Addiction Recovery Australia: coaching with substance

Showing posts with label coaching with substance. Show all posts

Monday, 4 May 2015

Gambling Addiction is Related to High Suicide Rates

PATHOLOGICAL gamblers are risking more than their money, they are also three times more likely to commit suicide than non-betters. A new Montreal inter-university study has shown these gamblers are also plagued by personality disorders. These findings, published in a recent issue of the Psychology of Addictive Behaviours, may have implications for developing improved targeted suicide prevention programs.

"The World Health Organization estimates that suicide is one of the top ten causes of death in the Western world," says study co-author, Richard Boyer a Université de Montréal professor and researcher at the Centre de recherche Fernand-Seguin at the Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital. "In addition, pathological gamblers account for five percent of all suicides. These staggering statistics motivated us to study the difference between gamblers and non-gamblers."

Gamblers have more personality disorders

The study examined 122 suicides between 2006 and 2009, of which 49 were pathological gamblers. Data from the coroner's files were compiled and psychological autopsy interviews with families and friends of the deceased were completed.

"Our findings showed that those gamblers who commit suicide had twice as many specific personality disorders as other suicide victims," says co-author Alain Lesage, also from the Université de Montréal.

"These personality disorders seem to significantly increase the risk of suicide for compulsive gamblers," says Boyer. "Three lethal elements are generally recognized: depression, alcohol or drug consumption and a personality disorder. These psychiatric disorders can in-turn interact with each other. For example, the depression can lead to the alcohol or drug consumption, which in turn leads to greater financial problems, which amplifies the depression."

Gamblers don't consult health professionals

The study also showed that gamblers who committed suicide were three times less likely to have consulted a health service in the year preceding their death.

"Gamblers don't consult professionals because they believe the problem will solve itself," says Boyer. "They believe their financial or alcohol or drug problems are the result of gambling and therefore they seek a solution in gambling rather than get help."

Twelve percent of gamblers admitted to a friend or family member having spent over $5,000 in a given day. And 70 percent had borrowed the money to play.

"Parents and health professionals should be more vigilant in looking for signs of suicide among pathological gamblers," says Boyer. "The sooner this disorder is diagnosed the sooner therapy can begin and the better chances for success."

Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you or someone you love are in the grips of Pathological Gambling call us today for immediate confidential help.

About Coaching with Substance

We are Australia's leading award winning addiction treatment and rehab consultants for gambling, drugs, alcohol, sex, eating and internet addiction, along with eating behavioural disorders and co-dependency.

Ph 07 56 066 315 (7days)

Email: info@coachingwithsubstance.org.au

Webiste: coachingwithsubstance.org.au

Maria Pau is a 4x No. 1 best-selling author on the subjects of addiction and co-dependency and spiritual wellness. She is the Program Director of Coaching with Substance, the first registered public benevolent institution, charity and not-for profit association in Australia that focuses on wellness instead of illness, using coaching principles for peak performance. We run a cutting edge holistic addiction treatment program and outpatient rehabilitation consultancy firm that ensures you are released from the shackles of addiction once and for all.

Primary care at CWS is personalised to treat each individual using programs that integrate mind, body and soul. CWS programs are enhanced by highly effective group coaching and therapeutic processes as well as individual coaching, spiritual insights, therapy and extensive aftercare assistance.

All clients are thoroughly assessed by a highly trained and experienced recovery coach, registered provisional psychologist, ordained mystic, mental health officer and certified naturopaths (including Ayurveda and Acupuncturist). Clients may also be referred for psychometric testing and assessment, if needed. International clients welcome.

We also welcome enquiries from English speaking people from Asia, Europe, Africa, India and South America.

Friday, 1 May 2015

Alcoholic blackouts

Alcoholic blackouts were first documented by E.M. Jellinek in his book "The

Disease Concept of Alcoholism."

An alcohol-induced blackout (a blackout caused heavy drinking) is a period of time during a drinking episode when a person is functional but cannot remember what they were doing.

A "blackout" is not to be confused with "passing out.".

Passing out means having episodes of unconsciousness during drinking when the drinker is not functioning and appears to be asleep

If you or someone you love is in the grips of addiction call us today for immediate help.

Coaching With Substance is Australia's No. 1 provider of Recovery Coaching Services and WINNER of 2014 Best Not-For-Profit in ALL Addictions.

Call us 07 5606 6315 (7days) Confidentiality assured.

Website www.coachingwithsubstance.org.au

Email info@coachingwithsubstance.org.au

Maria Pau is a 4x No. 1 best-selling author on the subjects of addiction and co-dependency and spiritual wellness. She is the Program Director of Coaching with Substance, the first of its kind in Australia as registered public benevolent institution, charity and not-for profit association that focuses on wellness using coaching principles of peak performance. We run a cutting edge holistic addiction treatment program and outpatient rehabilitation consultancy firm that ensures you are released from the shackles of addiction once and for all.

