Now that the holidays are over and life is returning to its normal routines, some of the population will be reflecting on the drinking pattern that occurred during those holiday parties and events. The side effects associated with drinking alcohol can go from the very moderate to the very extreme and there is only one person that can identify which one you are, and that person is you. Around recovery circles there is a famous saying: “If you think you have an alcohol problem, you probably do.”

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Life, especially everyday life, and overall human life fulfillment, depends a great deal upon a healthy balance in terms of what you do every day, what your short term goals, and long term goals are; or, perhaps dreams for many. Quite simply, eat until you are full, no more, no less!!! Or? Eat until you are slightly less than full, which is ideal, because anything more than that causes you pain (from being too full, to in some case becoming obese, or overweight.) Psychology tells us that we essentially need three things to survive: food (including water), sleep, and a sexual outlet of some sort…lack of any one or more of these things means in some cases either death, or a disturbance in life until the need is in some way met! You cannot do anything exclusively without tiring of it! Life is very much about change; nature, and change, are very much synonymous. You need time to work, time to eat, time to sleep, time to relax, time to be alone, time to dream, and to fantasize…in essence, life cannot be more about any one thing to the point of detriment to other important areas of your life – no one thing can be done exclusively – without causing a disturbance to the self, and often to society, and in the case of alcoholism and addiction, even to family members and loved one’s.

An addictive personality, or a “proneness to addictive behavior “, often forms from an “unmet need “ in life, sometimes not even perceptible to the mind of the afflicted (being as it is subconscious, occurring in early childhood perhaps, and beyond the reach of cognitive abilities or memory. Hypnosis, or psychotherapy, is sometimes prescribed.) This “unmet need “ tries to “meet “ itself by means of the self bonding with an activity, a drug perhaps…i.e. a “fix “! In that the “unmet need “ is trying to meet itself, and satisfy itself by artificial means, one becomes addicted to a certain behavior or activity that brings physical gratification instead of emotional satisfaction; a sort of “pseudo replacement “ for the real “unmet need “.

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When we’re tired we get irritable and stressed; and it’s far easier to give into temptation in a moment of weakness. Clinical research supports what logic tells us, and sleeping problems are significantly correlated with greater rate of relapse.

Why we get insomnia during long term alcohol withdrawal

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