Alcoholism Archives

Dec 26, 2019 / By BRC Recovery / In Addiction, Alcoholism

When is Someone Considered an Alcoholic?

Alcohol plays a small role in some people’s lives and a much larger one in others. How problematic alcohol use becomes depends on many factors. When drinking starts to cause serious consequences, the question becomes when is someone considered an alcoholic? There are several ways to think about the answer to this question. To better understand the many facets of alcoholism, let’s look at some of the most common signs that someone might be an alcoholic. When They Want to Stop Drinking but Can’t A hallmark of alcoholism is the desire to stop drinking and the inability to do so. […]

Dec 19, 2019 / By BRC Recovery / In Alcoholism, drug addiction

The Importance of National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, and it’s the perfect opportunity to talk about the impact of drug- and alcohol-related crashes in the U.S. These crashes highlight the fact that drug and alcohol use have consequences that extend well beyond the person using them. By bringing attention to this issue, we can make our roads safer and encourage people who need help to find it. As we head into the final stretch of 2019, we should remember that the holiday season is a difficult one for people who struggle with addiction. It’s also a time of year where holiday […]

Nov 21, 2019 / By BRC Recovery / In Addiction, Alcoholism, Recovery

Why Language Matters with Addiction

Words carry incredible power. We rarely think about the many hidden meanings of the words we use to describe others, particularly when it comes to addiction. It’s important to understand that there are reasons addiction professionals choose their words carefully. The medical community has come to understand addiction as a disease, not a moral failing. However, the language people have been using for years places judgments on someone with a substance use disorder. It’s easy to dismiss the preferred language of addiction professionals as another politically correct movement, but it’s vital that we understand why language matters with addiction. Outdated […]

Oct 18, 2019 / By BRC Recovery / In Addiction, Alcoholism, drug addiction, Drugs, Health and Wellness, More News

How Addiction Affects Your Immune System

People often think about how addiction impacts our brains, emotions and cognitive abilities. Though we all know that substance use has physical consequences, it’s tempting to think about addiction as solely a disease affecting the mind. However, once you truly understand how addiction affects your immune system, you begin to grasp how deeply substance use disorder impacts your body. A compromised immune system invites a host of disastrous medical conditions. A person struggling with an addiction isn’t just more likely to catch a cold; they’re potentially vulnerable to life-threatening chronic conditions. Before we address how substances impede our bodies from […]

Jul 10, 2019 / By BRC Recovery / In Alcoholism, Blog, Drug News

The Relationship Between Opioid Use and Binge Drinking

Binge Drinkers More Likely to Misuse Opioids Prescription opioid misuse is more common among binge drinkers, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. In their analysis, researchers discovered that the prevalence of prescription opioid misuse increased significantly with binge drinking frequency; put simply, those who drank more were more likely to misuse their opioid medications. This is of particular concern because of the dangerous interaction between the two depressants – previous studies show that about one in five opioid overdose deaths also involved alcohol. Today we will explore this study and its implications for […]

Oct 3, 2017 / By BRC Recovery / In Alcoholism, Blog, Family, God, womens program

Delight

Recently, BRC was asked by our good friend Ken Seeley of Intervention 911, and the producers of The Doctors TV Show to accept a patient struggling with heroin addiction for treatment. I flew to LA to meet with Ken, the family of the patient, and for the taping of the episode. What an exhilarating, whirlwind experience! Returning home, pretty tired, I stood impatiently at the airport baggage carousel waiting for my luggage to appear. All the while, texting my husband and slightly irritated about the delay – I was tired and past ready to be home! At the end of […]

Jul 25, 2017 / By BRC Recovery / In Alcoholism, Alumni Personal Stories, Blog, womens program

Fear and Acceptance

Fear of accepting Many fears kept me on the fence with sobriety for a long time. Fear of accepting I had a problem, fear of the label of alcoholic and the fear of a new way of life I heard about in recovery. When I drank, I felt free of my overwhelming emotions and problems. Drinking was my solution to dealing with fear and how could I handle life without it? What would life look like without alcohol? How would I manage to handle things? I was afraid. Today I know exactly what life looks like without alcohol. The fear […]

Jun 20, 2017 / By BRC Recovery / In Alcoholism, Blog, Family, God

What Good Are Those Slogans, Anyway? (Part 4)

If you’ve spent any time around Al-Anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, or other recovery-oriented groups, you’ve heard at least a few slogans and acronyms. Most of them seem to fall into one of three categories, and they include our relationship with: Our addicted loved one. Ourselves. Our Higher Power. This month, we’ll look at a few of my favorites that can help us stop living in fear and resentment and change our lives for the better. FEAR: Forgetting Everything is All Right. The first time I heard this spoken was by Al-Anon speaker, Ellen Cassidy, she said she talked to her sponsor […]

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