The Tragedy of Alcoholism

Most people have a personal perception of what an alcoholic looks like. Those with no experience of this devastating illness imagine alcoholics to be individuals who spend all day long drinking. They may believe that those suffering from alcoholism live on the streets and have no job, but this is far from the norm. The truth is that alcoholism is an illness that affects far more people than most would imagine.

In reality, many individuals around the country are living with this illness everyday but, to everybody else, they look like they have everything. High-functioning addicts can appear to all the world as if they have their life in order, but behind closed doors they struggle to cope.

Hidden Addiction

Rachael Lander, an award-winning cellist from South London, is an example of a high-functioning addict who hid her addiction from those around her. She has now revealed how she was taking bottles of what looked like water on stage with her when she performed. The bottles actually contained vodka, which she was drinking while playing with a professional orchestra. During breaks in her performance in top venues such as The Royal Albert Hall, Rachael would sip on vodka from her ‘water’ bottle.

She said, “I would think ‘I just have to get through to that sip’, that was how I was living. I spent a lot of time in the public toilets of supermarkets putting own brand supermarket vodka into water bottles and then wrapping the glass bottle and putting it in the Tampax bin quietly.”

Excuses

Rachael, like most other alcoholics, found excuses and reasons for her addiction to alcohol and blamed her high-pressured career. She developed a love for the cello at the age of eight and admits she worked really hard to become the best cellist she could possibly be. She said “Sometimes I think it was my first addiction, it gave me an escape from myself.”

As Rachael’s career developed and she began playing in front of large audiences, she started to feel nauseous and anxious. She continued, “When I was sitting in orchestra sections my heart would start beating and I could feel adrenaline like a chemical. I was really conscious of the fact there was lots of people there looking at me and I had to keep my s**t together otherwise everyone would know.”

Heartbreak

Rachael admits that heartbreak at the age of seventeen led her to realise that alcohol could take the edge off her feelings of anxiety and fear. She said, “I thought, ‘hello that’s it’; from that minute the link had been made in my head, you don’t have to take it anymore, you can feel like this, I used to take it like medicine.”

She began taking vodka with her to calm her nerves and, as she puts it, ‘be able to function’. Nevertheless, this soon led to her drinking throughout the day without realising she had a problem. She said that one of the biggest tragedies surrounding alcoholism is that the person affected tends to be the only one who doesn’t realise they have the issue.

Rachael is not the first alcoholic to self-medicate with alcohol or to be oblivious to the fact that she even had a problem. And, unfortunately, she will not be the last. These are common traits among those affected by alcoholism, but the good news is that help is available through alcohol rehabs and addiction advice organisations.

Middlegate is currently working with people affected by all types of addiction. If you or someone you love needs help for an addiction, you can contact us here at Middlegate today. We will provide you with information and can answer any questions you may have.


Source: https://www.middlegate.co.uk/the-tragedy-of-alcoholism/

How to Avoid Temptations When Not at Home

If you are learning to live a sober life after a programme of recovery, then you will have to change certain things about your lifestyle. You may have to stop socialising with certain people as well as change the places you frequent. However, what happens when you are away from the security and comfort of your home? How will you cope with temptations when you are away?

Away from Home

If you are travelling for business or pleasure, it may not be as easy to stay on the straight and narrow. Travelling alone makes it very easy to think that you could have one or two drinks, and nobody would know. It is easy to let your guard down when you are away from home and your support network. It is, therefore, crucial that you plan ahead and prepare before you leave home so that you do not end up back where you started.

Before you head away, check out the nearest fellowship meeting to where you will be staying. If you are worried that you may fall off the wagon while away, take a sober companion with you. If you cannot do this, then make a point of letting colleagues know that you will not be drinking. If you do not want to tell them you are in recovery, say you cannot drink for medical reasons.

Flying in Recovery

Flying can be tough for many individuals, and a vast majority of people will try to calm their flying fears by drinking alcohol. Those in recovery cannot do this, so it can be a struggle for those who are afraid of flying. There is also the worry that the person next to you will be drinking. If you are flying alone, you have no control over who sits beside you and you cannot stop them from having an alcoholic drink if they want to.

If you do find yourself sitting beside someone who is drinking and there is no possibility of switching seat, you should close your eyes and zone out. Meditate, watch a film or listen to music to help you forget about the fact that you cannot drink.

Coping with Temptations

Below are a few examples of ways to deal with temptations when not at home:

1. If you are finding it tough while away from home, contact your sponsor or someone you can talk to about your feelings. This may be a close family member or friend who will be able to get you through this tough

2. Take some literature with you that you can read when you are feeling particularly low – you may be surprised at how much this helps. Also, practice any meditation techniques you have learned to help you to move past these feelings.

