Alcohol

Quit Drinking Alcohol

April 6, 2020 / Alcohol

If you’ve been drinking heavily and have been trying to quit drinking alcohol, you know that it’s not an easy task to accomplish. Perhaps you have tried on more than one occasion to quit drinking alcohol and haven’t been successful. Or maybe this is your first time attempting to reach your goal. In any case, you should know that it is possible to quit drinking and then go on and lead a happy and productive life. The Effects of Alcohol on your Body Drinking too much – whether it’s on a single occasion or over a much longer period of …

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Which Parts of the Brain are Impaired By Alcohol?

April 7, 2020 / Addiction Science, Alcohol, Research/Trends/Statistics

Alcohol is a type of drug known as a Central Nervous System (CNS) depressant, meaning that it tends to decrease neuronal activity occurring in the brain and spinal cord. This decrease in activity contributes to some of the slow, sedating side effects the drug imparts on its consumers, like slurred speech and stumbling movements. Alcohol is able to cause this decrease in neuron activity by increasing the activity of an important cell-signaling chemical in the nervous system called y-aminobutyric acid, otherwise known as “GABA.” This neurotransmitter is the body’s main inhibitory signaler. It moves around interacting with neurons and instructing …

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Alcohol Education Resources

April 6, 2020 / Addiction Science, Alcohol, Research/Trends/Statistics

Two Dreams encourages everyone to utilize the many alcohol education resources available online and in your local libraries and bookstores. The following is a compilation of alcohol education resources that we find to be particularly useful and informative: Adult Children of Alcoholics World Service Organization, Inc. This organization caters to adults who were raised in dysfunctional environments and who exhibit traits characteristic to survivors of past abuse and/or neglect. The group implements the 12-step model, one of the most well-known and celebrated methods of recovery support in the world, and emphasizes the importance of emotional healing through meeting attendance, sponsorship, …

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November 2015’s Dream Journal

April 6, 2020 / 12 Steps, Addiction Science, Alcohol, Art Therapy, Chicago, Co-Occurring Disorders/Comorbidity, Criminal Justice, Dream Journal, Drug Testing, Drugs and the Brain, Heroin and Opioids, Holistic Care and Treatment, Inpatient, Intensive Outpatient, Intervention, Medical Consequences, Mental Health, Mindfulness, New Orleans, Outer Banks, Outpatient, Pain, Prescription Drugs & Cold Medicines, Prevention, Recreation, Research/Trends/Statistics

Dream Journal Volume XXXIV / NOV 2015 Note from Dr. B. The ongoing opioid overdose crisis has prompted the CDC to take action in the form of developing new guidelines for qualified prescribers. First and foremost, the CDC stresses that opioid therapy should be utilized only if all other treatment options have been exhausted. Opioids can vastly improve functionality and quality of life, but the benefits must be weighed against the risks of tolerance, addiction, overdose, etc. If opioids are absolutely necessary, the prescribing physician and patient should work together to formulate a safe plan of approach and establish realistic treatment …

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Reverence and Respect – October 2015

April 6, 2020 / 12 Steps, Addiction Science, Alcohol, Art Therapy, Chicago, Co-Occurring Disorders/Comorbidity, Criminal Justice, Dream Journal, Drugs and the Brain, Heroin and Opioids, Holistic Care and Treatment, Inpatient, Intensive Outpatient, Medical Consequences, Mental Health, Mindfulness, New Orleans, Outer Banks, Outpatient, Prescription Drugs & Cold Medicines, Prevention, Recreation, Research/Trends/Statistics, Women and Drugs

The Dream Journal Volume XXXIII / October 2015 Note from Dr. B. The Walk on Washington was a great success! The Two Dreams staff gathered in Washington DC on October 4th in a collective effort to support policies that will improve addiction recovery and end the stigma against those with the disease. Major media networks covered the event, so our voices were heard all across the nation. Fall is a time of transformation, and we look forward to affecting more change as we move towards the end of the year. Monthly Tradition “Tradition Ten – Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on …

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Keeping it Simple with Service – September 2015

