You feel like a basket case - always worried about something, disappointed in people, serious about your high expectations, overly hopeful then crushed by reality.  Up and down, up and down, it never stops.  Your husband wonders why you are never happy anymore, and he’s more than a bit concerned about your increased “happy hour” times at the bar after work during the week.  You say it’s just for fun and blowing off steam.  Should he lay off your business, or does he have a point?

So what do you think?  Does your husband have a legitimate concern or should he stop trying to boss you around?  Before making a judgment, lets take a closer look at several parts of the situation. 

Your Husband’s Concerned About Your Drinking

Unless he’s a complete jerk, he probably wants the best for you.  He’s bothered by several happy hour times during the week.  In fact, you sometimes go beyond happy hour and stay out until well into the evening.  You don’t often have supper together.  Maybe he misses you, wonders why going out seems more important.

You Are Obviously Drunk When You Come Home Each Time

He knows you are going to get drunk every time you get home from the bar.  The way he sees it, you are fairly willing to be drunk during much of the precious little time you have together during the week (since you go most days after work).  That means he’s sober and you’re not.  Not a very mutual experience in his eyes.

Your Husband Knows You Get Anxious and Tense

Your husband knows you, has tried to help you calm down but to little avail.  He understands that your job is stressful, but he wonders how it got this bad.  When you’re not drunk, you often fly off the handle at him.  He walks on eggshells because he sees you as overly sensitive and hard to settle down. 

You Self-Medicate Your Anxiety With Alcohol

You know it, but you don’t want to believe it could be a problem.  You drink because you are too tense and overwhelmed with work.  Instead of going home and having trouble unwinding, you’ve found it is much easier to go to the bar after work.  A few friends are often willing to go at least once a week, but you are often there alone. 

Is Drug Rehab in Your Future

So what do you think?  Does this really sound like a nosy husband who should stay out of your business?  When you take a look at the facts, it seems clear that the “you” in this story really needs some alcohol rehab.   She is drinking alone, losing control and getting drunk frequently, self-medicating for anxiety, choosing to drink instead of being with her husband, and denying she has a problem.

Drug and alcohol treatment can really help someone who has lost control of their drinking.  The woman in this situation didn’t set out to get addicted to alcohol - she mostly wanted to manage her symptoms of high anxiety.  When you have both a mental illness (anxiety) and an addiction (alcohol), you have a dual diagnosis. 

This is no time for self-treatment.  Alcohol rehab with professional counselors is the very best treatment for this kind of problem.  Denial is challenged, family problems are addressed, support is given, anxiety is treated in the right manner, and the person is educated about their dual diagnoses.  If this sounded like you or someone you know, get moving in the right direction with alcohol rehab.

Have you been worried about the US and world economies the last few weeks?  You and just about everyone else.  People with a history of drug and alcohol addiction are vulnerable right now.  With widespread worry and economic problems piling up each day, anyone at risk for addiction or addiction relapse needs to take a good look at how they will weather this storm.

Money Worries Make People Want To Escape With Drugs And Alcohol

The economy is at the center of everyone’s financial prosperity, security, and trust in leadership.  When the economy has big problems, it’s hard to find anyone who is untouched by fear and worry.  This level of concern can trigger alcohol and drug addiction problems that have been lying dormant or in remission for a while. 

Small worries grow into bigger worries.  Bigger worries grow into fear.  Fear grows into panic.  Before long, a person drowning in stress and anxiety can’t take it anymore.  Do they turn to healthy coping skills like exercise and talking to friends, or do they turn to unhealthy choices drugs and alcohol?  It all depends on the person. 

President Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  There are some real things to fear in the world, but it’s also true that fear fuels more fear even when the triggers themselves haven’t increased.  For a person with a vulnerable personality or drug addiction history, the cycle can spin out of control quickly.

