Detoxing From Alcohol

Alcohol abuse during times of emotional distress has been on the rise as of late. The statistics of Domestic Violence incidences has risen with the stay-at-home order due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Parents are at home. Their kids are at home. Tension in the home rises because a Pandemic is not something any of us ever expected. Everyone feels stressed, which has caused a great deal of alcohol use to rise. We are living as though we are caged and this can cause people to seek escape through mood altering substances. Alcohol is something we can now pick up curbside, get delivered, and even buy from our local Olive Garden with our take-out. Before the Pandemic, we couldn’t even bring a beer bottle outside our neighborhood watering-hole without pouring it in a cup first. And NO WAY could we pick-up a bottle of wine with our taco’s! The availability of alcohol, the economic stress society has been thrown into, and our daily lives altered; not being able to socialize or work like normal, can take a toll on the human psyche. Women make up about 34% of the membership to Alcoholics Anonymous and are more susceptible than men to develop alcohol related Heart Disease.

Women who drink are more susceptible to health problems like breast cancer, liver disease, and brain disease. Twice as many women develop depression, compared to men who drink. Women who abuse alcohol are more prone to anxiety, eating disorders, of becoming vulnerable to sexual assault, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, domestic violence, and we are more likely to begin abusing other drugs. Statistics show that compared to men, 72% of women who suffer alcoholism have mental illness. That’s pretty high! A woman alcoholic is going to find her health more damaged than a man’s health, even if she has been drinking less alcohol for a shorter period of time. We have less water in our bodies, a lower body weight which means more of our cells exposed to alcohol (men having bigger bodies, with fewer cells being exposed to alcohol), and less of the stomach enzyme that metabolizes alcohol.

Juicing

Changing the beverage in your hand is the number one focus of becoming sober. At the same time you swap out one bad habit, you need to make the replacement habit as healthy as possible.

I began something similar in 1996 and it was difficult but I managed to do pretty well. I became sober and by 1997, I had started college again and I got pregnant with my oldest son. I was healthier than a horse. When people suffer depression or anxiety (or both at the same time!) it is very easy to say, ‘Screw it! I need to relax. I gotta get happy.’ This is counter-productive in the long run. Alcohol is a depressant and waking up the next day after binge-drinking, can be a moody rollercoaster ride of emotions. Then another hard week at sober life, and we feel like giving ourselves a nice reward. This is where we may first see an unhealthy cycle developing.

The best alternative is making our frosty beverage full of vitamins and electrolytes. We’ve already spent who knows how long using alcohol to deplete the minerals our bodies need to keep us healthy and happy. Juicing daily can simultaneously detoxify and replace what you stole from yourself. You can either do it HARDCORE...like Steff of Hardcore Juices, who juices every day, makes her own juices, also sells those juices (in environmentally safe packaging of course!) and she has a group for juicers who swap recipes, advice, and stories. Or maybe, like me, you occasionally add juicing to your diet throughout your day.

Way back in the day, I carried a bottle of water with lemon and honey in it everywhere. I got way too comfortable hanging with my friends and feeling comfortable with a beer in my hand. I was developing a bad habit. I knew my body wasn’t craving the alcohol, I just used it as a crutch. I have a heart condition, diagnosed as Chronic Low Blood pressure, and a very low tolerance to alcohol. I knew drinking was bad for me. I needed to detoxify and replenish, so water, honey, and lemon slices it was! When I swapped out the drink in my hand, I had to learn different ways to control my anxiety. This is where exercise comes in!

Exercise: The Mind and Body

Yoga, walking, weight-lifting, or even light exercise are great for the heart and mind! Yoga is more of a meditation while you exercise, since the poses need to be done correctly and with intention. Breathing properly through any type of workout is a meditation in itself. This will help uplift your mood, and release all those natural feel-good chemicals your brain can make by itself. Surely you didn’t think nature forgot about that, did you? Just a little blood-pumping, oxygen producing kick to your body and brain, for a few mins each day, can improve how you feel! Even if you just start out with a nice routine of stretching for 15 mins a day, you’ll start to feel the benefits after a week. Then you can start getting a little tougher on yourself! Eventually, you may find yourself working out for an hour or two per day.

