt out, exhausted and unable to relax at the end of a day, you could be suffering form stress. You may have noticed that this also provokes anxiety, causing your heart to beat faster and even making it difficult to breathe.

You may find that when it comes to relax and leave the day behind, you're exhausted but unable to sleep. The sleeplessness then makes it difficult to manage with your ability to cope with work pressures the next day - and so the cycle continues.

In order to help yourself better manage your responsibilities without compromising your mental and physical health, you could contact a work stress counselor. Talking therapies have proved effective time and time again in a number of instances where your job may be taking its toll - more so than medication or alternative practices.

Of course, your counsellor may suggest propping up your counselling with other practices such as exercise, mindfulness or meditation. But they will likely provide a personalised approach to your therapy according to what you find most helpful.

There is no need to feel shame about seeking help - everyone benefits from therapy at one point or another during their lives. In many employment fields, counseling is a mandatory part of the job, and many other workplaces are employing mindfulness and meditation practices to help employees better manage their mental wellbeing.

Have a look online for a registered counsellor that can offer work-related counselling services. You will probably need to call up or arrange a visit for a consultation and to see if you and your therapist are a good fit, but after that, you should start seeing your stress levels diminish once you have a professional sounding board.

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Symptoms Of Stress And How To Mitigate And Manage Stress Motivators

Overview

Stress manifests in individuals in different ways. Stress affects Physical and Mental Health and in extreme cases can lead to death. Stressful conditions cause the body response system to go into a response mode of high alert due to the secretion of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. When this situation manifests continually, it could lead to system damage in the body. This could predispose the body to disease or injury due to loss or lack of concentration.

Symptoms and Diseases Associated With Stress

Symptoms and Diseases associated with Stress can manifest in the following forms:

Insomnia: This is a form of sleep deprivation. The individual cannot sleep for long periods and in extreme cases, may not be able to sleep at all.

Headache: Intermittent headaches could be a sign of Stress.

Migraine: This is a sustained pain or discomfort in the head for extended periods of time. This could affect the forehead or one side of the head.

High Blood Pressure: This condition manifests when a person's blood pressure reading is above 135/85. It can lead to heart attack if not well treated.

Depression: This is a state of very low esteem and despair in an individual and has led to suicide in some cases.

Erectile Dysfunction: This is Impotence in a man and Stress is one of the known causal factors

Drug/Alcohol addiction: Some people use drugs and alcohol to alleviate their Stress. Sometimes this gets out of hand and may lead to drug or alcohol dependency.

Mental Burnout: An individual could become irritable and a nervous wreck due to Stress.

Procrastination/ Inability to Take Decisions: This is also a sign of Stress. An irritable, stressed out person cannot go through the mental process necessary for making good decisions.

How To Mitigate and Manage Stress Motivators By Home Based Entrepreneurs

Overwork is a major cause of Stress for Home Based Business Owners.

Working late and extra hard could be an acceptable price to pay for the initial development of the business. But prolonged Stress can have adverse effects on Physical and Mental Health. There are many inexpensive ways to mitigate and manage Stress inducing factors.

These include the following:

Don't be over ambitious. Start small and grow, gradually.

Network with fellow industry players or join forum where you can discuss your problems and get relief.

Ensure that you take more regular short breaks throughout the day

Engage in regular daily exercise

Learn relaxation techniques, practice Yoga.

Decide to start eating Healthy.

Acquire financial management skills to enable you overcome the new irregular Income Cycle.

Always plan the next day in advance.

Conclusion

With this, I've come to the end of our discussion on STRESS. I'm very sure that if you endeavor to imbibe some of the advice given above, you'll be able to overcome stressful situations or reduce their effect to the barest minimum.

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How Alcohol Affects the Brain and Why It's Difficult to Quit Drinking

Compared to illicit drugs and other substances, the consumption of alcohol is generally not considered a taboo. It is customarily accepted in most social settings, be it parties, informal get-together, or any festival. Due to the legitimization of drinking, alcohol is available rather easily and at a cheaper cost than most drugs.

However, no one can deny the fact that alcohol is addictive and has the potential to alter a person's brain dramatically. The prolonged and excessive consumption of alcohol can lead to a multitude of physical and mental health complications and may increase the risk of developing an addiction.

Though alcohol is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant, most people consume it for its stimulant effect to alleviate any kind of stress and tension. If alcohol is consumed in excess, an individual may succumb to its depressant effects. In addition, alcohol directly affects the neural and chemical activities in the brain, particularly those regions that control thought processes, behaviors and emotions.

Depressant and indirect stimulant effects of alcohol

Alcohol interacts with the brain where it affects both excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters that play a crucial role in transmitting signals throughout the body and controlling emotions, thoughts and behaviors. When a person consumes alcohol, the activity of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is significantly amplified.

As a result, the person's heart rate and respiratory function slow down, causing him or her to feel relaxed and sedated. This is also the reason why alcohol should never be mixed with benzodiazepine drugs, such as Xanax and Valium, which intensify the effects of GABA to the levels that can be detrimental to the person.

Alcohol also affects the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate that increases the energy level and speeds up neural activities. On consumption, alcohol represses the release of glutamate that reduces the function of neurotransmitters. Another neurotransmitter that alcohol directly affects is dopamine. Dopamine is considered both an excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitter; however, it is popular because it stimulates the brain's reward center. When a large amount of dopamine is produced in the brain, it makes a person believe that he or she is experiencing euphoria and other ecstatic feelings.

Key brain regions affected by alcohol

Frequent consumption of alcohol for a long time can make a person's body dependent on alcohol for the daily dose of dopamine rush. This is because the brain reduces or stops the production of dopamine on being supplied and stimulated from an external source.

When a person has developed an addiction to alcohol, he or she is likely to experience a compulsive set of behaviors, such as indulgence in criminal activities, manipulative tendencies, aggressive and violent behavior, etc., that promote drinking. The onset of dependence and addiction is a gradual process that steadily affects the key regions of the brain. Here are some brain regions that are affected by alcohol:

• Hypothalamus and pituitary: Alcohol has been regarded as a potent aphrodisiac because it interacts with the pituitary and hypothalamus. These regions control automatic brain functions and hormones that affect sexual arousal. Although alcohol has the ability to increase one's libido, its consumption for a prolonged period affects sexual performance.
• Medulla: This brain region is responsible for regulating functions, such as breathing, body temperature and conscious activities. Alcohol reacts with the medulla and causes sleepiness, decreased rate of breathing and body temperature, etc. When a person drinks excessive alcohol, the functions of medulla are significantly diminished that can lead to life-threatening situations.
• Cerebellum: The cerebellum is responsible for regulating one's movement, coordination and balance. When alcohol interacts with this region of the brain, the individual is at risk of witnessing stumbling, falling and other clumsy mishaps.
• Cerebral cortex: It is the region of the brain where consciousness and thought processing take place. However, when alcohol reaches this part of the brain, it allows a person to loosen up and become inhibited. It also lowers the efficacy of the brain in processing external information through the senses, such as sight, sound, touch, taste and smell, which significantly affects the ability of a person to think clearly and make rational decisions.

