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Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse is Addiction Mechanism

Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse is Addiction Mechanism: Will you ever get to know when you are exceeding the moderation?

Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse is Addiction Mechanism

Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse is Addiction Mechanism that must be eliminated by all means.

You must have been told time and again that drinking alcohol is harmful to your health in many ways. The statement was repeated to you to the point that it became to unpleasant music to the ear. When you physician realize that his professional advice was hitting a dead end due to the addictive nature of the substance, the physician became more considerate and accommodative by advising you that if you have to drink, then drink moderately. At this you were willing to give it a try at least this way you are not denied the drink in totality. So to you this was doable and you quickly consented to the new arrangement. But little did you know that alcoholism and alcohol abuse is addiction mechanism and it will only be a matter of time. If you have been an addict before you are following what am highlighting in this article. Why is this great concern to the physicians? Doctor Dalal is a veteran addiction specialist with more than two decades of experience in practice not just for the ordinary patients but has also been very active in the training of other professionals about the best ways of administering treatment to their patients.

To have this assignment done above board, doctor Akoury founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, which is one of the leading pioneers in natural and holistic addiction treatment in the region and beyond. Together with her team of experts doctor Dalal Akoury will in this August be conducting the first ever Educational, Functional and Integrative Addiction conference for professionals including doctors, counselors, nurses and addiction therapists. The conference will run through August 23-25 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. And here comes the question, are you a practicing professional out there and you are looking for opportunity to meet your colleagues across the globe for a fact finding mission? If this describes you, then this new frontier in Addiction Medicine is all you need for your breakthrough. The conference will be conducted by the most influential group of leading professional visionaries each specializing in the latest advances in natural and integrative addiction medicine, under the theme “The Future of Integrative Addiction”. This is such an opportunity you don’t want to miss. The registration is underway and you can do so right away.

In the meantime doctor Akoury acknowledges that it’s not always easy to see or to detect when your drinking has crossed the line from moderate or social use to problem drinking. Nonetheless when you consume alcohol to cope with certain difficulties or to avoid feeling bad, you need to be very careful because if this describes your situation, then you’re in potentially dangerous territory. Alcoholism and alcohol abuse can sneak up on you any time, therefore it’s important to be aware of the warning signs and take steps to cut back if you recognize them. How then do you do that? Understanding the true position of the problem is the first step to overcoming it.

Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse is Addiction Mechanism: Understanding alcoholism and alcohol abuse

Alcoholism and alcohol abuse are due to many interconnected factors, including genetics, how you were raised, your social environment, and your emotional health. Some racial groups, such as American Indians and Native Alaskans, are more at risk than others of developing alcohol addiction. People who have a family history of alcoholism or who associate closely with heavy drinkers are more likely to develop drinking problems. And remember that, those who had suffered from mental health problem such as anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder are also particularly at risk of alcohol addiction because alcohol may be used to self-medicate. Therefore what are some of the indicators that one may be having addiction problems with alcohol?

Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse is Addiction Mechanism: Do you have a drinking problem?

According to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, one is likely to have a drinking problem if the individual is

  • Feeling guilty or ashamed about his or her drinking.
  • Lie to others or hide their drinking habits.
  • Have friends or family members who are worried about their drinking.
  • Need to drink in order to relax or feel better.
  • Black out or forgetting what you did while you was drinking.
  • Regularly drink more than they intended to.

Since drinking is so common in many cultures and the effects vary so widely from person to person, it’s not always easy to figure out where the line is between social drinking and problem drinking. The bottom line is how alcohol affects you. If your drinking is causing problems in your life, you have a drinking problem.

Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse is Addiction Mechanism: Signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse

We may not address conclusively the various signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse in this article but are only going to introduce that in brief. The in-depth discussion about this will carry into the next article. Therefore there is more in store for you with AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury. In the meantime, it may not be very easy for ordinary patients or addicts to make a clear distinction between alcohol abuse and alcoholism or alcohol dependence however, this can be done by the substance abuse experts in the sense that unlike alcoholics, alcohol abusers have some ability to set limits on their drinking. However, this does not absolve them from the destructiveness or addictiveness of this substance instead their alcohol use is still puts them at risk of self-destructive and dangerous to themselves or others as well. Finally as an individual who is looking for health, you must not allow this problem to take control over your life, seek for help today by scheduling for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today meanwhile if you are a professional doctor, nurse, addiction therapist etc. you certainly don’t want to miss the upcoming conference of great professionals in August. For all the inquiries about this great health conference you can reach the following for more insight

For more information about Integrative Addiction 2015:

Sharon Phillips

Event Planner

Tel:  954 540 1896

sharon@integrativeaddiction2015.com

www.integrativeaddiction2015.com

 

For more information about Integrative Addiction Treatment:

Dalal Akoury, M.D.

