"All I want to do is just stop…"

This usually means a person believes that arresting the addiction to either alcohol or other drugs will solve all the other problems or short-comings they may be experiencing. Or, they really don't care to fully recover their lives or they may think nobody really cares about anything else in their lives. If a person is coming here for treatment, or if they are going somewhere else, it is best to seek assistance with any or all of the issues they may be harboring. If nothing else, it will feel better just to tell somebody. The following is a possible list. If one or more of these issues hits home with you, consider talking with your counselor, your sponsor, your pastor, your priest, or a trusted friend. So, do you need help with:

1. Getting along better with spouse, significant other, family, or friends
2. Learning to think and behave more rationally
3. Finding a primary care physician or dentist
4. Finding an NA or AA meeting
5. Spending leisure time better or figuring out what to do for fun
6. Making healthy friends
7. Controlling your temper
8. Complying with the conditions of probation or parole
9. Setting and holding appropriate boundaries and limits with family and friends
10. Learning how to relax or feel less tense or nervous
11. Learning to concentrate and think more clearly
12. Feeling more cheerful and optimistic
13. Learning to worry less
14. Improving your nutritional habits
15. Feeling better physically
16. Feeling more confident
17. Increasing your self-esteem
18. Learning how to make better decisions and solve problems
19. Handling feelings of guilt and shame
20. Handling money, budgeting your finances

Too Many Pregnant Women Still Drink

Pregnant women consumed just as much alcohol in 2008 as they did in 1999. A fifteen year study found that women aged 35-44 had the highest incidence of drinking during pregnancy, 18%. Rates were also higher in employed and unmarried women. Two percent reported binge drinking during pregnancy.

Ways to Dump Anxiety and Depression

1. Get out of the house!
2. Go to a meeting!
3. Get your feelings out. Call your sponsor. Read all the recovery related and self-help books you can find.
4. Get up and do something. Any move is better than no move. Do something with someone you like to be around and who is good for you.
5. Do something for others. Stop thinking about yourself quite so much and reach out. Send someone a greeting card or a letter, volunteer at a soup kitchen or a local church. Visit the folks at an area nursing home who have no family in the area.
6. Make a gratitude list.
7. Try some distraction. Divert your self with something you enjoy (a crossword puzzle, a movie, video game, a good book, or a hobby). Don't have a hobby? Find one. Do something that needs doing, like cleaning out the closets.
8. Try inspiration. Listen to some stirring music. Take a hike in your favorite park. Watch the sun rise and/or set. Take some pictures, and then share them with others.
9. Try exertion. Go for a long walk. Ride a bike or take a swim. Do whatever you consider both fun and exercise. How about doing some of those neglected chores such as washing the windows, mowing the yard, or scrubbing the floors?