Path to recovery

Because there are no safe limits to drinking, alcohol poses a serious risk to people indulging in it regularly. Alcohol has the ability to hijack and rewire the brain that influences a person to prioritize alcohol-seeking behavior. Therefore, it is essential to spread awareness about the risks associated with drinking. When addicted to a substance like alcohol, it becomes important to undergo an effective addiction treatment program to overcome all the hurdles and challenges.

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Social Contagion - You Become The Company You Keep

During the 2020 Coronavirus lockdown we have all gone to great lengths to avoid this highly contagious virus and have experienced varying levels of state enforced social distancing.

With the phased lifting of the lockdown, and the resumption of social contact we are now increasingly exposed to another threat, another form of contagion.

This renewed threat is known as emotional contagion, which is the effect and impact of other people's emotions on our own dominant emotional state. This matters, as many of our life experiences are created or attracted by our dominant emotional state.

Because the means of transmission is via renewed and increasing social contact I reframe this as social contagion.

The Tidal Swirl Of Other People's Emotional Turbulence

In her highly regarded book "An Abbreviated Life - A Memoir" former Sunday Times journalist Ariel Leve paints a painful, poignant portrait of our vulnerability to the tidal swirl of other people's emotional turbulence.

This is especially true when we are children. Leve recounts how as a child she desperately attempted to ride the emotional waves emanating from her mother, whom she describes as volatile and narcissistic.

"I had no choice but to exist in the sea that she swam in. It was a fragile ecosystem where the temperature changed without warning. My natural shape was dissolved and I became shapeless."

Leve explains:

"When somebody's mood can shift quickly, you're always on your toes and you're always on guard, which means you can never really relax. And as a consequence, as an adult, I find that I absorb the mood and energy of other people very intensely, so I need a lot of time alone to decompress."

Her experience resonates with me.

Is this OK for Dad?

I recall as a child accompanying my father on his rounds as a grocery delivery man. Each time we visited a new location, I would immediately tune in to my highly sensitised "vibe antennae" and take the emotional and psychic temperature of the site to see if it felt "OK for Dad", was it somewhere that he would like and that would make him happy.

At the time I didn't know why I did this. But it was a habitual thing and developed into a form of hyper-vigilance where I was constantly taking the emotional and psychic temperature of new situations and places.

Church bells and overwhelming feelings of misery

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and I was sitting on a bench in the churchyard of an old English parish church. The sun was shining, birds were singing, butterflies were fluttering, my mood was mellow and I basked in the warmth of the late summer sun.

The church bells started ringing... and within seconds my mood changed and I was overwhelmed with feelings of sadness, melancholy and misery.

Reflecting on that experience in early adulthood I realised that the sound of church bells always had that effect on me since my childhood.

Following some forensic trawling through childhood memories supported by corroboration from my elderly mother I came to understand that as very small child my family had lived next to a church in a small country village. My mother told me that she was very unhappy at that time and frequently overwhelmed with feelings of misery and despair.

Her powerful feelings had infected me and become associated with the sound of church bells ringing.

How a leader's emotions infect an organisation

In 2001 Daniel Goleman introduced the concept of what he termed "Primal leadership" and outlined research that he and his team conducted in a study of 3,871 executives and their direct reports and it showed that the leader's style determines about 70% of the emotional climate which in turns drives 20-30% of business performance.

In an interview (with Stephen Bernhut in "Leaders Edge", Ivey Business Journal May/June 2002) Daniel Goleman said:

"Emotions are contagious, and they are most contagious from the top down, from leader to followers."

"When Likes Aren't Enough" - how social media negatively affects mental health

In "When Likes Aren't Enough: A Crash Course in the Science of Happiness" Professor Tim Bono tackles the ever-popular subject of happiness and well-being, but reframes it for a younger reader struggling with Instagram envy.

The Nursing Times have recently published a study "How use of social media and social comparison affect mental health"

The Centre For Mental Health recently published: "How use of social media and social comparison affect mental health"

In June 2014 PNAS published the results of a massive study on Facebook users: "Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion through social networks"

Clearly there are so many ways that we are affected by other people's emotions. We are emotional and thus energetic beings, and we live in an energetic universe that responds to our dominant energetic state in the experiences that we create and attract.

Two important questions arise from this:

(1) How are we so susceptible to other peoples' emotions?

(2) What steps can we take to protect others and ourselves?

How Are We So Susceptible To Other Peoples' Emotions?

Elaine Hatfield Professor of Psychology (University of Hawaii), and co-author of a pioneering academic book "Emotional Contagion" defines "primitive" emotional contagion as the:

"... tendency to automatically mimic and synchronize facial expressions, vocalizations, postures, and movements with those of another person and, consequently, to converge emotionally... "

The contagion occurs in three stages:

1. Mimicry
2. Feedback
3. Contagion.

Social contagion is a hardwired reflex that is a basic building block of human interaction. It has an evolutionary purpose in that is helps us coordinate and synchronize with others, empathize with them, and read their minds. All of these are critical survival skills.

What Steps Can We Take To Protect Ourselves & Others?

Here are 4 key steps:

(1) Quarantine yourself until you have figured how not to contaminate others with your bad mood. So, bless them with your absence!

(2) Inoculate yourself with mindfulness practice

(3) Drop the story and find the feeling by meditating with emotions

(4) Share compassion - and become a bodhisattva-warrior - with a vow to care of one another

I leave you with this sobering thought from Jack Canfield:

"You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with."

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Addiction and the Role of Exercise in Managing It

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), less than half of world population (38.3%) actually drinks alcohol. Those who do drink consume on average 17 liters of pure alcohol annually. Moreover, the harmful use of alcohol results in 3.3 million deaths each year. Beside, at least 15.3 million persons have drug use disorders.