All clients are thoroughly assessed by a highly trained and experienced recovery coach, registered provisional psychologist, ordained Monk, mental health officer and certified naturopaths (including Ayurveda and Acupuncturist). Clients may also be referred for psychometric testing and assessment, if needed. International clients welcome.

We welcome enquiries from all English speaking people from Asia, Europe, Africa, India and South America.

Thursday, 30 April 2015

Are you drinking too much?

Are you worried about alcohol abuse or alcoholism? Here are the signs of problem drinking.

It’s a common question. How do you know if you have a drinking problem?

Drinking alcohol is a problem if it causes trouble in your relationships, atwork or in school, in social activities, or in how you think and feel.

The signs of alcohol abuse:

1. The need to drink before confronting certain

situations

2. Frequent intoxication

3. A steady increase in the amount of alcohol

consumed

4. Solitary drinking

5. Early morning drinking

6. Denial of drinking

7. Family disruptions over drinking

8. Blackouts or temporary amnesia

9. Continuing to drink despite adverse

consequences from drinking

If you’re still not sure if you have a problem with drinking alcohol, take this alcohol screening test. And check this out if you’re interested in learning how to cut down on your drinking.

What is the difference between alcohol abuse and alcoholism?

Alcohol abuse differs from alcoholism in that it does not include

an extremely strong craving for alcohol, loss of control, or physical

dependence. In addition, alcohol abuse is less likely than alcoholism to include tolerance (the need for increasing amounts of alcohol to get high). Problem drinking can be successfully treated with brief intervention by primary care physicians. Alcohol addiction is a lifelong disease with a relapsing, remitting course.

Alcoholism is an addictive dependency on alcohol characterised by:

1. craving (a strong need to drink)

2. loss of control (being unable to stop)

3. physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms

4. tolerance (increasing difficulty of becoming drunk)

Alcoholism is a type of drug dependence. There is both physical and psychological dependence on alcohol. Alcoholism is a primary, chronic, progressive, and sometimes fatal disease due to the habitual use of alcohol often described as any "harmful use" of alcohol--meaning the alcoholic continues to drink despite recurrent social, personal, physical, or legal consequences as a result of their alcohol use.

If you or someone you love is in he grips of alcohol addiction call us today and let us help you 07 5606 6315. Website www.coachingwithsubstance.org.au. Email: info@coachingwithsubstance.org.au

ABOUT COACHING WITH SUBSTANCE (WINNER Best Not-for-Profit 2014)

We are Australia's leading award winning addiction treatment and rehab consultants for gambling, drugs, alcohol, sex, eating and internet addiction, along with eating behavioural disorders and co-dependency for Australasia and New Zealand. Call us on 07 5606 6315 if you want to speak to an Addiction Specialist.

Our Founder, Maria Pau is a 4x No. 1 best-selling author on the subjects of addiction and co-dependency and spiritual wellness. She is the Program Director of Coaching with Substance, the first of its kind in Australia as registered public benevolent institution, charity and not-for profit association that focuses on wellness using coaching principles of peak performance. She is currently completing her PhD on Recovery Coaching and is the first registered Recovery Coach in Australia.

We run a cutting edge holistic addiction treatment program and outpatient rehabilitation consultancy firm that ensures you are released from the shackles of addiction once and for all. Primary care at CWS is personalised to treat each individual using programs that integrate mind, body and soul. CWS programs are enhanced by highly effective group coaching and therapeutic processes as well as individual coaching, spiritual insights, therapy and extensive aftercare assistance.

All clients are thoroughly assessed by a highly trained and experienced recovery coach, registered provisional psychologist, ordained Taoist Monk, mental health officer and certified naturopaths (including Ayurveda and Acupuncturist). Clients may also be referred for psychometric testing and assessment, if needed. International clients welcome.

We welcome enquiries from all English speaking people from Asia, Europe, Africa, India and South America.

Wednesday, 29 April 2015

Meth Addiction: Triggered by Weightloss and Body Image issues.

Here at Coaching With Substance we are noticing a disturbing new trend of teenage girls and young women who use the drug crystal meth to lose weight -- up to 18 kilograms a month.

This is a recipe for disaster. This combination of body image issues and the drug's weight loss appeal.

Crystal meth, the street version of the drug methamphetamine, is an a very addictive stimulant that causes elation and alertness in addition to curbing appetite. Meth users can smoke, snort, inject or swallow the drug.

They usually ingest a crude combination of cold medicine, brake cleaner, fertiliser, drain cleaner and iodine along with a myriad of other chemicals.