AWAREMed

Tel:  843 213 1480

Email:  dollyanis@hotmail.com

www.awaremednetwork.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILBEhjYkwKQ

Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse is Addiction Mechanism: Will you ever get to know when you are exceeding the moderation?

 

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Implications of alcoholism to family Domestic Violence

Implications of alcoholism to family Domestic Violence: Also threats to body organs

 

Implications of alcoholism to family Domestic Violence

Implications of alcoholism to family Domestic Violence. Because it is not easy to keep to moderate drinking, it would be good to avoid drinking all together

When there is the element or traces of alcohol consumption in any given family, chances are that, peace will be very elusive in such an environment. It may not matter who is the victim, so long as the common denominator is miss use of alcohol tables will have to be turn upside down for peace and tranquility to prevail. This can only serve to confirm the implications of alcoholism to family domestic violence. And for the a voidances of doubt says doctor Dalal Akoury alcoholic households are less cohesive and have endless conflicts, and members of such families are less independent and expressive than households with nonalcoholic or recovering alcoholic parents. Domestic violence is a common consequence of alcohol abuse across the globe and that is why you and I must pool together to bring this scourge to manageable levels.

Experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center have for the past two decades been studying the effects of alcohol and particularly to the domestic violence and their findings does not miss the point, it has been established that when it comes to domestic violence, women and children are the major losers. A lot of abusive men when under the influence of alcohol are very violent and beat up their spouses and children recklessly and disorderly. Like for instance:

The Effect on Women – this is a serious risk factor for injury from domestic violence and in many cases the injury are inflicted by the male partner under the influence of alcohol.

The Effect on Children – Alcoholism in parents also increases the risk for violent behavior and abuse toward children. Children of alcoholics tend to do worse academically than others, have a higher incidence of depression, anxiety, and stress and low self-esteem than their peers. In addition to their own inherited risk for later alcoholism, many children of alcoholics have serious coping problems that may last their entire life. Adult children of alcoholic parents are at higher risk for divorce and for psychiatric symptoms. One study concluded that the only events with greater psychological impact on children are sexual and physical abuse.

Implications of alcoholism to family Domestic Violence: Increased Risk for Other Addictions

Over the years researchers are finding common genetic factors in alcohol and nicotine addiction, which may explain, in part, why most alcoholics are often smokers as well. Doctor Akoury reiterates that alcoholics who smoke are actually compounding their health problems probably into calamities. In fact, some studies indicate that people who are alcohol-dependent and smoke all at the same time are more likely to die of smoking-related illnesses than alcohol-related conditions. Abuse of other drugs is also common among alcoholics. This is a very technical health problem is I may say. Alcohol and cigarette are never friends and bringing them into your health can only be said for luck of better adjective to be very dangerous. In instances like this doctor Akoury recommends that the patient or their loved ones must take immediate initiative of enrolling such individuals for treatment. And besides the domestic violence, miss use of alcohol also has savvier consequences on the various body organs.

Implications of alcoholism to family Domestic Violence: Liver Disorders

Alcoholic Hepatitis and Cirrhosis – Alcohol is absorbed in the small intestine and passes directly into the liver, where it becomes the preferred energy source. The liver is particularly endangered by alcoholism. In the liver, alcohol converts to toxic chemicals, notably acetaldehyde, which trigger the production of immune factors called cytokines. In large amounts, these factors cause inflammation and tissue injury.

Even moderate alcohol intake can produce pain in the upper right quarter of the abdomen a possible symptom of liver involvement. In many cases, such symptoms may be an indication of fatty liver or alcohol hepatitis, which are reversible liver conditions.

It is estimated that between 10 – 20% of people who drink heavily (five or more drinks a day) develop cirrhosis, a progressive and irreversible scarring of the liver that can eventually be fatal. Alcoholic cirrhosis (also sometimes referred to as portal, Laennec’s, nutritional, or micronodular cirrhosis) is the primary cause of cirrhosis in the U.S.

