What Is Moderation? Do you have some concerns about your drinking but aren’t willing to give up alcohol completely? Have you thought about moderating your drinking? What does this mean exactly? It might be easier to start by defining heavy drinking. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines heavy drinking as: ForContinue reading Drinking in Moderation: A Harm-Reduction Approach
TIP Skills: Regulating Our Bodies to Cope with Distress
TIP Skills The TIP skills in DBT help you cope with a difficult situation or crisis without making things worse. They represent part of our crisis survival skills. You might use them when flooded with emotion, when in distress, or when you have the urge to engage in a destructive behavior. With the TIP skills,Continue reading TIP Skills: Regulating Our Bodies to Cope with Distress
Home for the Holidays: Coping with Triggers
Going home for the holidays For some, the holidays evoke family, connection, and cheer. But, this time of year can be tough for many folks, particularly those in recovery from an eating disorder, substance use disorder, trauma, depression, or other mental health concern. Visiting people or places that bring up uncomfortable memories – or causeContinue reading Home for the Holidays: Coping with Triggers
Legal Drinking
Do Lawyers Drink More than Other Professionals? Over the course of 15 years of working with individuals who struggle with alcohol use disorders, I’ve heard plenty of stories of attorneys entertaining clients for hours on end, of bottles of hard liquor tucked away into desk drawers at the firm, and work cultures that normalize excessiveContinue reading Legal Drinking
Forgive Yourself: A Step-by-Step Guide
You might be struggling with a relapse or having engaged in a behavior you regret. Maybe you said something you didn’t mean or lost your cool completely. Perhaps the situation has past, but you’re rattled with guilt or shame. You might be struggling with symptoms of anxiety or depression. How do you recover? Learning howContinue reading Forgive Yourself: A Step-by-Step Guide
Sexual Assault and Alcohol Use
CW: rape/sexual assault The Ford/Kavanaugh case has engendered numerous discussions about the connection between drinking and sexual assault. People – even in the mental health profession – are speculating about the accuracy of Dr. Ford’s report given her (reportedly minor) alcohol consumption around the time of her assault. Others are wondering whether or not KavanaughContinue reading Sexual Assault and Alcohol Use
What I Learned from Nearly Two Years of Alcohol Abstinence
It’s been a long time since I had a drink. A really long time. The last time I drank was December, 2016. I didn’t intend to stop after this glass of wine, consumed at a dinner party alongside home-cooked Indian food. But then I noticed that a couple of months went by without my havingContinue reading What I Learned from Nearly Two Years of Alcohol Abstinence
Mommy Drinking: How Wine-Mom Culture Has Normalized Alcohol Misuse
If you’re a mom, it’s hard to escape the “wine mom” memes, the ones that lightheartedly encourage you to drink because, woman, kids are tough. Mommy drinking is real. There’s a Facebook page with over 700,000 followers called “Moms Who Need Wine.” Mothers kid that it’s always “wine o’clock,” get together for boozy play dates,Continue reading Mommy Drinking: How Wine-Mom Culture Has Normalized Alcohol Misuse
Drinking: How Much Is Too Much?
Have you ever wondered if you have a drinking problem? Has anyone suggested that your alcohol use is concerning? When you go out drinking, do you have 4 of 5 drinks, maybe more? Do a couple of glasses of wine eventually turn into the whole bottle? Is there a set time of day when youContinue reading Drinking: How Much Is Too Much?