Meth is an appetite suppressant. It's a drug that will give you stimulation for 12 hours, with no need to eat and no need to sleep. It's also cheap -- between $5 to $10 per hit -- and has consequently been labelled the "poor man's cocaine."

Young women know and find out quickly that there are drugs that do reduce your appetite and cause you to lose weight, and meth is so affordable.

At CWS we are recording and alarming increase of calls from parents of teenage girls aged12 to 18. These women have such a distorted body image.

According to the World Health Organization, methamphetamine is the most widely used illicit drug in the world after cannabis. We're in this era of stimulant drugs -- "the need for speed". But when it comes to body image, we also seem to have the need to be thin.

Methamphetamine has been around for decades. It was marketed in North America in the 1920s as a weight-loss drug. It was touted for its dietary benefits. It's amazing that in the first place this drug was used was for weight loss.

Meth is relatively simple to make. There are thousands of recipes on the Internet and police estimate that an investment of about $150 can yield an amount worth about $10,000 on the street. But it also has lethal side effects. Meth use can cause insomnia, hallucinations, paranoia and anxiety as well as heart problems, convulsion, brain damage and death.

IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE IS IN THE GRIPS OF METH ADDICTION CALL US TODAY FOR IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE. PHONE 07 560 66315

Web: www.coachingwithsubstance.org.au

Email info@coachingwithsubstance.org.auinfo@coachingwithsubstance.org.au

We welcome enquiries from all English speaking people from Asia, Europe, Africa, India and South America.

Monday, 27 April 2015

Bulimia Is An Addictive Behaviour That Has Negative Consequences

B U L I M I A

Most people have heard the expression binge and purge and recognise that it refers to bulimia nervosa. Whereas bulimia is characterised by this binge-purge cycle, it is so much more than eating and vomiting. True, a woman or adolescent with bulimia will consume huge quantities of food -- often to the point of extreme physical discomfort -- then induce vomiting. If vomiting is not an option, due to inability or general disgust of the behaviour, she may turn to excessive exercise or laxative abuse.

But the question remains "why do people do this?"

Bulimia, like most eating disorders, is not about FOOD, it's about FEELINGS. Bulimia is used by people as a way to cope with unpleasant emotions. Say a young woman goes away to university. She feels a tremendous amount of pressure to prove herself academically. This need to achieve is added to the normal stressors of making friends, fitting in, adjusting to dorm life. She is far from home and family support. These negative feelings of anxiety, stress, and perhaps depression, build up. Indeed, she is overwhelmed by these emotions. But she discovers that her stress diminishes markedly when eating.

While looking at food, touching and tasting, she feels better ... so she eats. Not surprisingly, after ingesting so much food, she is consumed by guilt and concerned about weight gain ... so she purges it from her system. The act of vomiting causes her brain to release soothing endorphins into her bloodstream, which provides a sense of calm. When the stress builds again, she repeats the behavior; before she knows it, she is addicted to the bulimic behavior.

The problem with bulimia is that it seems to work, at first. But the short-term social consequences and the long-term medical complications are immense  JUST LIKE ANY OTHER ADDICTIVE PROCESS.

Bulimia is a very real and a very dangerous addictive illness. If you struggle with bulimia, keep in mind, there is nothing wrong with your feelings, there are simply healthier ways to deal with them. Consider recovery coaching so you can have a team of specialists to ensure bulimia is no longer a problem for you.

IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE IS IN THE GRIPS OF THIS DISEASE, CALL US TODAY FOR IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE. PHONE 07 560 66315

Web: www.coachingwithsubstance.org.au

Email: info@coachingwithsubstance.org.au

We welcome enquiries from all English speaking people from Asia, Europe, Africa, India and South America.

5 Alcoholism Myths

5 Alcoholism Myths

These myths would be of interest to anyone involved with alcoholism – wives, partners, parents, children, adult children (co-dependents) and of course the alcoholic.

Myth 1: An alcoholic is the falling-down drunk on skid row.

Answer: Only three percent of alcoholics are on skid row. Those alcoholics on skid row are undoubtedly in the last stages of the illness. Most people with alcoholism are in the early and middle stages. They have families, they hold regular jobs, they may not appear to be any different from anyone else. The person with alcoholism may be an automobile mechanic, an officer of a large corporation, an actor, a salesman, a press operator, a stock clerk, a secretary, a housewife.

Clearly the disease of alcoholism is no respecter of persons.

About 80% Australians use alcohol and enjoy the relaxation it brings them. Unfortunately about one in fifteen of these develop the disease of alcoholism. This disease eventually causes premature death or insanity unless it is treated. But it is a slow progressive illness and often requires five to twenty years before its victim becomes unemployable or incapable of being a responsible employee or housewife.

Myth 2: Alcoholics are hopeless drunks.