Not eating when drinking and consuming a variety of alcoholic beverages increase the risk for liver damage. Obesity also increases the risk for all stages of liver disease.

Hepatitis B and C People with alcoholism may have lifestyles that put them at higher risk for hepatitis B and C. Chronic forms of viral hepatitis pose risks for cirrhosis and liver cancer, and alcoholism significantly increases these risks. It is therefore very important that people with alcoholism problem should be immunized against hepatitis B. since at the moment there is still no vaccine for hepatitis C says doctor Dalal Akoury.

Implications of alcoholism to family Domestic Violence: Gastrointestinal Problems

Alcoholism can cause many problems in the gastrointestinal tract. Violent vomiting can produce tears in the junction between the stomach and esophagus. It increases the risk for ulcers, particularly in people taking the painkillers known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin or ibuprofen. It can also lead to swollen veins in the esophagus, (called varices), and to inflammation of the esophagus (esophagitis) and bleeding.

Alcohol can contribute to serious acute and chronic inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) in people who are susceptible to this condition. There is some evidence of a higher risk for pancreatic cancer in people with alcoholism, although this higher risk may occur only in people who are also smokers. Finally dear reader from this article we are not able to discuss all the other body organs that are affected by alcohol and cigarette addiction. We will progress with quite a number in our subsequent articles and that is a discussion you don’t want to miss. However in the meantime you can schedule for an appointment with the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury and she will be able to individually evaluate your condition and administer treatment professionally not just on matters torching on alcohol addiction but even on all other substance of abuse.

Implications of alcoholism to family Domestic Violence: Also threats to body organs

 

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Alcohol Use Disorder and Possible health Complications

Alcohol Use Disorder and Possible health Complications: Death in waiting

Alcohol Use Disorder and Possible health Complications

Alcohol Use Disorder and Possible health Complications begins in small way and the dangers spread very fast

Did you know that alcoholism can reduce your life expectancy by about 10 – 12 years? That is a whole decade of life wasted because of an addiction to alcohol. Can carry out a small assessment of what you can accomplish in twelve years. With that time you could take a medical student through his doctorate studies you could also give birth to your acting last born and see him or her up to secondary education, what about financial investment you could invest in a business and reap out of it for a decade. Are you willing to waste those valuable years all in the name of alcohol? We have to do something both individually and collectively. On our part as professionals from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center we have deliberately made a decision of creating health awareness to the public through this media and encouraging people to consult not just with us for treatment commencing but also even to other likeminded health professionals across the globe.  It is because of this reason that we want to shade more light on alcohol use disorder and possible health complications. You may not know but with alcohol the earlier people begin drinking heavily, the greater their chance of developing serious illnesses later on, we must stop this by all means and so if you are already struggling with alcohol addiction, it is never too late to talk to the experts. You can schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury MD and also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center for a more professional advice and treatment.

Alcohol Use Disorder and Possible health Complications: Alcoholism and Early Death

It is evident that alcohol can affect the body in so many ways for it to cause premature death to its victims. Whichever way you look at it miss us of alcohol will only succeed in delivering destruction to human health and that has been confirmed by researchers across the globe. Doctor Akoury acknowledges that even though heavy drinking is closely associated with premature death, it is however not just about that but there are also some other higher risk of alcohol use that are more common and serious to health problems including heart attack, heart failure, diabetes, lung disease, or stroke. It is important for users of chronic alcohol to understand that reckless consumption of this substance may lead to many problems that can increase the risk for death; some of those situations may include the following:

  • People who miss use alcoholic drinks regularly have a higher rate of death from injury or violence.
  • A single alcohol overdose can lead to death. This is particularly dangerous with adolescents who may want to impress their friends with their ability to drink alcohol but cannot independently gauge the effects of the quantities they are taking. Nonetheless, it is important to note that alcohol overdose does not only occur from any one heavy drinking incident, but may also occur from a constant infusion of alcohol in the bloodstream says doctor Akoury.
  • Severe withdrawal and delirium tremens. Delirium tremens occurs in about 5% of alcoholics. It includes progressively severe withdrawal symptoms and altered mental states. In some cases, it can be fatal.
  • Frequent, heavy alcohol use directly harms many areas in the body and produce dangerous health conditions including the liver damage, pancreatitis, anemia, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, nerve damage, and erectile dysfunction.
  • Alcohol abusers who need surgery have an increased risk of postoperative complications, including infections, bleeding, insufficient heart and lung functions, and problems with wound healing. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms after surgery may impose further stress on the patient and hinder recuperation.

