Alcoholism as a Disease, Not a Weakness
by David Chandler

Alcoholism is a disease in which drinkers have lost the ability to control their drinking, leading to physical and mental harm and loss of ability to behave in a socially acceptable manner. Alcoholism is a chronic, progressive, pathological condition that affects the nervous and digestive system, caused by the inability to stop drinking despite adverse consequences such as loss of job, family, and health. The disease is potentially fatal, however the most disturbing and debilitating part of alcoholism is the loss of self-respect, the possible job loss, and the toll it takes on the alcoholics family. There is also indication that there may be a genetic component with alcoholism.

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence defines alcoholism as characterized by “impaired control over dinking…and distortions in thinking, most notably denial.” This means that for many alcoholics, they are unable to make a decision to stop drinking without the help of others.

Symptoms of the disease include but are not limited to sneaking drinks, lying about the amount consumed, irritability when alcohol is not available, mood swings, loss of appetite, a puffiness of the face, job loss and a high number of traffic tickets.

Family members need to develop an awareness of the disease and talk with the alcoholic. Most alcoholics are in denial and talking to the person about their disease can be very difficult. Choose a time when the person is sober. In addition, talking to the person after an alcoholic problem as occurred, such as a family argument, or a drunken driving ticket, for example, may be a good time to talk. Unfortunately waiting for a problem to occur from alcoholic behaviors can have serious consequences.

Family members coping with an alcoholic or addict can cause a great deal of stress in the family life. Therefore, there are support groups for Al-Alteen for children and teenagers. Al-Anon is for the spouse or loved one that has to cope with an alcoholic. These groups teach family members on how to cope with the alcoholic and process their emotions.

There are studies that want you to believe that alcoholism is not a disease. They are wrong. Alcoholism is a disease and while there is no cure, it is treatable. If it were not a disease, insurance companies would not pay for treatment.

For more information, visit: www.AlcoholismInfoCenter.com

A Proven Way That Women Can Quit Drinking Without AA
by Jeannie Long

A Proven Way That Women Can Quit Drinking Without AA

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has helped millions of people recover from alcoholism. For many women, however, AA may not be the best choice when it comes to the difficult task of quitting drinking. The main reason it may not be the best choice is this:

AA is based on the philosophy that self-centeredness is the root of alcoholism. In other words, AA's approach is to instill humility and minimize egotism in its members.

While this method may have been appropriate for white males in the 1940's when AA was founded, it does not meet the very different needs of women. Here's why.

- Women who have a problem with alcohol oftentimes suffer from feelings of guilt and low self-esteem.

- Women already judge and berate themselves mercilessly.

- What women need to recover is to develop a sense of competency in themselves and rebuild their feelings of self-worth.

- Quitting drinking requires overcoming dependencies, forgetting the past and planning for the future.

SELF EMPOWERMENT, NOT HUMILITY, LEADS TO SOBRIETY

I agree that it is necessary for a woman to have humility in order to accept that she has a drinking problem. But taking humility beyond this first step is actually counter productive for the woman alcoholic.

Jean Kirkpatrick, Ph.D., founder of the Women for Sobriety Program (WFS), writes that "to accept humility is absolutely the worst thing that could happen to a woman alcoholic." From long experience Jean understood that for women to overcome feelings of helplessness and powerlessness they must have a program that helps them to rebuild their self-image.

DOES GIVING YOURSELF UP TO A HIGHER POWER WORK FOR YOU?

The main component of AA's program is spirituality. Specifically, they believe that in order to recover, one must surrender one's will to a higher power.

WFS, on the other hand, does not encourage reliance on a higher power or something outside yourself. Women for Sobriety believes that your power must come from within.

THE WOMEN FOR SOBRIETY PROGRAM WORKS

This new, empowering method for women to quit drinking produces concrete results. An interesting study was published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse by L. A. Kaskutas in 1996.

What the study found was that after women became really aware that they had to do something about their drinking, the percentage of women who were sober within 1 year after attending Women for Sobriety meetings was 38%. In contrast, the percentage of women who were sober within 1 year after attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings was 26%.

WHY HAVEN'T I HEARD OF WFS?

One of the reasons why AA meetings are so prevalent is the fact that one aspect of their spiritual philosophy is a strong emphasis on service. Specifically, AA members are encouraged to attend meetings for life, and be part of a sponsorship program where experienced members assist beginners.

In contrast, because WFS encourages self-sufficiency, it does not promote lifelong attendance at meetings. Also, although WFS does not have a formal sponsorship program, it encourages an informal support structure among the women. A result of this WFS philosophy of leading women away from dependencies is that meetings are not as widely found with the Women for Sobriety Program as they are with AA.

The Women for Sobriety web site does, however, provide support in the form of on-line meetings, chat, and a bulletin board. They also have a large collection of popular books on recovery as well as their own literature for sale. This contrasts with AA meetings where only AA approved literature is allowed.