These and some other statistics are quite unnerving to the friends and family members of people, who have some kind addiction.

Addiction is a chronic disorder, for which many biological, psychological, social and environmental factors are accountable. About half the risk for addiction is genetic. Genes affect the quantity of reward that an individual experiences when initially using a substance e.g., drugs, alcohol or engaging in certain behaviors e.g., gambling. A heightened desire to re-experience use of the substance or behavior, potentially influenced by psychological (e.g., stress, history of trauma), social (e.g., family or friends' use of a substance), and environmental factors (e.g., accessibility of a substance, low cost) can lead to regular use, leading to brain changes.

The brain changes include alterations in pre-frontal cortex and sub-cortical limbic system regions involving the neuro-circuitry of reward, motivation, memory, impulse control and judgment. This leads to an increase of cravings for addiction and an impairment of the ability to control the impulse, regardless of the knowledge and experience of its consequences.

Role of exercise in managing addiction -

Most treatments for addictions involve some kind of counseling that focuses on helping the person to figure out why he or she engages in the addictive behavior.

Some studies have provided convincing evidence to support the development of exercise-based interventions to reduce compulsive patterns of drug intake in at-risk populations.

Exercise helps in the following ways:

It releases endorphins - On recovering from an addiction, one's the body and mind misses a high feeling caused by it, resulting in depression during the withdrawal phase. Since exercise causes the release of endorphins, which acts as a natural high, especially after a good sweat session, it's possible that working out can help an individual cope with the recovery process.

It alleviates stress - Moreover, regular exercise is a great stress buster, resulting in diminishing stress-related cravings. Therefore, sticking with exercise long-term might even diminish drug seeking behavior.

It acts as a distraction - For some, exercise might just serve as a distraction. While exercise alleviates some of the symptoms of withdrawal, it may not improve long-term abstinence.

It acts as meditation - Exercise can be described as meditation in motion. This concept underlies the ancient tradition of Hatha Yoga exercises. By concentrating on physical movements of exercise, we can experience the psychological and emotional benefits of meditation. A good workout leaves one feeling more rejuvenated and optimistic, which can make recovery much more manageable.

It improves outlook on life - Those, who exercise regularly, have increased feelings of self-confidence and reduced feelings of depression and anxiety. In addition, regular exercise provides improved sleep, greater energy, and enhanced feelings of well being, thereby changing positively the outlook on life.

The Crux -

Addiction is a problem of global dimension, influenced by many factors e.g. biological, psychological, social and environmental. About half of the risk for addiction is genetic. Though counseling and treatment form the mainstay of management, regular exercise also positively influences it making its management more effective. The people, who engage regularly in exercise, are less likely to give in to the temptations of addictions even though they may be genetically prone to them.

Addiction is a deadly chronic disorder that has a number of risk factors underlying it. In the majority of instances, bad genes play their role in predisposing people to addiction, who harbor them.

Nevertheless, the problen can be effectively managed, regular exercise playing a very significant role in its management.

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Understanding Substance Abuse in Women

Substance abuse affects men and women differently. Though men are more likely to get addicted to drugs or alcohol, women are more susceptible to suffering from its medical, social and legal consequences. Compared to men, women use these substances for different reasons and respond differently to them. Simply put, when it comes to abusing harmful substances and understanding their effects, gender does play an important role.

Many women also start abusing substances after being introduced to them via a partner or a friend. In addition to citing socio-economic pressures like gender bias in terms of salary and familial responsibilities, some women turn to substances for weight management issues as well. For instance, there are more women who smoke nicotine to keep their weight under control.

In addition to using addictive substances differently, their response is peculiar too. For example, as women are more likely to suffer from chronic pain and be prescribed more painkillers, they can quickly become dependent on prescription drugs than men with increased chances of doctor shopping, overdose and suicide. As per national statistics, overdose from prescription painkillers continues to be the most under-recognized and growing problem among women.

Women exposed to higher risks

Some of the issues that may lead to women abusing drugs or alcohol may include physical/sexual abuse, childhood trauma, stress and the inability to cope, socio-economic concerns and mental health issues. As a result, substance use disorders (SUD) may manifest differently in women. For instance, in addition to causing an addiction and painful withdrawal symptoms, it can impact a woman's reproductive cycle, create complications during pregnancy and even lead to an early onset of menopause. There's also a greater risk of an infant being born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a condition characterized by a set of problems when babies are exposed to drugs in the womb. While men can externalize their stress in the form of aggression and anger, women are more likely to internalize it leading to mental health disorders like anxiety and depression.

Women also tend to be more sensitive to the effects of drugs or alcohol for biological reasons. For instance, as compared to men, women achieve higher concentration of alcohol in their blood and become impaired quickly. They are also vulnerable to alcohol-related organ damage and trauma resulting from alcohol-related violence than their counterparts. Heavy drinking by females exposes them to the risk of breast cancer as well besides leading to other complications like heart disease and brain damage.

Need-specific diagnosis and treatment

Since there are many differences between men and women in terms of cause and effect, substance abuse treatment for women should address their unique needs, incorporate approaches that recognize the gender differences, provide additional support to mothers and use effective, evidence-based treatment for pregnant women. Stigma surrounding drug and alcohol addiction causes a significant barrier in seeking treatment, which should be taken into account as well. Women's role as mothers, caregivers and family role models add to their burden that can dissuade many from seeking professional help and improving their health.

One of the effective ways to deal with SUDs is to understand the reasons and the risk factors involved. Research indicates that as compared to men, women are less likely to get treatment due to the fear of losing friends or family, fear of embarrassment or shame or the fear of being punished by the authorities. There also needs to be ample community support to help them access health care services as early as possible. In addition to providing child care, family services and good prenatal care, there should also be an increased focus on increasing women's engagement in care. The treatment programs should incorporate one-to-one counseling or therapy, access to support groups as well as aftercare programs to help them achieve sobriety and avoid relapse.

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Brené Brown । 30 Minutes for the NEXT 30 Years of Your LIFE

5 Tips for Learning to Prioritize Yourself (By Moriah Polanco)

I'm currently under the weather. I suspect it's because I've been pushing myself really hard lately. While posting a blog might be more work than I should be doing at the moment, it feels like there's no time like the present to write today's blog post on the importance of rest and self love.

One of the biggest struggles we have is balancing work and rest. We are expected to work 40+ hours a week at a job and then come home and start our home job: taking care of kids, taking care of pets, cooking, cleaning, house repairs, bills, yard work, etc.

