Family pain caused by alcoholism and drug addiction

October 12, 2015

Family pain caused by alcoholism and drug addiction : The support mechanism of alcoholism

Can you imagine at this age what alcoholism and drug addiction causes family pain? This must STOP.

In every family settings there are bound to be certain aspects that cause discomfort to the well-being of the family. Much as it is everyone’s desire to enjoy the maximum comfort, this is not always the case in normal day to day life settings. The problem could further be complicated with one or more of the members of this family abusing alcohol or drugs or both. In our series of articles about alcoholism, we want to primarily focus our discussion in this article by finding out why alcoholism and drug addiction causes family pain that much. Speaking to the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury (MD) and also the founder of the facility, it is very clear that alcoholism and drug addiction affects the whole family indiscriminately. Everyone in the family whether young, teenage, or grown-up children; wives or husbands; brothers or sisters; parents or other relatives and friends all are not immune to the effects of alcohol abuse. Therefore if one member of the family is addicted to alcohol and drugs, it would mean that the whole family will suffers the consequences. According to the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, an addiction is a family disease that stresses the family to the breaking point thereby impacting on the stability of the home, the family’s unity, mental health, physical health, finances, and overall family dynamics.

From that background it is evident that without finding timely solutions to any addictive substances, the consequences of that negligence would cause a total disruption to the family life and worst still cause harmful effects that can last a lifetime. Doctor Akoury says that dealing with any kind of addiction is not very easy for various reasons including the fact that no family is born with the knowledge of how to deal effectively with addiction. Because this is not inborn practice, it is however very important those individual users and their loved ones are educated on the skill that must be practiced daily to contain and bring the scourge of addiction to manageable levels. That is why at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, we have prioritized creating awareness about all the elements through which alcoholism and drug addiction causes family pain and beyond. We therefore want to encourage you to stay with us on the link so that we can together make a difference in dealing with this problem because with the administration of proper help and support, family recovery from addiction can become a reality for you and millions across the globe says doctor Dalal Akoury.

Family pain caused by alcoholism and drug addiction : Roadblock to recovery

This is often a common question more so with people taking care of victims like for instance one may ask “why do i need help? She is the problem.” Have you ever said something like that? Whether your response is Yes or No one of the biggest challenges to family recovery is the belief that everything will be ok by just fixing their loved one who is addicted to alcohol or drugs. After all, “she’s the one who needs help, not me!” that is very easy to say but nevertheless, professionally doctor Akoury says that helping families understand that just as the addict is responsible for their own recovery they too are responsible for their own recovery. One fact must be put straight and that is the whole family must be in this together without excluding the children. Remember that addiction in the family strains relationships and people are likely to become anxious, mistrustful and tired. Besides that an overwhelming sense of hopelessness can set in too and because addiction inflicts family pain to everyone, it is essential that solutions are tailored to restoring the whole family which therefore means that even as we seek for professional solutions, recovery process from addiction will greatly depend on the commitment and willingness of the family.

Family pain caused by alcoholism and drug addiction : Recovery from addiction is a family affair

As a family disease, those who have been affected by addiction may take years to recover, as they rebuild and stabilize their lives, independent of what the alcohol and drug addicted family member does. Without question, it can seem overwhelming, but it helps to keep in mind that commitment to the recovery process is also a commitment to the overall well-being of the whole family. Therefore very constructive and active family engagement in the recovery process is essential if the family is to heal from the destructive impact of addiction. To keep hopes alive, the whole family needs a variety of supports, information and skills including the following:

End the isolation and connect: By joining an education or support group.

Education on Addiction and the Family: Understanding how addiction affects both the addicted person and the family is an essential foundation to moving on.

Learn communication skills: Active addiction destroys family communication. Developing these skills is essential to family recovery.

Detachment and responsibility for self: Learning to detach with love and focus on assuming responsibility for our own behavior.

Stop old behaviors: Many of our old ways of coping are ineffective and contribute to the problem not the solution: enabling, denial, blaming and minimizing the problem.

Engage the children: As a parent, depending on ages, you play a critically important role in providing support and protection for the children. But, engaging them in their own recovery is very important.

Build on resilience: Surviving active addiction to alcohol and drugs is never easy. Therefore use the recovery process as a means of building on your personal and family strengths.

Engage in personal and family activities: working alone and together to find activities that serve as a source of personal and family fulfillment.

Understand and prepare for relapse: Relapse into old behaviors is as real for family members as it is for those addicted to alcohol and drugs. Family members need to develop strategies for dealing with their own relapse issues and other challenges.

People recovering from alcoholism and drug addiction, their families, and their children can and often do achieve optimum levels of health and functioning, but this achievement is best measured in years rather than days, weeks, or months. In the process of recovery, families are strengthened through increased levels of genuine intimacy and families are better able to cope with life’s challenges. Over time, the discipline of recovery can bring the family together to be the healthiest it has ever been!