Yoga is everywhere and there are even gym’s right now that offer live video workouts until they re-open to the public. It’s pretty easy to get yourself into an exercise routine as long as you self-discipline to stick with it every day. On the one or two days a week that you need to rest your body, you’re still moving around, and probably becoming mentally aware of HOW you are moving around. You’ll probably find yourself doing every day normal things with the same intention you workout with. You feel the way you perform these activities is different from any other time, because now you actually notice them! Do you know why? Because you got yourself a healthy habit! Much better than drinking alcohol, huh?

Hobbies

There is nothing worse than idle hands. Sure you have your favorite juicing recipes and you exercise regularly, but what NOW? You find yourself bored and thinking of the things you used to do when you were drunk. You might be missing those unhealthy things. You never felt so bored. That right there is one of the most annoying statements to me: I’m so bored. I have had so many people say that to me in my life and I just look at them like they’re crazy! There is SO MUCH to do! Even indoors there are things to do. Start a terrarium garden. Worried about the price of fresh fruits for your juices and smoothies? You can start a garden, either inside or outside, so some of the things you use, and cook meals with, are free. You can start making crafts just to keep your mind sharp.

During these crazy pandemic days, when we have no idea what to expect from day-to-day, you can opt to sit at home and be miserable, or you can choose to make the hours worthwhile. Many who have to suddenly learn how to work from home, have no idea what to do when they can’t log in for work. Some people don’t have the option to even do that. Waiting at home until places re-open, with an unemployment check in the bank account, today can be STRESSFUL!

Here are some cool ideas:

make an indoor garden (I know someone who does this and there are groups of like-minded individuals who trade and sell them)

cultivate a fish tank

learn how to paint old furniture (Heirloom Paint has a wide selection of colors, types, and painting accessories for everything from wood, to porcelain)

learn to make dreamcatchers

learn how to repair…something!

discover what you are passionate about and take an online class

learn how to paint old dishes for resale

rearrange everything in your home, so it’s like a new place, for your new and sober life!

Photo by Portuguese Gravity on Unsplash

Counseling

Sometimes when we start bad habits, like drinking alcohol, it’s to escape from feelings that are unavoidable. Maybe there was a childhood trauma, or a traumatic relationship, or a life event that we don’t think we can face. Counseling can help us work through life’s issues when we have no coping skills. Calling a therapist, or psychiatrist, when discovering that we may need the help of a professional so we can stay sober is one of the best ways to go. That’s what they are there for! And everything between you and your therapist is confidential, so you can be totally honest with them. Not everyone has a support system, from family and friends, to get through difficulties. Pick up the phone and call a local therapist!

This is what being sober is: A NEW LIFE. Those who can’t accept this new you, will eventually come to understand how great your choice is for you! It can make you happier, healthier, and when WE are, we start to gravitate towards others who are as well! Maybe you even discover that your friends and family needed someone to take the initiative of choosing sobriety and they offer to do it with you! If they decide to be negative and rude, then that is their problem. Don’t let it bring you down! Jealousy can happen, it’s natural, but it just means you are going in a different direction…and that’s a part of life!

This blog is dedicated to Dr. Herman Falsetti, originally from Niagara Falls, NY who passed away in California on June 2, 2020 and was a supporter of The Canyon Club...

...and Ashland Home, which provides a safe and caring living environment for women to get sober and begin a foundation towards recovery. If you would like to make a donation, they can be made to :

If you or someone you know has a problem with Alcohol or Drugs, please call the National Council on Drug and Alcohol Dependence: 1–800-NCA-CALL (1–800–622–2252)