3. Remember why you wanted to get sober in the first place and what it was like during the darkest periods of your life before alcohol rehab. It is easy to fall back into the old ways if you begin to glamorise your drinking or drug-taking past. Instead, think of all the good things in your life and remind yourself of what you could lose if you succumb to drinking or drug-taking again.

4. Find something to do that does not involve drinking. No matter where you are in the world, you should be able to find some activities that should take your mind off any cravings you may be experiencing. Ideally, you should research these before you leave home so that you know what opportunities you will have for sober activities should you need them.

5. Go for a walk or find a local gym or leisure centre where you can do a workout.

Source: https://www.middlegate.co.uk/how-to-avoid-temptations-when-not-at-home/

Top Myths and Misconceptions of Alcohol Drinking Revealed

Alcoholics struggle to understand their addictions and how they should treat them. The same applies to people on the outside. If you are coping with someone who needs the help of alcohol rehab centres, you need to know about some of the myths and misconceptions of drinking alcohol. They are extremely damaging and they often form part of the conventional range of excuses and lies brought out by addicts who are still in denial about their addictions.

In this article, we are going to explore the top three myths and misconceptions of drinking alcohol. The chances are you already believe in many of these yourself.

Sobering Up with Hot Coffee and Cold Showers

Someone who is drunk may resort to drinking hot coffee or taking a cold shower. These are common tricks used by functioning alcoholics –typically, after a hard night’s drinking before work. Many people in rehab clinics report these tactics make them feel more alert and awake. Whilst they may do this, they do nothing to reduce the concentration of alcohol in the blood.

The alcohol remains in your system and your reaction times will not have changed. It is still dangerous to drive or go to work even after trying out these tactics. In a standard drink, it will always take about an hour for your body to process the alcohol within. This does not change no matter how many external treatments you attempt to bring in.

Beer is Better than Hard Liquor

There is absolutely no difference between the alcohol in whisky and the alcohol in a beer. This misconception does have some truth to it, though. It has some truth because someone who drinks whisky is more likely to consume more alcohol units than someone who has a few beers.

However, you can only measure alcohol in terms of units. This is what alcohol rehab clinics drill into their patients. Someone who drinks twelve units of alcohol will consume twelve units of alcohol whether it comes from vodka or wine.

Someone is drunk based on their blood alcohol content not on the type of drink they consumed.

Eating Before Drinking Helps with Sobriety

This is perhaps the biggest myth of all. Some people believe that if you eat before you drink the food will help to soak up all the alcohol. A full stomach does have an effect, just not in the way you think. Instead of removing the alcohol, it delays its absorption into the bloodstream. In other words, it slows down the absorption of alcohol, as opposed to preventing it.

When you think about it, this makes complete sense. The alcohol does not leave your body. Even if we assumed food did absorb alcohol, the alcohol would reach your blood after the food was broken down regardless. Once it goes in it cannot just disappear. It has to be processed by the body in the same way as before.

In fact, if you need to absorb the alcohol and process it quickly in time for an engagement the next day it can be better to drink on an empty stomach.

Middlegate understands many of the myths and misconceptions surrounding drinking and alcohol rehab clinics. They specialise in providing aid to people who need the help of rehab clinics to get sober.

Source : Apsense

The Lies and Excuses of Alcoholics Revealed

Dealing with someone who is addicted to alcohol presents a whole raft of challenges. They are not themselves. You will have to put up with someone who consistently lies about their addiction and makes up excuses as to why they have not looked at getting into rehab yet. If you are going to convince them to get help, you need to know about the most common lies and excuses they are likely to use.

With the aid of http://www.middlegate.co.uk/rehab-clinics/ , we are going to look at some of the most common lies and excuses alcoholics use.

"It’s Just to Stay Social"

Someone who implies that they drink in order to have a social life is lying through their teeth. One of the main flaws of this argument is the fact that nobody needs alcohol in order to talk to someone. They are clearly not friends if you need alcohol to drink with them. Furthermore, alcohol often promotes isolationism, so it is a contradiction in itself.

"I’m Not Hurting Anyone, so I Don’t Have to Stop"

This is completely wrong because alcoholism hurts everyone around the alcoholic. First of all, drug rehab clinics regularly take in alcoholics who are practically on the verge of death. They are hurting themselves internally by continuing to drink.

Alcoholism also places a great strain on personal relationships. People who are in the midst of an addiction change because of their habits. Mood swings are common and the person often becomes extremely irritable. Someone who cares about the state of his or her family should always look to quit alcohol.

The biggest reason why alcoholics say this is that they need to reassure themselves that their actions are not hurting anyone.