WFS MEETINGS ENCOURAGE CONVERSATION BETWEEN WOMEN

I like that WFS permits a wide range of meeting topics. And one of the best aspects of the WFS meeting format is that conversation is encouraged whereas AA has a strict "no cross-talk" rule during meetings.

Another difference between WFS and AA is that one-third of WFS members also attend AA meetings because they need more frequent meetings to stay sober and they like the fellowship and support. Women for Sobriety is open to this approach and, in fact, states that their Program "can be used with or without AA."

AA, however, tends to discourage attendance at alternative programs. This can be seen through some of the wording in the introductory portion of the meeting where it is stated, "rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path," and, later: "many of us thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not."

WOMEN'S REACTIONS AFTER ATTENDING THEIR FIRST WFS MEETING

Power comes from looking forward not back. It is very important for women to have a positive, proactive force supporting them when it comes to quitting drinking. This is different than the AA approach of focusing on negative memories of the past to prevent drinking in the future.

A classic example of this is I have had many women come to my Women for Sobriety group and tell me that after hearing a person's drinking story at an AA speaker meeting, they felt so badly when leaving the meeting that they just wanted to go out and drink. In contrast, many women share with me that they feel positive and hopeful for the future when they get out of our WFS meeting.

WHERE YOU CAN LEARN MORE

If you are curious about learning more about the Women for Sobriety Program, click on the link I've provided below. There you will find some resources that I have put together for you. Some of these resources include:

- Statistics on reasons why women like or dislike WFS and AA - Specific details about the entire Women for Sobriety Program - A revealing book describing the AA Program from a woman's perspective - Why the Women for Sobriety Program may not be for you

http://www.ajpip.com/addictions/site_map.htm

AA has been responsible for helping women get and remain sober for many years and I applaud their efforts. However, I spent 3 years in and out of AA at the beginning of my sobriety and I was never able to get my heart into the program.

During that 3 years I purchased and read all the WFS literature and finally engaged the help of a private therapist. When I finally got empowered enough to start a WFS meeting in my area, my ability to stay sober became permanent.

I DID IT, YOU CAN DO IT TOO!

I have been sober for 8 years now. I attribute my continuous sobriety to several things that the WFS Program revealed to me:

- The importance of getting to know myself and the reasons why I drank - How to develop a lasting positive self-image - The power was within me to pursue my true interests - That long-term sobriety is possible with the support of like-minded women in my WFS group

About the Author

Jeannie Long now enjoys 8 years of continuous sobriety. She leads a weekly support group for women using the Women for Sobriety Program.

She helps women achieve better physical and mental health through her health related web sites and newsletters.

To read about the subjects covered in Jeannie's Commit to Recovery newsletter, click on the following link: http://www.ajpip.com/addictions/anopi/dir/jncrb.htm

About the Author

Jeannie Long now enjoys 8 years of continuous sobriety. She leads a weekly support group for women using the Women for Sobriety Program.

She helps women achieve better physical and mental health through her health related web sites and newsletters.

To read about the subjects covered in Jeannie's Commit to Recovery newsletter, click on the following link: http://www.ajpip.com/addictions/anopi/dir/jncrb.htm

Jeannie Long may be contacted at http://www.ajpip.com/addictions/site_map.htm or jclong@bigplanet.com

(NAPSA)-In a report titled, "Empowering Resources in the Battle against Alcoholism," Healthy Solutions, a distributor of health care-related television and Web content, recently examined the newest FDA approved drug for the treatment of alcohol dependence. For the first time in a decade, the FDA has approved a new medication for the treatment of this chronic disease. Campral (acamprosate) is indicated to help patients maintain abstinence from alcohol when combined with behavioral support.

Technology is making it easier to monitor and manage diabetes. Pump therapy can mimic what the pancreas does much better than injections alone. The latest "smart" pumps-the Paradigm(r) 515 and 715 insulin pump systems-were recently unveiled by Medtronic Diabetes, a leader in insulin pump therapy. For more information, visit www. minimed.com.

On busy workdays, it's just as easy to go for healthy meal choices and snacks, as it is unhealthy ones. For example, zero in on healthier grab-and-go food choices such as soup, carrot sticks, yogurt or cereal bars. You can also choose a soft drink with zero regrets. Diet Rite has seven delicious flavors, contains zero carbs, zero calories, zero sodium and zero caffeine; and is the first soft drink sweetened with Splenda(r) Brand Sweetener.

After one of the most impressive rookie seasons in league history, WNBA star Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury was named 2004 WNBA Rookie of the Year. Also in her Rookie year, she won an ESPY Award for "Best Female Athlete" and became an Olympian helping the USA Basketball Women's Senior National Team bring home its third gold medal. She's also the spokesperson for the WNBA Be Smart-Be Fit-Be Yourself Program. For more information, visit www.wnba.com.

A recent study found that men who took a combination of selenium, lycopene, cligopyrocyanidin, vitamin E, and zinc developed fewer prostate cancers than predicted and no other types of cancer. For a free copy of the Report, call 1-800-685-4912 or write to Ross Z. Pierpont, M.D., Box 450 Camp Meade Rd., Linthicum, MD 21090.