Life is a very busy place. It's easy to get caught up in the busyness of life, leaving no time for ourselves. People often only rest when it is forced upon them. It is usually forced on them when illness strikes. Illness is often our body's way of overriding our mind's intense desire to keep working. Once you're sick, you're finally being forced to lie in bed and rest, away from work and other activities.

If we pay attention to our body's signals, we don't have to wait until we are sick to rest. We can rest on our own time. In fact, resting when we are well, is probably a much better experience, than resting when we are sick!

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I am currently a living example. It's easy to overlook your body's signals to slow down when you've gained a lot of momentum towards working. Lately, I've been burning the candle at both ends with daily tasks like those listed above along with my excitement around relaunching ATX Energy. My body made sure I knew it was time to slow down when I suddenly developed a dry, sore throat. I took this as a cue to pull away from work a bit and have some downtime.

It's never easy to pull away from something for fear that when you let go, everything will fall apart or what work you've done will disappear. This is simply not true. In fact, we must pull away in order to maintain good work. When you let go of something, you allow it to bloom and flourish. It is common for people to think it is selfish to take time for yourself. The irony is that it is the least selfish thing you could ever do. When you are well rested and happy, you have more energy for others and the world. Just as the airplane safety message has you put the oxygen mask over yourself first, you must take care of yourself first or there is no possibility of helping others.

Here are five tips to help you prioritize YOU:

1) Set aside time each day or week devoted to "me time." Define what "me time" means to you and let others know what you're doing. Make sure it is something that truly replenishes you and doesn't include other people's desires. It could be a nice bath, going for a walk, getting a manicure, gardening, taking a nap, creating some art, etc.

2) Spend some time reflecting on your life. Do you compromise yourself for others? Do you enjoy your day or do you wake up full of dread? Does your body give you signals to slow down or maybe speed up? Check in with yourself and see how things are flowing for you.

3) Learn to say no. Naturally, we want to be helpful and don't want to let others down, so it is often more comfortable to say yes rather than no. That small bit of comfort is short-lived though, soon replaced with the stress of wearing ourselves too thin. Be conscious of how often you say yes and imagine what it will look like down the road. Always remember that taking care of yourself allows you to take care of others. Don't feel guilty!

4) Don't be afraid to ask for help. It's easy to become unhappy when others don't reciprocate your generous and kind acts or offer a helping hand when needed. Most people are not mind readers, so communicate to them what you need. You'd be surprised how well this works. On a side note, don't do for others with the expectation of having the favor returned, unless this exchange has been openly communicated. You may end up tired and resentful otherwise.

5) Make sure you get enough sleep. This is a simple one, but can be difficult to achieve, yet crucial for mental and physical health. Develop an evening routine where work stops at a specific hour. That also means trying to reduce social media consumption! Avoid stimulating activities like the news, suspenseful and scary TV, or overly engaging conversations. Make a commitment to getting in bed earlier.

Everything in life has an ebb and a flow with peaks and valleys. Some days you have energy to accomplish a great deal. At the opposite end, there are days when you have less energy and need to do less. Life is about balance and accepting yourself as you are, in whatever state you're in. By accepting your reality, there is less of a struggle. When there is less of a struggle, there is less suffering. Sometimes just giving yourself permission to feel bad can make all the difference.

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Emotional Stress: What Is It And How To Deal With It

Dealing with stress is almost a given for virtually everyone at some point or other. After all, life is made of challenges that test us physically, mentally, and emotionally. However, when a person has to deal with that type of adversity all of the time, the constant strain from such pressure can really affect a person's mental and physical well-being. This can be to the point where your health can be adversely affected for a short or even long term. This is known as emotional stress. The information below should help you to determine if you are facing this type of anxiety and how to overcome it.

If you are having trouble with your sleeping habits, whether it's sleeping more than usual or only sleeping for a few hours and having difficulty going back to sleep, you could be suffering from emotional stress. Often, the cause of this is due to either anxiety or depression, especially if there are no physical reasons for your sleeping issues.

If you are having extreme changes in your weight over a short period of time, especially if you haven't changed your eating or exercise routines, you might be suffering from emotional stress. Also, if you constantly think about food or constantly avoid eating, those signs could also be indicators that you are suffering from emotional tension. Depression can also cause a lack of appetite.

The body will sometimes aid you and others in letting you know that you are suffering from over tension when you have physical ailments that you just cannot explain the cause of. If you've undergone a physical, and a physician can't find anything physically wrong with you, it may be emotional stress that is causing your physical pain.

Another sure sign that you may be over stressed is if you are always in a bad mood, always showing a short temper toward others, and always getting overly upset over little issues or events. Both your physical and mental health could be at risk, as could the physical and mental health of those around you.

What can you do if you're showing the above signs? First, you have to identify and directly address the stressor or stressors that are causing your emotional angst. You should also try to look at the positives of your life and determine whether the stressor(s) you've identified are really worth worrying about or not. You may be making those issues larger than you really need to be.

You also need to take time out for yourself and enjoy fun activities to help relieve your mind of the pressure you are dealing with; no one can go for long periods of time under great duress without it affecting him/her. Also, let your family, friends, and physician know what you are dealing with, so that they can all help you overcome that tension and see the positives in your life.

Emotional stress can cause a great burden on those who are dealing with it, both in terms of their mental and physical health. They can be more irritable, they have trouble with their sleep patterns, they are less sociable than usual, and they may experience severe weight fluctuations.

By identifying and realizing what you are suffering from, you can work towards overcoming it with the proper attitude, approach, and help from your family, friends, and physician.

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Addressing Pain Without Feeding Addiction

The opioid addiction epidemic in the United States is claiming more lives than guns or cars. Today, fatal overdoses exceed deaths by shooting rampages and road fatalities across the country. According to the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM), millions suffer from chronic pain each year, leading to a skyrocketing rise in healthcare and rehabilitation costs and a steep decline in productivity. The need of the hour is to understand the nationwide chronic pain problem, and the detrimental impact of medications used to treat the condition.

Analgesics, such as codeine and morphine, and prescription drugs, like Vicodin and OxyContin, work wonders in numbing the intense pain signals by inhibiting the neuron cell receptors in the brain. But the neuron cell or opioid receptors that respond to pain signals also regulate emotional impulses, such as feelings of euphoria, urges to get high and the desire for reward. Such a correlation increases the risk of addiction.