"I’m Depressed"

This is an excuse wrapped in a plea for help. Depression is no excuse for drinking large amounts of alcohol. It is true that depression does go hand-in-hand with alcohol, but this is usually caused because the person has started to drink, rather than vice-versa.

Even if the person is depressed before they drink, alcohol only makes the problem worse. Someone who has mild depression will often suffer from major depression after he or she starts to drink. Depression is not an excuse to avoid seeking help;it is another reason why someone should start to find help.

"I Need it for Work"
You will find someone wrapping this excuse up with the need to relax. Whilst many people do find they need to have a few drinks after work, an alcoholic will always take it too far and come home drunk. In rare cases, someone may drink because of the stress of work. In this case, you need to help them change their work situation. Again, this is not an excuse to become an alcoholic. It is a sign that someone needs an escape from the current reality to simply function.

When someone tells you one of these lies or excuses, you should use it as a chance to point them towards getting help. It will take time, but you will reach a point where they become more receptive to your ideas. Remember, the worst thing you can do is to accept these excuses as gospel. Do not turn away from the problem!

Middlegate has helped thousands of alcoholics get into rehab. They can show you how to convince the person you love to seek help from drug rehab clinics.

Stop Feeling Guilty for Being a Recovering Alcoholic

Many people assume that those with addictions are bad people. They have a stereotype in their mind of what an addict is, which is often a layabout who does not work or lives on the streets. They fail to realise that addiction can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender and social background.

Alcoholism, for example, is an issue that many individuals all across the UK deal with on a daily basis. Many of these people are high-functioning alcoholics who go to work every day and who are still providing for their families, despite the fact that they have developed a dependency on alcohol.

Alcoholics are not always bad people; however, many recovering alcoholics believe themselves to be bad. They are wracked with guilt about their past behaviour and, in many cases, this guilt begins to eat away at them. It is important that recovering alcoholics learn to let go of the guilt they are feeling and to remember that they are not bad – they may have done some bad things while addicted, but that does not make them a bad person.

Alcoholism is an Illness

It is important to remember that nobody chooses to be an alcoholic. No one in the world would choose to be so addicted to a substance that it becomes the only thing they can think about until it begins to destroy their lives and the lives of the people around them. The truth is that alcoholism is an illness just as the flu or shingles are illnesses. Those affected by alcoholism are no worse than the individuals hit by the flu or shingles.

Alcoholism is an illness that affects the brain. Those who do bad things while under the influence of alcohol do so because of the way that alcohol has affected their brain. Even small amounts of alcohol are enough to affect the workings of the brain. Those who drink alcohol find that their judgement is often compromised. Feelings and emotions are also affected long before speech begins to slur and movement is impaired.

Inappropriate Behaviour
Alcohol often affects people’s ability to determine what is right and wrong. In some cases, those under the influence of alcohol may have some idea that something is wrong but they will ignore it and carry on regardless. Alcoholics often act aggressively or display inappropriate sexual urges. This type of behaviour is completely different to the way the person acts when sober.

Violence is often displayed by alcoholics, and domestic abuse is quite common in homes where one person suffers from alcohol addiction.

You are Not a Bad Person

It is important to remember that alcoholics have no control over the way they act. As mentioned above, they have developed an addiction to a substance that alters the way their brain works. If you are in recovery from alcohol addiction, you may be feeling guilty about the way you behaved when under the influence of alcohol. This is natural but there is no need to keep beating yourself up about it. As long as you can make amends with those you have wronged, you should be able to move forward and begin enjoying your life again.

You do not need to wallow in guilt for the rest of your life. You are not a bad person because you were alcoholic. Feeling guilty will only drag you back down and prevent you from making the most of your new sober life. Provided you stay clean, you can be sure you will never hurt anyone in that way again. All you can do is show your loved ones how sorry you are.

Get FREE Help & Advice Today, Please contact us for information on Alcohol rehab as well as drug rehabs, Through our alcohol rehab clinic. Call now for the best addiction help in the UK

Source : [ Middlegate Blog]

The Importance of Addiction Treatment for Pregnant Women

Addiction is a continuing problem all across the UK. It affects people of all ages, gender, and social economic background. The majority of those with addiction will require treatment to get better, but many continue their destructive path for a number of years before considering getting help. A large number of addicts are fearful of rehabilitation and they will refuse to accept help. It is only when faced with a life or death situation or an ultimatum from family members that the affected individual will consider rehabilitation as an option. Many women with addictions cannot, or will not, even stop upon discovering they are pregnant; this is because the compulsion is just too strong and they are not in the right frame of mind to consider the wellbeing of the new life growing inside them.

However, some women will want to do all they can for their unborn baby and will try to get help when they find out they are pregnant.