Finally as we settle on solutions to this problem, we must all appreciate that family recovery is very ideal and realistic for millions across the globe, and because of this hope, help, and healing of family recovery has become the most powerful way to break the inter-generational cycle of alcoholism and addiction in the family thereby bringing restoration to where hope was dying and discouragement was thriving. You can speak to us at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center about al concerns you may have in relation to alcoholism and addiction as potential factors of family pain and we will gladly come to your aide.

Family pain caused by alcoholism and drug addiction : The support mechanism of alcoholism

Alcohol effects pregnancy irrespective of quantity used

October 12, 2015

Alcohol effects pregnancy irrespective of quantity used: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

We have a responsibility to save the next generation from the fetal effects of alcohol on pregnancy by seeking for help because for sure alcohol affects pregnancy.

When we are expecting our bundles of joy we often choose to do the right thing in order to bring forth a healthy baby. Mothers who have nursed pregnancy before will agree with me about this and they will also acknowledge that alcohol affects pregnancy and that the whole process is not easy. Any mistake done can cause serious consequences both for the baby and the mother. One element that we must avoid by all standards is alcohol and drugs. Alcohol affects pregnancy and both have nothing in common, if anything bringing these two together will only result in anarchy and sorrows. And before we get there, we want to share with your some of the fetal effects of alcohol on pregnancy which is professionally referred to us Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE). The purpose of this writing is to inform you of the other side of alcohol and not to scare you in all way. Doctor Dalal Akoury is an addiction veteran of several decades and she is going to professionally help us bring this discussion to perspective.
Even as we get into this discussion, doctor Akoury is registering that it is important to note that Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is actually an umbrella term used to describe the range of effects that can occur in an individual if he or she is exposed to alcohol. These effects are never friendly and collectively and individually they may include physical, mental, behavioral, or learning disabilities. If not addressed in good time they can have a very long life implication to the victims. Remember that there are no boundaries when it comes to alcohol consumption. Like for instance, prenatal exposure to alcohol may cause disabilities that range from mild to severe. This is very important for all of us, take note that says doctor Dalal Akoury (MD) and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center it doesn’t matter what kind of alcoholic beverage you use “whether it is a wine cooler, a glass of wine or a bottle of beer, any kind or amount of alcohol that a pregnant mother consumes is also being consumed by her unborn baby.” The best cure is prevention and FASD is 100 percent preventable if a pregnant woman abstains from alcohol. We appreciate that alcohol like any other substance is very addictive and may not be easy to abstain from, but what is important is that it is not impossible. What you see as a serious obstacle is achievable with the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury. All you need to do is to call her on telephone number 843 213 1480 to schedule for an appointment with her and she will be glad to help you go through that obstacle in confidence, humane and professionally.

Alcohol effects pregnancy irrespective of quantity used: FASD for prevention of mental retardation

According to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, FASD is actually the leading known cause of preventable mental retardation. It can occur anytime a pregnant woman drinks alcohol or any other drink with alcohol content. To solidify that, research has numerously demonstrated that drinking any alcoholic beverage is harmful, especially if it is binge drinking that is to say consuming four or more drinks on one occasion. Besides that it is also important to note that even a single binge during pregnancy has been associated with increased risk for learning disabilities in the newborn. To that effect researchers has established that the odds of a child experiencing gross motor skill impairment more than tripled if the child was diagnosed with Fetal alcohol syndrome disorder, or they were exposed to alcohol while still in the womb. And like we mentioned in the introduction that when we are expecting bundles of joy we must do all it takes to keep them safe, it is therefore necessary that all pregnant women must abstain from any alcoholic drink before, or during pregnancy and after even after delivery. In other words the simple fact is that a pregnant woman should not drink at all says doctor Dalal Akoury.

Alcohol effects pregnancy irrespective of quantity used: Plain and simple is, a pregnant woman should not drink alcohol.

This might sound harsh to some of us but for our own well-being and that of our unborn children, doctor Akoury is not missing her words, she says that “if you’re pregnant it is important that you don’t drink alcohol however if you must drink alcohol then, just don’t get pregnant.” That is not very accommodating to many but it is the naked truth when it comes to how alcohol affects pregnancy. This fact is supported because as things stand now, there is no proven safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy. However, if you stop drinking at any time during the pregnancy, it will help the fetus. Here are some Facts about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD):

Drinking any kind of alcohol when you are pregnant can harm your baby, whether it is a 4-5 oz. glass of wine, a 12 oz. serving of beer or a 1.5 oz. shot of distilled spirits (hard liquor) as all contain the same amount of alcohol.
The easiest way to prevent FASD is to abstain from alcohol use during pregnancy. If a woman never drinks alcohol during pregnancy, her baby will not have problems from prenatal alcohol exposure.
Remember that you don’t have to be a heavy drinker to have a baby affected by alcohol. Therefore if a pregnant woman drinks any alcohol, it passes directly from her bloodstream to the placenta of the growing baby.

Finally it is important to note that drinking alcohol at any time during pregnancy can cause Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) with life-long consequences. When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, her baby does, too and so the problem continues and that is why alcohol affects pregnancy. if this concerns you, then you must seek for help from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center today.

Category Archives: Alcohol recovery