Knowing factors that fuel opioid addiction epidemic

A habitual drug use may produce noticeable behavioral or personality changes, including irritability, restlessness and anxiety. Several factors are responsible for the rampant use of opioids among Americans, some of which are:

Easy availability of drugs: Medical practitioners and doctors prescribe a variety of addictive drugs, such as pain relievers, relaxants, antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications to patients. While they prove to be beneficial to some, there are others who do not need such drugs. They generally tend to leave unused portions in their medicine cabinet, which can be easily obtained and abused by anyone.

False notion of security: Normally, first-time drug abusers assume that anything prescribed by a registered physician is safe to use. This could lead to potential abuse, as they might not be aware of the side effects of prescription drugs.

Legitimate pain leading to addiction: Even after experiencing healing, there are many who find it tough to quit prescription painkillers as they are addicted to these drugs. There are others who need larger doses as they tend to develop tolerance to the medicine.

Tips to minimize addiction to opioids

The body of a person with drug addiction problem builds a tolerance to the increased levels of dopamine, causing long-term changes in the brain's reward system. Drug dependence can have far-reaching impacts, affecting almost every organ in the human body. But, certain self-help strategies can help combat the urge.

Identifying vulnerability levels: Before prescribing any medications to manage pain, doctors must weigh the factors that could lead to addiction, such as family history of addiction to various substances or a history of mood and personality disorders.

Considering alternative options: Those susceptible to addiction should be recommended other alternatives to manage pain, such as physical therapy, psychotherapy, acupuncture, tai chi and other non-opiate medications.

Using medications as directed: Care should be taken not to misuse medications as a coping tool for unrelated problems.

Seeking help: Addiction to medications is highly unpredictable. Advice from a specialized doctor can help eliminate any kind of addiction.

Storing medications safely: Keeping opiates away from the reach of others, including children, teenagers or adults, can help avoid their misuse.

The way forward

An addiction may interfere with an individual's ability to make decisions and can lead to frequent cravings. This is when a person needs professional help to get rid of this devastating habit and lead a normal life.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Addressing-Pain-Without-Feeding-Addiction&id=9566932

Learning To Love The Real Me (By Nina Bingham)

I have studied and researched human emotion and thought for my entire adult life. I have two undergrad degrees in Psychology, and master's education in mental health counseling. At the beginning of my journey into academia, in 1983 when I was earning my first degree, I would have told you with impunity that I was going to leave my mark on the field of psychology. Fresh-faced and idealistic, I was going to make a significant contribution, and most importantly, people were going to remember me. Well, they'll remember me, alright... as the counselor whose daughter committed suicide. This has been the most profoundly embarrassing, shame-inducing, ego-crushing experience for me, and not what I would have wanted to be remembered for. Yet it taught me to love the real me, and taught me how to love others the way they need to be loved.

Dale Carnegie said there are two emotional needs of every human being that we should keep in mind if we want better relationships. One is that we all want to feel understood, and the other is that we all want to feel important. I have listened to hundreds of clients talk about their problems over the past 16 years as a Life Coach and have arrived at the conclusion that Dale Carnegie was accurate; all of us want to feel understood and important. However, I've noticed that for some people, feeling important is their primary need. These are the folks who, on a scale measuring Narcissistic personality tendencies would score higher in Narcissism, which is a strong need for admiration. I am one of these people. These are the exhibitionists of the world and the world wouldn't be the dramatically colorful, artistic, and passionate place it is without their expressive voices. Conveniently, exhibitionists are attracted to their opposite: the voyeurs of life. Those precious souls who would rather sit in the second row than the first so they get a better view and perspective. If voyeurs had a governing theme, it would be: observe first, take action second. Without the voyeurs, the Narcissist wouldn't have anyone in their audience! More importantly, the Narcissistic personality who prefers to jump before she looks would jump without a safety net. It is the voyeurs among us (you know who you are) who look before they leap. Thank God for you, or we would all be rushing off cliffs together!

Because I am admiration-oriented, when my daughter took her own life, I felt as if my life was over. I felt I'd rather pack up and move to another country than face the overwhelming guilt and shame of being a suicide survivor, especially since I was a counselor; a counselor who wanted so badly to be admired. It was as if the Universe said: "You want everyone's attention? Well then, you shall have it." Not only did it feel as if my daughter had rejected and abandoned me in death, but it seemed as if the Universe was ridiculing me. I felt desolate; all alone in a cruel world where my guiding light had been snuffed out. The porch light of Heaven had been turned off, the door locked, and I was put out into the cold to wander in the dark halls of an endless grief. For a year I wandered the inconsolable, desolate halls of my own mind. I shut the world out, because it had proved itself an untrustworthy place full of empty promises and devoid of meaning and happiness. I closed my coaching practice because I knew I needed time to heal. How could I teach anyone anything about love and hope and healing when I was in a dire struggle to find it for myself?

So there I was: no job, no hope, no direction. Stopped, stuck, angry and bitter. The people closest to me couldn't help me because they were waging their own private battles with the suicide. Not knowing how to begin to deal with the overwhelming bundle of emotions I experience daily, I started taking "grief walks." On these long walks I'd imagine I was Forrest Gump and I would keep walking until I couldn't walk anymore. Many times I was tempted to just keep walking and never look back. I understand now how people can suddenly abandon their painful lives and leave everything behind. When there is too much pain, walking away seems... justified.

One day I was feeling so much anger at the Universe for taking my beautiful and smart girl, who over the years had been my only reason for living that when I saw an empty lot I headed straight for it. As cars rushed by, I stood in the middle of the field and chucked rocks at God. I threw rocks at the sky, calling God names which I cannot repeat here. I shouted until I was hoarse: "You lied to me! You told me it was going to be a beautiful life-but it turned into a nightmare! You're a liar, and I hate you... I hate you! I'm never going to forgive you for this." If I could have pulled God out of the sky and given him a black eye and a broken nose, I would have. Spent, I sunk to my knees in the dust and wept. Anybody driving by would have thought me completely mad. But on the way home I noticed something peculiar; I felt a lot better, better than I had felt in a long time. I decided then not to hold in my feelings any longer. I found a Psychologist, and he helped me to understand it wasn't God I was angry with-it was myself. I hated myself because I couldn't save my own daughter. The only solution, he told me, was to forgive myself.