How Will the Unborn Baby Be Affected?
Many pregnant women who have been heavily using drugs or alcohol before finding out they are pregnant will worry about how their baby will be affected. This will usually depend on how heavily the mother has been using drugs or alcohol as well as the type of drugs or alcohol being used. Although the growing baby can be affected by drug and alcohol use, there is also a chance that the baby will be born healthy, especially if the mother can get treatment as soon as possible and spend the rest of her pregnancy in sobriety.

What Treatments are Available?

One of the problems pregnant addicts face is the fact that many of the treatments available to non-pregnant addicts are unsuitable for those carrying a child. If the pregnant woman has a severe addiction, the treatments that would typically be offered would be far too intensive for use during pregnancy.

Detox, for example, can be extremely dangerous for pregnant women. If the woman has been addicted to opioid substances such as heroin or some type of prescription medication, she could suffer serious withdrawal symptoms including seizures and even heart attacks.

Many treatment centres do not offer treatment to pregnant women because they do not want the liability of caring for such a complex case. Nevertheless, there are organisations where pregnant addicts can receive the help needed. Middlegate Addiction Help is a free service with information and advice on where pregnant addicts can find suitable treatments in their area.

It is important for pregnant women to get help as soon as possible as the earlier a woman can quit addiction within a pregnancy, the greater the chance of her baby being born healthy.

Things to Consider

When a woman discovers she is pregnant, many thoughts typically run through her head such as whether or not she is ready to become a mother. For an addict, there may be many more things to consider. It is essential that she has a good place to live and that she can financially support the child, either with or without the father involved.

If medical professionals have advised you that your baby is likely to be healthy and if you believe you can provide your child with a good home and upbringing, then you should continue with your pregnancy and get the treatment you need to stay sober. You will need plenty of support throughout from family and medical professionals. Middlegate can put you in touch with a suitable organisation but can also provide you with support and advice as and when you need it. Call today to see how we can help you.


If you need help in the london area, then please contact us for information on the latest information on places in london rehab clinics as well as greater london drug rehabs, Through our alcohol rehab clinic.

This article originally published at Middlegate Blog here

How Rehabilitation May Be Sabotaged by the Addict

Getting an addict to accept that he or she needs help for their problem can be tough. Many do not want to hear from loved ones that they need professional treatment for an illness they do not think they have. Some will become aggressive or defensive at the mere mention of addiction while others will just avoid getting into any discussion that revolves around drinking or taking drugs.

However, there will come a time when family members can break down the defences of their loved one and may be finally able to get through to him or her. This is generally when the addict is open to the idea of a sober life; this often occurs after behaving badly or while suffering from a bad hangover. During these periods, it may be possible to get a loved one to agree to get help for addiction.

This can seem like a monumental victory for family members; they have finally managed to get their addicted loved one to get help and for them it seems as if life is about to get back on track. If you are in this situation, it is important that your loved one has agreed to get help for the right reasons and not just to get you off his or her back.

Fear of Failure

Your loved one may be reluctant to enter rehab for fear of failing. He or she may not want to get help for addiction and, if they feel as though they have been forced to attend, they may do everything in their power to sabotage their treatment. Below we have listed a few ways in which treatment can be sabotaged by an addict:

1. The addict spends his or her time doing anything other than getting help for the problem. This could be playing video games, texting friends, surfing the web, or watching TV.

2. The addict pretends to pay attention when really he or she is just going through the motions with the counsellor to keep family members happy.

3. The addict is resentful of the fact that he or she is in rehabilitation instead of being with drug-taking or drinking friends and is unwilling to put in any effort.

4. The addict wallows in self-pity and fails to commit to the programme of rehabilitation. He or she blames others for the way life has turned out instead of taking responsibility for their actions.

5. The addict acts as if he or she knows better than the counsellors who have been trained to help them.

6. The addict spends his or her days glamorising the past when they were drinking or taking drugs.

Can You Help an Addict Who Doesn’t Want Help?
It is important that your loved one understands that treatment could save his or her life. You cannot force a loved one to get help for addiction no matter how much you want to. Unless you can get through to them about how rehabilitation is in his or her best interests, you could be fighting a losing battle.

You may want to get a qualified therapist or counsellor to speak to your loved one about the benefits of treatment. Taking him or her to a rehab centre where they can see how the programme works may be the solution. Your loved one must be ready to make a change in order to get the most from treatment.

Be realistic in your expectations and remember that this may not be the right time for your loved one to enter rehab. If you force the issue, you could find that this person is simply biding his or her time until he or she can get back to feeding their addiction.

If you need help in the london area, then please contact us for information on the latest information on places in london rehab clinics as well as greater london drug rehabs, Through our alcohol rehab clinic.

This article originally published at Middlegate Blog here