How To Prevent Addiction Relapse In This Bad Economy

First, figure out what you can control and start there.  You as an individual can’t do much about the ups and downs of the stock market, but you can control what feeds your emotions.  For women in particular, research shows that drug addiction gets footholds through emotional pathways.  This is a critical fact to keep at the center of an addiction relapse prevention plan.  Keep the emotional reactions and fluctuations in good balance, and the risk for relapse or beginning a new addiction remains small. 

Here are some ideas for controlling your emotional condition during these uncertain times. 

1 - Control your in-flow of information.  If watching the news gets you nervous, shut it off or throw out the newspaper.  Check it once a day, every other day, or whatever amount is helpful.  The point is to reduce the amount of stress-inducing information your brain has to process.  Let your brain rest and process information without overloading it.

2 - Keep a short list of healthy coping skills that work for you.  These should be simple things like taking a walk, doing a favorite hobby, talking to a friend, etc.   When you are becoming stressed and feel like you can’t think straight, check your list and just follow the directions.  You’ll feel refreshed and less focused on the stressful emotions.  When you are calm, you can take a look at your bigger financial picture if needed. 

3 - Don’t make important decisions about your finances when you are highly emotional.  Emotions can take you places your common sense wouldn’t let you go.   If action needs to be taken with finances or business issues, be sure you have someone else you trust to calmly talk you through it.  You may act hastily if your emotions take over, and a disasterous result may push you quickly towards addiction relapse.

Deal With Addiction Relapse By Going To Drug Rehab

If you find that you’ve slipped into a serious addiction relapse, just stop and take a breath.  There is hope at The Orchid Recovery for Women.  Call them and they will help you get started with drug rehab for women.

Mental illness is a common ailment for millions of people, but you may never know it.  Part of the problem is that mental illness has been kept in the dark for years.  The National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) seeks to shine a light into the darkness this week.  National Mental Illness Awareness Week is a tribute to spreading accurate information and break the stigma of mental illness.

The Stigma of Mental Illness

The experience of enduring a mental illness is bad enough on its own.  However, it also comes with some baggage.  Many people feel there is a stigma to the label of “mental illness.”  Images of heartless medical staff, padded rooms, and people with wild hair come to mind.  These mental pictures have been shown in magazines, books, TV shows, and movies.  They can be hard to shake, especially since they create such a disturbing aura around anything resembling mental illness.

Who really wants to believe they are “going crazy” or “losing their mind”?  In fact, the stigma is part of the reason people with mental illness stay so isolated from others and from the care they need.  Each mental illness does something to distort thinking and exaggerate emotional intensity. 

These factors often spur on beliefs about being worthless and not deserving of good will from others.  Add on the potential embarassment and rejection from others upon finding out the big secret, and you can understand why the true rates of mental illness may never be known.

What You Need To Know About Mental Illness

Mental Illness is common.  You very likely have a friend, coworker, or family member who has been or is currently experiencing a mental illness.  It’s also likely that you won’t know about it until it’s over or after it’s persisted for quite a while.  Even close friends or family members may make excuses, hide symptoms, or deny any suggestion that they have a problem.  Yes, the stigma and the nature of mental illness are that potent. 

The term “mental illness” includes many different problems ranging from mild anxiety or depression to more intense disorders such as bipolar or schizophrenia.  Some are temporary, lasting only a few months.  Others require occassional hospitalization and many recurring cycles throughout a person’s lifetime.  Family history plays a significant role, but it does not mean everyone is destined to repeat the mistake of others.  With help and support, people with mild to severe mental illnesses can have productive fulfilling lives.

Once you experience something like depression or significant anxiety, there is an increased risk of having it occur again.  However, mental illness is very treatable with mental health counseling, the use of medication when it seems appropriate, and support networks.  The greatest struggle might simply be getting a person in the door.  Once they see a therapist or doctor, there are many ways to create a personalized plan for treatment.

Help and Hope For All with Mental Illness and Drug and Alcohol Addiction

Open your eyes to mental illness - it could be closer to you than you think.  If you know someone with mental illness or drug and alcohol addiction, counseling and drug rehab are life-changing treatments.  Mental illness and drug addiction are not destinies for a miserable hopeless life.  There is help and hope for all.