It took a little while before I came to what grief specialists term "Acceptance" of her death. For me, acceptance meant saying goodbye, releasing her ashes, and giving myself permission to move forward with my life. Sadly, there are people who are stuck in grief, unable to say goodbye. For them, the torment never ends. I discovered I had to express my feelings openly and freely both to God, and to another compassionate human being. When I did, I could forgive myself, and forgive my daughter for leaving me behind. At that point, I could finally let her go.

For somebody whose driving force in life has always been to feel important, the journey through grief has been more than a detour: it re-routed my entire existence. Yet the path it took me, though excruciatingly painful, opened my eyes. Without this experience it would still be "all about me" and truthfully, there are moments when I forget the lesson and I fall back on that old familiar ego-boosting mantra. But immediately I'm reminded of what I've learned, and it shifts my perspective. What I learned is: It's not important that other people admire me, what's important is that I admire me.

I admire me most when I am humble, when I am conscientious of others, agreeable, and not demanding it be my way all the time. Most importantly, I admire me most when I extend to others the forgiveness and grace I have been shown. I am learning to love the real me, because she is someone worthy of my admiration.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Learning-To-Love-The-Real-Me&id=9473767

"This Is Why You're TIRED All The Time!" (How To Get Out Of A RUT) | Marisa Peer

The Hybrid Mind

Optimistic researchers are suggesting that digital technology is creating the smartest generation yet, freed from limitations of geography, weather and distance - those pesky inconveniences of the physical world. However, other people, such as philosophers and sociologists including many educators, are skeptical of the benefits of technology. They believe that technology alone is detrimental to our overall mental health and well-being.

In order to get the benefits of the digital world, we need nature to help us out. In other words, we can't leave out nature out of the equation and take the time to commune with nature if we are to have a healthy mind and body.

The hybrid mind combines the use of computers to maximize our ability to process intellectual data and natural environments help to ignite our senses and accelerate our ability to learn and feel. So, we need both the digital and nature to have a healthy mind and brain.

The digital era has led to sensory dysfunction. Nature is the way to counteract sensory deprivation and to augment our minds with something that gives us meaning and balance as well as a feeling of well-being and connectedness.

Here are a few ways to counteract our sensory deprivation:

• Take time to be out in nature. Play tennis and badminton with your family and friends. This will get you outside.

• Listen to the birds. Take time to get outdoors, whether it is into your back yard or going out for a walk. Try and name at least two to three different bird songs that you hear along your walk.

• Take a walk in the woods. This will give you a chance to commune with nature in its rawest form. You will be able to bask in the smells and sounds of nature.

• If you are a jogger, make sure that you jog in nature as often as you can. Go to the park or river bank if you live close to one, and run there.

• Choose times to walk when the world is not bustling and busy. Perhaps early morning or evening would be a good choice, depending on where you live. The quieter it is, the more clearly you will hear and commune with nature.

• Have at least four or five picnics every summer. This is another great way of spending time in nature.

By taking these steps, you could be getting the best from nature and you can also get the best out of the digital world by using your devices most efficiently so that you can have time to get out into nature and do the things that you enjoy the most.

https://ezinearticles.com/?The-Hybrid-Mind&id=9631200

The Anxiety Corporal Sings

Anxiety symptoms are not too hard to spot. Tension headaches are probably the most popular anxiety symptoms. This anxiety symptom brings on constant toilet encounters. General anxiety is not the same as panic attack.

Were you conscious of the fact that you may be suffering from anxiety? Anxiety symptoms are not too hard to spot. Although, they can be somewhat difficult to decipher from everyday normal emotion and other health problems. Did you know that anxiety symptoms bother more than 40 million residents in the United States alone? Those who are bothered by anxiety are also twice as possible to develop depression, which can feed off anxiety and vice versa.

However, should you are suffering from anxiety it is time to begin recognizing some of the well-known physical anxiety symptoms. Anxiety generally creates you feel like you might be on the edge. It's important to realize that general anxiety is  different from a panic attack. Those who suffer from anxiety will almost certainly also suffer from regular panic attacks. The difference is that anxiety symptoms are felt most of the time.

Tension headaches are probably the most popular anxiety symptoms. They may be commonly set off from stress, which of course is fueled by anxiety. If by chance you often seem like you might be having regular headaches, you will need to take a step back and look at various parts of your  life. There could possibly be one area that's triggering them and knowing this will help you get rid of your headaches.

You may also be plagued with an sour stomach. This anxiety symptom brings on constant toilet encounters. Most individuals assume they had something their stomach didn't agree with, but the reality is it's being caused from a situation that is troubling you. This is an critical area to track, because you never know if it is being caused by something else.

Nausea and acid reflux may be present as well. These can interfere with everyday life for example something else. Although these will likely be effortless to recognize, they're hard to associate with anxiety.

It's not improbable that ulcers might surface too. These usually form due to non stop worrying. Even though they are something to be dealt with, they can lead to other health issues in the near future. So it's extremely essential for you to get this handled. We understand it's easy to say, but it needs to happen.

Another one of the easily recognizable anxiety symptoms is fidgeting and restlessness. A person who has anxiety will be obvious to spot because they will often will look as, contemplating items, and maybe even a bit talkative.

People may have a hard time being close to those who are suffering from anxiety because they are so nervous and uneasy. It isn't their fault they are this way. If you believe that you might be an individual who is dealing with anxiety, then you may see that some of these things are happening to you.

Unfortunately, the longer you have had to live with anxiety, the more common these anxiety symptoms may seem. You may suppose that this is just the way a person is, and that this is common for you.

It is never healthy to accept a a life filled with anxiety symptoms. Doing so will only lead to feelings of hopelessness, depression, and emptiness. More often than not, anxiety may begin when a person experiences their first panic attack. They will start to live in fear of having another attack, so they are frequently on the edge. Even when they manage to get their panic attacks controlled, their lives are containing a considerable amount of anxiety due to their past experiences.

While all of these are negative enough, there is also constipation, insomnia, racing thoughts, hyperventilation, trembling, muscle tension, dizziness, and shortness of breath that comes into play.

People who suffer from anxiety are highly likely to also suffer from frequent panic attacks as well. The difference with anxiety is that the signs are felt almost all of the time and really never seem to cease. A great place to begin is what you want to transform inside your life. What reasons your symptoms? How can you keep them from interfering inside your daily life? The starting steps are maintaining a certain attitude about life, and who you are being a person. Taking this route can allow you to find a method to get your life back.

