"Drunkorexia" A Disturbing Trend

Hi there

Paul Radkowski here from the Life Recovery Program returning after a long break from blogging.

Here is a short video regarding some of the concerns and dangers of "Drunkorexia" which is becoming more common especially among college age drinkers.

http://vimeo.com/19941738

Many college and university students are swapping food for alcohol. "Drunkorexia" refers to the growing trend of young people restricting the amount of calories they take in during the day to make up for the empty calories consumed through alcohol.

Research has shown that binge drinking (especially for women) can lead to other severe issues like anorexia.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eat.20644/abstract

Starving yourself while binge drinking is kind of like playing Russian Roulette with a gun that is fully loaded.

Please do what you can to inform yourself, stop and prevent this behaviour from trending further.

Best of health, Paul Radkowski

http://www.liferecoveryprogram.com

Addiction … a Disease? … a Choice??

As mentioned in the previous blog, one view of addiction is “a behaviour you cannot stop that has destructive consequences.” This definition is not meant to pathologize, I believe that it is meant to normalize. No one chooses to become an addict, becoming an addict is often a process of someone making unhealthy choices, again… and again… and again until finally that person becomes stuck in their addiction. Yet the road to recovery is about making choices as well, choices that are in one’s highest interest, choices that enhance physical well-being, self-esteem, relationships, our spirit and making these choices again… and again… and again. So, how do you choose?

Warm regards & best of health,
Paul Radkowski
http://www.liferecoveryprogram.com
info@liferecoveryprogram.com

Holiday Stress

From November to the beginning of January, most people experience an increased amount of stress. Many people have a tough time trying to find the perfect gift, trying to sort out finances, fearing loneliness, job loss, paying the bills or even visiting with family. So much of it all is stressful. Yet this year is different for many. The stress has increased because of the economic climate.

What's your fear? What's causing your stress to increase? This is a time when sadly addictions increase whether it be over eating, drinking, gambling, shopping, anger etc... addictive behaviours not only increase at this time of year but so many have tried to soothe their fear in unhealthy ways hoping to get some relief.

Relief, can only come through healthy, consistent self-care. There are those things that we have control over (our attitude, thoughts and behaviours) and then there are those things that we do not (the global economy). It's therefore important to be aware of our stress and to DO things to look after ourselves on a regular basis.

How do you take care of yourself during stressful times?

Hope Even When Stressed

Often times the only way to get through the day, is to take it one moment at a time. Life can be a moment by moment experience and yet, when you focus on hope, on life beyond your stress, your circumstance, you will find that things aren't quite as stressful as they were a moment ago. You won't feel quite so overwhelmed.

Have you ever felt so exhausted, overwhelmed, afraid and unsure about what was happening in your life, and wondered how can I find hope in the middle of all of this stuff that's going on in my life? Well, as hard as it may be to focus on something other than your circumstance, the key to finding hope in stress is to focus on things that bring you a sense of calm, peace. Hope comes when we realize that what is happening to us right now, ... will pass. You will get through this, it just takes time.

Try these helpful grounding tools to shift focus so that you can choose hope: ... 1) breathe -take 5 deep full breaths, 2.) call a friend, 3.) watch a funny movie, 4.) go for a walk or 5.) take a warm bath. Believe it or not shifting our focus and choosing not to focus on the stress in our lives enables us to feel hopeful because it gives us a chance to regroup/ground ourselves and gain clarity so that we can DO something different and get unstuck.

Stress, Trauma and Addiction - How are they related?

Many struggle with past trauma which may stem from past or present abuse, the death of a loved one or even the loss of a job. Any and all of these are situations that can result in chronic stress feelings, anxiety and/or depression.

If we don't recognize how life impacts us, we will grab hold of whatever we can find to make ourselves feel better. As I mentioned before some will grab hold of destructive things that cripple us emotionally and mentally and keep us from living a fulfilled life.

In my last blog I talked about exercise as an effective way to release stress. Yet sometimes, we need a few more tools to enable us to heal from our hurt, the pain that runs deep within us. That's where learning how to address negative thoughts that effect feelings and behaviour are the key to moving through our pain. We aren't designed to just "get over it" we must work through our stress, our pain, our trauma.

To choose not to do the kind of work that may require professional support e.g. group therapy, psychologist, The Life Recovery Program http://www.liferecoveryprogram.com , marriage & family therapist, social worker, psychotherapist etc... may ultimately result in you engaging in behaviours that result in addictions.

Remember how addiction was defined in my previous blog, "any behaviour you cannot stop that has destructive consequences." Think about it. Stress, pain, trauma, heartache ... what's driving your addiction?