Denial is a defense mechanism that allows a person – despite
overwhelming evidence to the contrary – to deny that something is true,
when in fact, it is true. It is one of the most powerful and difficult
problems that Alcoholics and Drug Addicts face before, during, AND after treatment, because it is always the thinking that precedes the act of picking up a drink or a drug.
If you have a drinking problem, you may deny it by:
Drastically underestimating how much you drink
Downplaying the negative consequences of your drinking
Complaining that family and friends are exaggerating the problem
Blaming your drinking or drinking-related problems on others
If
any of these symptoms sound familiar to you, or someone you love, or if
you're struggling with drinking, please listen to this informative and
important show.
Motherhood introduces unique challenges in getting and staying sober, along with the incredible gifts we receive as sober Moms.
Amanda and Ellie read the words written my mothers who are struggling with drinking, who are newly sober or who have been sober a while - powerful, courageous words about how becoming a mother impacted their drinking (or sobriety), what it's like to be a sober mother, and how mothers face a different kind of stigma as they face their own alcoholism.
Come listen to these brave truths. We are NOT in this alone.
Listen in the widget below, or click on the tab above to learn how to subscribe to our podcast (or click on the link - the picture - in the right hand sidebar).
This is an extra special episode of The Bubble Hour this week - a group of
sober women talking about Cognitive Distortion - otherwise known as "how
we think".
Do you ever find yourself in a negtative thought
pattern? Do you listen to the way you talk to yourself? Do you ever
inflate or minimize emotions? Do you get overwhelmed easily?
Listen to this open discussion among several recovering women who talk
about growing an awareness of how we treat ourselves - our
perfectionism, our negative thought patterns and the ways this impacts
our sobriety.
We also talk about the tool we use to re-program our
break addictive thought patterns.
If you are a recovering
alcoholic it is likely that you have been told you have an addictive
personality, or perhaps you've wondered this yourself?
People
have probably even told you long before you ever realized that you were
an alcoholic that you had an addictive personality…but what does that
mean?
If you're wondering whether your not you have an addictive personality you can take a quiz to find out - go to this link here.
We will talk about the common personality traits found in addictive
personalities, as well as tools you can use to identify behaviors,
habits and triggers that can endanger your recovery.
Many times when people talk about recovery they talk about recovery meetings (12 step and otherwise).
And while recovery meetings are at the core of many peoples' recovery, for this show we will discuss the myriad ways people stay sober in addition to or instead of meetings.
The is NOT a "meetings vs. no meetings" discussion. At The Bubble Hour we do not endorse or promote any one form of recovery, and we believe in most cases it is many things that help people stay in recovery. We also believe that at the core of successful recovery is a sober network, and we will discuss this, too.
Through our own stories and those shared by others, we will offer many points of view and options to get and stay sober!
Listen to the show through the widget below, or see the tab above for how to subscribe to our podcast!
You may think withdrawal from substance abuse only refers to the
immediate physical symptoms experienced when your body is trying to
adjust to NOT having drugs and/or alcohol in its system. We are all
mostly aware of some of the more obvious signs of withdrawal: shaking,
sweating, racing heartbeat, muscle twitches, insomnia and acute
anxiety.
But did you know PAWS symptoms can occur 7-14 days after
your last drink, even after the acute withdrawal symptoms recede? Did
you know recovery from nervous system damage requires 6-24 months in a
healthy program of recovery?
On this show we will talk more
about PAWS, share our own stories about how we were effected by the
myriad of physical and psychological symptoms that can be experienced,
and share ways to ameliorate the effect of PAWS. You do not have to be a
long-time heavy drinker to experience these uncomfortable side effects,
and understanding them can be to maintaining your sobriety, especially
in the early days.
Click on the widget below to listen to the show, or subscribe to our podcast by clicking on the link on the right hand side bar (on the picture) or follow the instructions found in the tab above.
Navigating the tricky waters of a relationship with a partner,
spouse or significant other in early sobriety has its challenges.
On this show we will talk about when one partner gets sober and the
other is still drinking, when one partner gets sober and the other
doesn't think they were "all that bad", when two partners are sober and
managing healthy recoveries for both, and working through the complex
emotions when one partner gets sober and the other is grappling with
anger, resentment and hurt.
Listen through the widget below, or subscribe to our podcast (see the picture on the right hand side bar or the tab above that explains how to subscribe.