The overall best news is that if you are suffering from anxiety, you can stop it on your own by noticing some of the most common physical Anxiety Symptoms. Anxiety can sometimes make you feel like you are on the edge. General anxiety is not the same as panic attack.

http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/health/the-anxiety-corporal-sings.html

Social Anxiety Medications

A fairly ‘new’ anxiety, Social Anxiety disorder was overlooked for quite a long while by the medical community as it was often confused with shyness. That being said, the drug companies haven’t been backward and there are as many Social Anxiety medications on the market as there are other anxiety medications although truly most anti anxiety drugs are suitable for all types of anxiety disorders. Only a very few drugs are completely anxiety specific, so a general mild anti anxiety medication will probably work just as well as specific Social Anxiety medications.

What is social anxiety, you ask? Well, to put it simply you fear certain social situations and will go to any lengths to avoid them. This doesn’t necessarily follow that you’ll be of a retiring nature and that you won’t like social gatherings. It only means that certain specific social situations lead you to feel anxiety and sometimes to experience panic attacks. So whereas a person with a shy disposition might shirk all social gatherings, you could be the life of the party one minute with all eyes on you and loving it and the next minute something could happen to bring about your Social Anxiety. Perhaps you find yourself in a humiliating situation or you find yourself in a position from which you can’t remove yourself and that’s when your Social Anxiety symptoms will all kick in at once drowning you in their viselike grip. So what can you do about it?

First rest assured that you can generally use Social Anxiety medications to treat your condition, but it’s always a good idea to make certain that you truly are suffering from Social Anxiety and not just plain shyness. So here are a few symptoms for you to look out for when next you find yourself in that position.

Fear of being socially humiliated, fear of being embarrassed, heightened feelings of awareness, shortness of breath, sweaty hands, trembling and twitching. If you experience palpitations, nausea and lightheadedness, along with feelings of incompetence and extreme cases of anxiety as well then there’s a good chance that you suffer from Social Anxiety or Social Phobia as it’s also known. These symptoms might seem like normal ‘shy person’ symptoms but they only become Social Anxiety symptoms when they’re experienced in the extreme end of the spectrum of feelings.

Social Anxiety medications however can fix these problems easily especially if caught in the early stages so you need not suffer for too long. However if you’re unwilling to get on the medication bandwagonArticle Search, there are always alternative treatments available for you. Therapy can also be a viable alternative to Social Anxiety medications and can help you greatly. Talk with your doctor about all your alternatives and find the right one for you. Social situations need not be embarrassing or excruciatingly painful affairs; and who knows you might just find yourself enjoying yourself for the first time in a long while if you can find the correct suitable cure for yourself.

http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/health/social-anxiety-medications.html

Who's Stressed?

Stress is everywhere, lurking around every corner, always alert for opportunities to take a swipe at us. And I hate to be the one to break it to you, but we're all kind of clueless about what stress is, what to watch for, things that alleviate stress, things that make it worse, and on, and on.

And believe you me, there's no way to avoid stress, even for a day. My aim here isn't to discourage you, but to point out a reality. Stress is a fact of life.

While we can't avoid stress, we can learn how to deal with it. As a matter of fact, we have to.

Sometimes, fixing the source of our stress is easy-peasy. Other times it's hard, but still possible.

And when situations can't be fixed, we can to learn how to walk through them, perhaps even figure out how to walk away.

According to new research, stress plays a larger role in health than anybody ever realized. And we don't always realize what's going on.

For starters, stress doesn't always come along with jittery nerves, shallow breathing, insomnia or other commonly associated symptoms. But whether we realize it or not, stress plays a role in all illnesses, all feelings of discomfort, etc.; it may be hiding, but it's there.

For instance, if you're tired all the time, stress is at least part of the problem. You may be told that fatigue is part of aging, but it ain't necessarily so. Age gets the blame for all sorts of things, but age is only a number, not a diagnosis.

Docs started talking about my aging "problem" when I was still in my twenties.

Whatever you're told, somebody has to save the day, and that somebody is you. So you have to know some stuff about how the body works. Or doesn't.

Stress always involves our adrenal glands, the part of the endocrine system that tells our body when to go-go-go and when to calm down. Sometimes, though, things can get so far out of balance that go-go-go is all that's happening. If you have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, that's almost surely what's going on--and has been for a long time.

When your adrenals get stuck in go-go-go mode, it means they're too exhausted to get balanced and happy again.

This is called adrenal fatigue, and it's estimated that 50% of us are dealing with it, at one level or another.

But here's the tricky part: Medical schools teach that there is no such thing as adrenal fatigue. So they don't test. Why would they test for something that isn't real?

Especially since, sometime in the 1980s, Congress gave health insurance companies the power to label medical tests as necessary or unnecessary, along with the power to punish doctors who order "unnecessary" tests.

The list of unnecessary tests includes the test for adrenal fatigue, which means doctors can't order it without risking punishment. And since medical schools say there's no such thing as adrenal fatigue, testing will probably never come up.

That said, you can still get the test. It may take some effort, but the test is not nearly as unavailable as it used to be.

Besides the test, I used research to build a pretty distinctive list of symptoms to compare to what your body's yelling at you.

Once you know--by test or by symptoms--that your adrenals need help, then you have to figure out what to do.

Medicine has no drugs for adrenal fatigue. And no two of us arrive at adrenal fatigue via the same route, and we won't get out of it via the same route, either. This is definitely not a one-size-fits-all situation.

Fortunately, my approach of addressing individual symptoms doesn't depend on everybody taking the same route. In fact, it specifically takes a custom-made-for-you approach.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Whos-Stressed?&id=9580170

Anger Is Almost Always a Sign You've Been Quiet Too Long

Anger is a normal feeling that everyone experiences from time to time. Sometimes it's even a good thing, inspiring us to fight for justice or make changes to our lives. Anger often results when you perceive:

- you're being treated disrespectfully,

- your way of life is being threatened,

- you're being treated unfairly, or

- someone is being deliberately hostile to provoke you.

If you encounter these situations, get angry and return to your equilibrium reasonably soon, then you probably don't have an issue with anger.

The problem with anger comes when your response is inappropriate. For some people, the anger itself is more of a problem than the issue that incited the anger in the first place. Those people are too easily triggered to react angrily so they suppress the anger. The trouble with that is it erupts eventually, sometimes in very detrimental ways. Anger can surface years after the incident that caused it, and sometimes anger stays locked within us on a constant basis because it wasn't addressed properly to begin with.

