Call 888-647-0579 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

Alcohol-free weekend raises awareness

Those who decide to give up alcohol this Easter weekend won’t necessarily be doing so because of holiday tradition.

For those involved in the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, it will represent an effort to raise awareness of alcohol disease.

The three-day challenge, always the first weekend of April, kicks off the 23rd annual NCADD Alcohol Awareness Month.

Despite the proliferation of other problems, some local people think it’s still important to talk about alcohol.

“I think it gets overlooked,” said Shavonne Andrews of Tahlequah. “They think if they just have a couple of beers when they get off work, then it’s not a big deal.”

Andrews relates a personal experience that taught her to stay away from it.

“My dad would come home and always have his beer,” she said. “He never got violent, but he was moody a lot.”

He eventually died from liver disease.

“His body just couldn’t take it,” she said.

According to the NCADD website, the awareness month began as a way of reaching the public with information about the disease. The idea was to let peope know it’s treatable, not a moral failing – and that it is possible for alcoholics to recover.

April Goetcher knows there’s a stigma attached to someone who goes to Alcoholics Anonymous.

“My brother has problems, and he started going to AA and the other ones,” she said. “I never thought about it being a big deal until he asked me to go with him.”

Goetcher felt immediate guilt when she told him “no.”

“I was worried about someone seeing me there, I guess,” she said. “It’s stupid now. He still struggles with it, and I go with him to some of his meetings. And no matter who you are surprised to see there, it’s all supposed to be confidential.”

Dr. Nicholas Pace, founder Pace Health Services in New York, said there are some danger signs associated with relapse of recovering alcoholics, according to www.ncadd.com.

“It when an alcoholic or addict says he or she doesn’t need to go to any more self-help meetings, you know there is going to be trouble ahead,” he said.

Pace suggests friends and family take time to understand that addiction is a disease.

“You should try your hardest not to be moralistic when dealing with them,” he said.

Instead of making threats or getting angry, Pace suggests expressing concern.

“Urge them to talk to you,” he said.

The organization said those taking the challenge who experience difficulty or discomfort in the 72 hours should contact local affiliates, or Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon to learn more about alcoholism and its early symptoms, according to www.ncadd.com.

The NCADD is the nation’s oldest advocacy health program dealing exclusively with alcoholism and drug dependence. The group was founded in 1944 by Marty Mann, the first woman to achieve long-term sobriety in AA, according to the website.

source: http://tahlequahdailypress.com

More Treatment & Detox Articles

Gene hooks smokers at first puff

Puffing on a first cigarette is a rite of passage for many teenagers, but whether it is enjoyable may be partly down to genetics, researchers suggest. University of Michigan scientists have identified a gene variant found more often in people who said their first cigarette produced a “buzz”. These people were much more likely to….

Bill seeks proof of rehab home compliance

Senate Health Committee expected to consider bill that would cause facilities to prove they meet certain licensing requirements. A bill that would create more hurdles for drug and alcohol programs seeking licenses from the state is making its way through the California State Assembly. Assembly Bill 2903 would make recovery homes offer proof to the….

How Interventions Encourage Individuals Make the Decision to Get Help

The reality of drug or alcohol addiction is that the addiction is a disease that can ruin lives and ultimately kill the addict. When an individual is addicted to drugs or alcohol they are at risk of getting in trouble with the law, suffering medical problems, ruining relationships with their children or families, losing their….

Ian Oliver: Legalising drugs would only make matters worse

Recently, A great deal of media attention has been focused on a call for the legalisation of drugs by a former civil servant who was responsible for the Cabinet’s anti-drug unit. In The Independent last week, Julian Critchley said that legalisation would be “less harmful than the current strategy” and that an “overwhelming majority of….

The Role of Patient Confidentiality in Drug Treatment Centers

For many patients, the role of patient confidentiality in drug treatment centers goes far beyond the scope of simply keeping their past problems and medical situation at bay. For some, patient confidentiality is more a matter of keeping everything about them a secret to assure that their privacy is respected 100%. In drug treatment centers,….