Alcohol Use Disorder and Possible health Complications: The Effects of Hangover

Although not traditionally thought of as a medical problem, hangovers have significant consequences that include changes in liver function, hormonal balance, and mental functioning and an increased risk for depression and cardiac events. Hangovers can impair job performance, increasing the risk for mistakes and accidents. Hangovers are generally more common in light-to-moderate drinkers than heavy and chronic drinkers, suggesting that binge drinking can be as threatening as chronic drinking. Any man who drinks more than five drinks or any woman who has more than three drinks at one time is at risk for a hangover.

Alcohol Use Disorder and Possible health Complications: Accidents, Suicide, and Murder

Earlier in the discussion we mention that alcohol consumption has nothing to offer humanity a part from destruction anarchy and sufferings. What can you allude to a substance like alcohol which plays a large role in accidents, suicide, and crime? Let us briefly discuss some of the roles it play and I hope that as we continue into the conclusion of this portion, you are also making very informed health decisions to greater transformation from addiction to soberness.

  • Alcohol plays a major role in more than half of all automobile fatalities. Every police department in every nation has in the past released very shocking statistics to this effect.
  • From those traffic department statistics, it is evident that alcohol-related automobile accidents are the leading causes of death in young people.
  • Fewer than two drinks can impair the ability to drive. Even one drink may double the risk of injury, and more than four drinks increase the risk up to 11 times. Therefore what is really good about this drink if all we have on records communicated the direct opposite of good health?
  • Alcoholism is the primary diagnosis in a quarter of all people who commit suicide.
  • Alcohol is implicated in over half of all murders.

Finally we can only say that the decision of Dr. Akoury to create a medical center whose main objective is to transform each individual’s life through increasing awareness about health and wellness and by empowering individuals to find their own inner healing power shouldn’t have come at a better time. We all need this and now if we have to remedy the situation. Enough of all these premature death in the name of enjoying life, if you or any one you know is struggling with alcohol problem, then you can start the recovery journey today by scheduling for an appointment with Dr. Akoury’s whose practices focuses on personalized medicine through healthy lifestyle choices that deal with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of patching up symptoms.

Alcohol Use Disorder and Possible health Complications

 

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What is considered Health Risks of Obesity

What is considered Health Risks of Obesity: Worse than Smoking, Drinking or Poverty

What is considered Health Risks of Obesity

What is considered Health Risks of Obesity are not conditions that you can just wish away. The chronic nature of such conditions are life threatening as well.

There is no doubt that obesity is widely recognized as a health risk. This is because of the negative effects of obesity and many other known health risks some of which we have dealt with in-depth in this site from our previous articles. Nonetheless some of those risks may include the following: smoking, heavy drinking, and poverty, have been well documented. But until now, no one has compared them. Experts are now asking is one problem worse than another? Or are they all equally risky? We want to unlock these concerns by looking at what is considered health risk of obesity and to take us through the topic of discussion is doctor Dalal Akoury MD and also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. The formation of this facility was guided with the need to have people live healthy lives that are free from all form of drug addiction and life free from weight gain and all conditions associate with being obese. Therefore as we progress into the discussion, if you or anyone you know is struggling with any kind of addiction or weight gain they you may want to schedule for an appointment with the experts for the commencement of treatment. To offer you the best we consistently carry out research to establish certain facts that will be applicable in administering treatment to all our clients. Therefor in one of our studies (Experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) while examining the comparative effects of obesity, smoking, heavy drinking, and poverty on chronic health conditions and health expenditures. It was established that obesity is the most serious problem compared to the other addictive conditions. Obesity is linked to a big increase in chronic health conditions and significantly higher health expenditures. And it affects more people than smoking, heavy drinking and poverty combined. And that now begs the question is there anything being done by the relevant authorities? Doctor Akoury notes that even though obesity is recognized as one of the major health risk globally, there have been relatively few public policies designed which are tailored towards reducing it. Further to that most Americans have not given obesity the same attention as they have with other risks like smoking and alcohol abuse. Even though little is being done about it, there is clear evidence that this is one of the top health problems which is currently on the rise in all segment of the world’s population. It therefore means that more effective clinical and public health approaches are needed very urgently notes doctor Akoury.