When you have anger inside you on a long-term basis, you are more susceptible to mental health problems-like depression and anxiety-and physical health problems-like high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes, cancer and gastro-intestinal difficulties. If you find yourself erupting with anger and discover it is an overreaction to the situation, you may have carried that anger around quietly for too long. If so, it's time to learn to manage your anger.

Three Ways to Manage Your Anger

First, buy time. Counting to ten really can help you stop and think before you behave inappropriately. Take the time to breathe deeply. If you feel physically aggressive, like you might hit someone, walk out of the room. Take a walk. Talk yourself into being calm, and imagine yourself in a quiet, relaxing environment. Assess what you want out of the situation. Exploding in a rage probably won't get it for you.

Second, own your feelings. You're angry and you need to understand why. Talk it out with the people involved. Tell them why you're angry in a clear and calm way. You may even want to rehearse before you have the conversation. Be sure to go into it with an intention to listen. You may be surprised to learn that your assumption, which inspired your anger, might be incorrect and your anger will dissipate.

Third, stay strong. When you are mentally and physically healthy, you are better able to cope with issues that make you angry. So do all the things your mother always tells you-eat a balanced diet, exercise, don't drink too much or use drugs. Keep in touch with a supportive group of friends. Take time to meditate or do yoga. When your body and mind are fit, you are better able to deal with things that go wrong.

It's time to seek help when your anger is out of control and you can't seem to manage it. Therapy can help you explore why you get angry, why it's a problem for you, and what you can do to change the way you respond.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Anger-Is-Almost-Always-a-Sign-Youve-Been-Quiet-Too-Long&id=7888927

Making Schedules In Getting Things Done

Do you know that stress is sometimes helpful especially in getting things done? But when it is already high it can have an adverse effect on your mental and physical health.

Don't plan out everything you need to do to finish a project, just focus on the very next thing you need to do to move forward. Usually doing the next, little thing will lead to another, and another, until you're done. Be as concrete and discrete as possible. You cannot possibly do all the tasks that need completing.

Don't set things aside and deal them later. Do It Now You have to fight procrastination before it becomes a habit. When making a decision, decide what you're going to do with every circumstance that you encounter in life. Learn to make bold decisions even when you're not really sure if it would be productive or not. Keep moving forward.

The hardest part when to start especially when a task is difficult or complex. However, if I can just get moving on it, even for a few minutes, it tends to get easier. Because I know this about myself, rather than setting the intention to finish something, it's better to condition myself to start. The more often I start, the easier things get finished. Overcoming that first bit of inertia is the biggest challenge (just like getting started on a run, or the first push of getting a car moving).

Once things are moving, just the way you want them and the momentum is on your side, make sure you get done. Make a system and schedule in every activity that you have in life. Now you don't have to worry about it anymore. You will be free of worries for a lot of productive time you spend on repetitiveness and inefficiency.

You need to know what needs to be done, right now. Whatever it is, you need to define it and then get started. Every now and then take drastic measures to ensure that you stay focused. Care about what you are doing because there is a likelihood that it will never happen again.

As much as possible try to spend the first few minutes of your day thinking about the life that you are creating, the people you care about and about what you do. Keeping those things in the front of your mind to help you stay focus. A schedule is very crucial in getting things done. Have a scheduled sequence of tasks before you get down to work. It will save you a decent amount of time during the working process, because you will not need to decide what to do next, but rather merely follow the plan.

Therefore, you cannot get faster at doing things unless you are focused and able to channel all your energy and attention towards some particular task. One thing at a time. That`s the rule that allows you to get the things done faster.

Indeed, planning ahead of time makes your work easier and worry-free.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Making-Schedules-In-Getting-Things-Done&id=9711606

When to Seek Help for a Drinking Problem

Drinkers never see addiction coming. It sneaks up on them slowly, making it difficult to differentiate when recreational drinking becomes problem drinking. Depending on an individual's tolerance level, it may take one week to several months for addiction to penetrate its roots.

Joe was leading a rustic-countryside life, but could not keep with the daily hardships and pitfalls, which soon made his life tough. During such taxing moments, a drink or two worked wonders to calm his agitated mind. In no time, the bedtime shots were not enough to soothe his nerves. He began to crave for another drink in the morning to get him going. However, Joe never found his drinking habit unusual. As the years rolled by, the sudden loss of his wife aggravated his alcohol consumption. Though he felt that alcohol was the only remedy, his condition got only worse with every glass.

His usual morning shots which extended till noon had impaired Joe's ability to steer the wheel and landed him into a deep ditch, causing severe injuries. Though he didn't take the whole thing very seriously, his daughter knew her father needed help to break free from the clutches of alcohol. Counting the empty cans and bottles in the trash was more than enough to identify his addictive drinking. It was time to talk to a counsellor.

Importance of identifying drinking problem in early stages

Many people who struggle with drinking problems manifest symptoms which are easily identifiable, which makes their near and dear ones more alert. However, there are many others whose warning signs are not quite apparent, so treatment as an option is never considered.

Therefore, the key to determine if someone is suffering from alcoholism is to carry out investigations based on the following behavioral traits:

• uncontrollable desire to drink
• high tolerance to alcohol and other signs of dependence
• negative outcomes of alcohol, such as job termination, legal hassles or troubled relationships
• frequent bouts of emotional ups and downs
• tendency to indulge in risky behaviors

Nevertheless, differentiating social drinking from problematic drinking may require people to disclose information about their chronic drinking habits and the impact on their lives. Sometimes, in an effort to gain valuable inputs, health care providers may design questionnaires to identify people with drinking problems.

Specific questions based on extensive research serve to make accurate assessments about alcohol use disorders in target audiences. This is very important because alcohol use disorder has less to do with the quantity of alcohol consumption and more with the consequences on a person's life. Results of such screening questionnaires form the basis of further clinical assessments.

As a thumb rule, women who have more than three drinks in roughly two hours or seven each week are said to be at a higher risk of alcoholism. In the case of men, the upper limit is four drinks a day or 14 per week. Also, it is highly recommended to have two or three alcohol-free days each week.

Leading alcohol-free life

Alcohol addiction cannot be wished away without making any effort. It needs the support of professionals who are trained to help people get sober. The key to staying sober is obtaining the right information on how to safeguard oneself from addiction while caring for one's physical as well as mental health.

https://ezinearticles.com/?When-to-Seek-Help-for-a-Drinking-Problem&id=9580848