April 6, 2020 / 12 Steps, Alcohol, Art Therapy, Chicago, Dream Journal, Holistic Care and Treatment, Inpatient, Intensive Outpatient, Mental Health, Mindfulness, New Orleans, Outer Banks, Outpatient, Prevention, Recreation, Young Adults/Teens/College-Aged

Dream Journal Volume XXXII / September 2015 Note from Dr. B. September is National Recovery Month, a time to celebrate healing and to speak out against the stigma surrounding addiction. The Two Dreams staff members stayed busy this month, especially on the 26th. Clients and staff alike attended the 6th Annual Walk Against Addiction in North Carolina, which was designed to raise awareness of the epidemic that addiction is becoming in America. Our Clinical Director for Two Dreams Outer Banks, Brett Dunning, was a featured speaker at the event. He spoke out against the stigma that patients experience, and emphasized that …

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Lose Interest in Selfish Things – July Dream Journal 2014

April 6, 2020 / 12 Steps, Addiction Science, Alcohol, Dream Journal, Drugs and the Brain, Holistic Care and Treatment, Inpatient, Medical Consequences, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Nutrition, Outer Banks, Recreation, Research/Trends/Statistics, Sleep Hygiene

Dream Journal Volume XIX / July 2014 Note from Dr B. It gives me great pleasure to announce that I have been featured in the current issue of Addiction Professional Addiction Professional. I emphasize in the article the call to come together as treatment providers and programs and set aside our differences. This message parallels our theme for this month, which is about losing interest in selfish things and gaining interest in our fellows. The disease we face is complex and relentless, and to keep evolving as a community we must face it together. Monthly Promise #7: “We will lose interest in …

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Admit Powerlessness – June Dream Journal 2013

April 6, 2020 / Alcohol, Dream Journal, Heroin and Opioids, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Prescription Drugs & Cold Medicines, Public Health, Recreation, Research/Trends/Statistics, Women and Drugs

VOLUME VI / JUNE 2013 Two Dreams is a wellness program led by Andrea G. Barthwell, MD, FASAM that provides individualized care for those who dream of recovering a healthy lifestyle. GUEST COLUMNIST Our featured guest writer this month is nationally-renowned consultant and lecturer Chris Schroeder, who has been actively involved in helping those afflicted by alcoholism, and has remained committed to the development and improvement of addictive illness recovery for over 22 years. This month he teaches us about Step One, and how to admit powerlessness. VOLUME VI / JUNE 2013 Two Dreams is a wellness program led by …

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Become Unmanageable – July Dream Journal 2013

April 6, 2020 / Alcohol, Dream Journal, Inpatient, Methamphetamines, Nutrition, Outer Banks, Prescription Drugs & Cold Medicines, Recreation, Research/Trends/Statistics, Young Adults/Teens/College-Aged

VOLUME VII / JULY 2013 Two Dreams is a wellness program led by Andrea G. Barthwell, MD, FASAM that provides individualized care for those who dream of recovering a healthy lifestyle. GUEST COLUMNIST We also admit that, “Our lives having become unmanageable”. There are two distinct types of unmanageability we experience: outward and inward. We all experience the outward effects of our behavior. If we drink we can get DUIs and suffer through hangovers; if we over-eat, we gain weight; if we gamble we lose money we need. These effects cause setbacks, and hurt the ones we love the most. …

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Character Flaws and Mistakes – August Dream Journal 2013

April 6, 2020 / Alcohol, Dream Journal, Drug Testing, Inpatient, Marijuana, Mindfulness, Outer Banks, Public Health, Recreation, Research/Trends/Statistics, Young Adults/Teens/College-Aged

VOLUME VIII / AUG 2013 Two Dreams is a wellness program led by Andrea G. Barthwell, MD, FASAM that provides individualized care for those who dream of recovering a healthy lifestyle. NOTE FROM DR. B. On August 1, 2013, Illinois governor Pat Quinn signed a bill legalizing the approved use of “medical” marijuana. This unfortunate news will likely worsen highway safety, increase substance abuse treatment demand, increase workplace costs as productivity decreases, and threaten community safety near the new dispensaries. It is due to the implications of this bill that I feel so strongly about my project, The Parents Academy. …

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