What is considered Health Risks of Obesity: Obesity is Linked to Higher Rates of Chronic Conditions than are Smoking, Drinking, or Poverty

While examining the data from Healthcare for Communities, a national household telephone survey fielded in 1998. Approximately 10,000 respondents participated in the survey, which was designed to be nationally representative. Among other questions, the survey asked respondents to self-report on 17 chronic health conditions (including diabetes, hypertension, asthma, heart disease, and cancer), height, weight, poverty, smoking status, problem drinking, health-related quality of life, and a variety of demographic factors. The study then revealed that obesity is linked to very high rates of chronic illnesses much higher than living in poverty, and much higher than smoking or drinking. The findings compare the increase in chronic conditions related to obesity. When compared with normal-weight individuals of the same age and sex having similar social demographics, obese people suffer from an increase in chronic conditions of approximately 67 percent. In contrast, the increase for normal-weight daily smokers is only 25 percent; and for normal-weight heavy drinkers, only 12 percent. A comparable factor is aging. In terms of chronic conditions, being obese is like aging from 30 to 50. Poverty is also a significant health threat: The increase in chronic conditions for people living in poverty is approximately 58 percent.

What is considered Health Risks of Obesity: Obese Individuals spend more on health care

Yet in another study it shows health care expenditures for obese individuals, current smokers, past smokers, heavy drinkers, and people who have aged from 30 to 50, as compared with a baseline of normal-weight individuals of the same age and sex with similar social demographics. It was established that obese individuals spend more on both services and medication than daily smokers and heavy drinkers. For example, obese individuals spend approximately 36 percent more than the general baseline population on health services, compared with a 21 percent increase for daily smokers and a 14 percent increase for heavy drinkers. Obese individuals spend 77 percent more on medications. Only aging has a greater effect and only on expenditures for medications.

What is considered Health Risks of Obesity: Obesity Has Become an Epidemic

Not only does obesity have more negative health consequences than smoking, drinking, or poverty, it also affects more people. Approximately 23 percent of Americans are obese. An additional 36 percent are overweight. By contrast, only 6 percent are heavy drinkers, 19 percent are daily smokers, and 14 percent live in poverty. Obesity rates are increasing dramatically. These rates used to be fairly stable: Between 1960 and 1980, there was only a minor increase in the number of Americans who were overweight or obese. Since 1980, however, not only has the percentage increased, but much of the increase is concentrated in the “obese” category, which grew by 60 percent between 1991 and 2000. Because this increase is relatively recent, its full impact is not known. Some chronic conditions take years to develop. Current research may, if anything, understate the public health consequences of obesity. The past 20 years have witnessed a significant lifestyle change: Americans are exercising less while maintaining at least the same caloric intake. Desk jobs, an increase in the number of hours devoted to television watching, and car-friendly (and pedestrian- and bike-hostile) urban environments are some of the environmental changes that have combined to discourage physical activity. These changes affect other industrialized countries, too. For example, over the past 20 years, Great Britain and Germany have experienced obesity growth rates similar to those in the United States. But because they started from lower levels, obesity in those countries has not yet become an epidemic-level threat to public health.

What is considered Health Risks of Obesity: Solutions

The dangers of both smoking and heavy drinking have been on the national health agenda for years. A variety of measures, such as increased education, access control (including smoking bans in many buildings nationwide), taxation, better enforcement of laws relating to minors, curbs on advertising, and increased clinical attention, have resulted in decreased rates for both smoking and drinking. Doctor Akoury suggests that weight reduction or management should be an urgent public health priority. The prevalence of obesity, and its strong association with chronic conditions, indicates that weight reduction would mitigate the effects of obesity on the occurrence of specific diseases and would significantly improve quality of life. The public awareness must also be increased so that more people are able to consult with the experts from time to time says doctor Akoury.

What is considered Health Risks of Obesity: Worse than Smoking, Drinking or Poverty

 

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Meditation in Addiction Recovery

Role of Mindfulness Meditation in Addiction Recovery

MeditationDuring the initial stages of recovery, a person may feel some kind of mental haziness. It takes lots of struggle for them to think clearly after stopping using the drug they are addicted to. They will also experience emotional instability. Failure to adjust to these changes may lead to relapse.