Answer: Nothing could be farther from the truth. While there is no known cure, alcoholism can be arrested with proper treatment. Fifty to seventy percent of employed alcoholics who receive treatment recover and lead normal lives. For example, the businessman and the doctor who founded Alcoholics Anonymous were once considered by their friends to be “hopeless drunks”. Instead, they demonstrated that alcoholics are anything but hopeless. And the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous, through which millions have received help, offers dramatic proof that people with alcoholism can recover. High Functioning Alcoholics (HFA's) are the most common form of Alcoholics, and the ones in most denial.

Myth 3: Alcohol is the cause of alcoholism.

Answer: The exact causes are still not known despite continuing research. However, it is known that alcohol by itself is not the only cause. If it were, then there would be 1 alcoholic for each person who drank alcohol.

We can draw parallels with another disease whose cause we do not know– cancer. Some people develop cancer, others do not. Similarly, some drinkers develop alcoholism, others do not. Like cancer. in another way, alcoholism can be treated and the chance of recovery is better in the early stages. What is becoming very clear that there is a definite genetic factor.

Myth 4: Alcoholics could recover if they had enough will power.

Answer: Recovery from any serious illness requires a strong will to live. This is not what we mean when we talk about "will power". People do not recover from illnesses by simply resolving that they will stop being sick! They can resolve to go to the doctor. That can help. They can resolve to follow the doctor’s advice. That can help. They can resolve to follow through with any kind of treatment that is necessary. All theses things can help in their recovery from the illness.

Actually, most people with alcoholism have a great deal of will power. For example, the person who has a responsible job and a serious case of alcoholism. By sheer will power he gets to work in the morning on days when with any other illness he would stay home in bed. After a bender he gets up in the morning with butterflies in his stomach and suffers from “the shakes”. Somehow he gets shaved without cutting himself too badly, has a shower, puts on his clothes, and takes a bit of the “hair of the dog that bit him” the night before. The nip of alcohol quiets his shaking nerves enough so that he can get a cup of coffee and a slice of toast to sit in his stomach. Then he goes off to work and somehow gets through the day even though he may feel terrible. This is not the picture of a man lacking will power.

Instead, it is a picture of a conscientious man who wishes to keep up appearances — a person who is suffering from an illness and does not know that he can get treatment for it. Like most people, he believes the myths about alcoholism being a moral problem.

Myth 5: Alcoholism is a self-inflicted moral problem

Answer: Some people are ready to admit that alcoholism is a disease — but then maintain it is a “self-inflicted disease”. This is a pretty silly idea if you look at it carefully in the light of what happens with other illnesses. Being overweight may help bring on a heart attack. Yet, we never say a fat person’s heart attack was self-inflicted. Most people have had the experience of mission sleep and fatiguing themselves, and then catching a cold. Again, no one says that the cold was “self-inflicted”, even though, with sufficient rest, they might not have caught the cold. Thus if we say that alcoholism is “self-inflicted”, we also must admit that many other illnesses are “self-inflicted”. In addition, we do not speak of any disease itself as being a moral problem. ALCOHOLISM IS A DISEASE NOT A DISGRACE!

IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE IS IN GRIPS OF ALCOHOLISM CALL US TODAY FOR IMMEDIATE HELP ON 075606 6315 or EMAIL: info@coachingwithsubstance.org.au

We welcome enquiries from all English speaking people from Asia, Europe, Africa, India and South America.

Sunday, 26 April 2015

7 Characteristics of addiction according to the DSM

The American Psychiatric Association says that a person is dependent if their pattern of substance use leads to clinically significant impairment or distress shown by three or more of the following in a 12-month period:

1. Tolerance as defined by any of the following:

* a need for markedly increased amounts of the substance to achieve intoxication or desired effect

* markedly diminished effect with continued use of the same amount of the substance

2. Withdrawal, as manifested by either of the following:

* the characteristic withdrawal symptom of the substance

* the same or a closely related substance is taken to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms

3. The substance is often taken in larger amounts or over a longer period than was intended (loss of control)

4. There is a persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control substance use (loss of control)

5. A great deal of time is spent in activities necessary to obtain the substance, use the substance or recover from its effects (preoccupation)

6. Important social, occupational or recreational activities are given up or reduced because of substance use (continuation despite adverse consequences)

7. The substance use is continued despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent physical or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by the substance (adverse consequences).

If you or someone you love is in the grips of a substance addiction call today for immediate assistance and to begin the admission process.

If you or someone you love is in he grips of addiction call us today and let us help you 07 5606 6315.

Website www.coachingwithsubstance.org.au. Email: info@coachingwithsubstance.org.au

We welcome enquiries from all English speaking people from Asia, Europe, Africa, India and South America.