Integrative techniques that foster meditation and mindfulness have shown increasing promise in the successful completion of a drug addiction treatment program. Meditation’s ability to “retrain thought” can serve to alter cognitive processing in the brain, thus leading to healthier interactions in the brain’s reward center. The process of meditation also serves to produce stress-reduction naturally thereby reducing the powers of triggers, cravings and withdrawal symptoms in recovering individuals. In addition, meditation has been found to lower the rate of relapse in recovering addicts.

What is mindfulness meditation?

In mindful mediation a patient pays attention to the present moment. It aims at setting the mind free from thoughts that may rekindle the flame of addiction and cause relapse. Through it a patient learns to be aware of his thoughts and emotions without letting the emotions sway his judgment. As practice by Buddhists it is a non-judgmental form of observation.

It is also known as Sati as was in ancient Pali; which is a language in India. It is essential for those Buddhists seeking enlightment as it involves three elements; awareness, attention and remembering. If you have to succeed you must be aware of the object you are focusing on, pay attention to it and remember it.

How effective is Meditation in Addiction Recovery?

The body of evidence for the power of meditation in addiction treatment is increasing. As a matter of fact, a 2007 research presented that individuals who participated in meditation during addiction recovery gained higher levels of coping skills as well as amplified awareness of substance abuse triggers that aided addiction recovery. In another peer-reviewed study indicated the effects of prayer and meditation on dopamine levels, servicing the mind and body by creating contentedness and calm through the brain’s pathways, this helps as a substitute for the effects the drugs produced in the patient.

Meditation minimizes chances of alcohol and drug relapse

Meditation may also be effective in preventing relapse. Research has repeatedly shown that maximized sobriety is achieved when meditation is incorporated in treatment and recovery programs. Mindful meditation has been shown to assist patients in coping with mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and trauma.

Meditation and smoking cessation

Past researches have shown that mediation has effects on chemical dependency and this can be extended to nicotine addiction. Meditation has great effects in smokers and it has been verified that it increases recovery rates of smokers.

In a 2009 study of close to 160 smokers by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, it was established that mindfulness practices linked to lower physical addiction levels and floored withdrawal effects. Additionally, those who practiced mindful mediation techniques experienced a greater belief in their ability to quit smoking, showing that mindful mediation therapy may help those struggling with nicotine addiction.

Alternative and Eastern-based meditative practices incorporated into individual alcoholism and drug abuse treatment plans seem to garner some of the most promising findings in relation to emerging research. Another study was done in 2010 and it involved studying the use of the qi gong meditative practices by close to 250 substance abusers and it was found to increase the addiction recovery completion by about 14 percent. The substance abusers who were part of this study showed lower cravings, reduced withdrawal symptoms as well as reduced anxiety levels.

Similar results have been studied in one of the most popular forms of meditative practice in addiction treatment and recovery, known as Vipassana. Vipassana is a Buddhist nonjudgmental, observational practice, it seeks to harness thought positively in relation to cognitive identification with addictive impulses. A 2006 study on addicted and enslaved individuals found that Vipassana meditation minimized rates of alcohol, marijuana and cocaine abuse in released prisoners who learned the meditative technique. As a matter of fact, Vipassana participants also showed fewer alcohol-related side effects as well as fewer mental health conditions and even improved relations in social circles.

Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation in Addiction Recovery

meditationThese are some of the benefits of mindfulness meditation for people in recovery:

  • This practice makes life in sobriety far more enjoyable. The individual is able to get pleasure from even the simplest things.
  • Those who practice the technique find it easier to manage their interpersonal relationships
  • Early recovery is like an emotional rollercoaster. By practicing mindfulness, the individual will feel more in control and better able to deal with the highs and lows.
  • People who practice mindfulness will be better able to spot the warning signs that they are losing their hold on recovery. This way they will be able to avoid a relapse.
  • Cravings usually continue to arise in recovery. Mindfulness allows the individual to observe such thoughts without being carried away by them. People learn that they are not always responsible for their thoughts, nor do they have to be a victim to them.

Recovering fully from addiction is a challenging process that requires enough support for the recovering addict. Help and hope for addicts is available at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. Do not hesitate to call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) any day for assistance.

Role of Mindfulness Meditation in Addiction Recovery

 

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