Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 at
12:03 pm
Copyright (c) 2009 Riley West I remember the first time I had a panic attack. My life was a mess and not the same again until I got a handle on it and it went away. Yes, it can go away. For me the panic attacks lasted several years, about 5 or 6. I fought them every way I could think of including alcohol, running, meditating, and various other things. When I think back it looks like panic attacks couldn’t possibly have entered my life. I was a risk taker. I was a boxer. I was an airplane pilot. I was a horseman for years in Montana. I still ride motorcycles! I was never bullied and I wasn’t intimidated. No one ever picked on me and I sure as heck wasn’t a sissy. I went through High School in Montana and went into college there, too. I spent several great years chasing degrees and women and married a real sweetheart. I had been nervous a time or two, but I had never experienced anything like a panic attack. At 30 years of age I was 6’2″ and 190 lbs. I was in great shape! The panic attacks struck suddenly, seemingly from nowhere. By that time owned my own businesses for 6 years. I was at a convention in L.A. and a friend drove me to LAX so I could go back to Oregon, the rugged Northwest and my family. I was sitting in the waiting area watching the incredible variety of people you see at LAX when I heard the boarding call. At this time I had been an aircraft pilot for 6 years and had my own aircraft. I should have flown it down but it was cheaper and much faster to take the jet. I got in line. We started moving toward the tunnel to board the plane when something “went off” in my stomach. I was suddenly VERY uneasy. Within seconds I wanted to run but I thought I was crazy AND I didn’t want anyone else to know. Somehow I got on that plane. By now the panic attack was in full bloom. I was pouring sweat. I was shaking. I was afraid…but not afraid of something that made sense. I really felt like I could die right there, right then. The fear was immense and made me feel crazy because, as near as I could tell, there was no reason for this. Something was wrong with me! I was doing fine an hour ago and now I’m a basket case. I was afraid I’d have to panic further and demand they land and let me off. I wanted to run. I sat there, in my window seat, looking out at the scenery, like I used to love to do, but now all I had were legions of confused, evil feeling ideas swirling around inside my head. I had to keep them in there. I couldn’t let anybody know! When the Flight attendants approached me I didn’t look up and just shook my head. That was the longest flight of my life even though it was less than two hours. I even had thoughts of jumping out of the plane. I thought about my family, my wife, and my kids. I tried to force myself to only think about positive things and, about an hour and a half after the panic attack started, it started to fade…slowly. I was so happy and relieved. I began to worry that it would return! Up, down, the whole rest of the flight. When I got on the ground I went straight to the bar and drank a double of whisky. I grabbed my bags and went out to the car. I was thinking things like “What the hell was that!” Then, suddenly, it tried to come back! So I stuffed it. When I got home I didn’t tell my wife about it. In the morning everything looked OK and I let it ride. Until the panic attacks returned. I couldn’t get onto an elevator. I couldn’t meet with business associates in a closed room. I made a LOT of excuses. The next years were hard to get through. I tried everything I could. I knew what they were now, but I didn’t know how to get rid of them, until I fell across a book that I can’t recall the name of. I drove my little sports car to a spot down by the river and read the book. When I read a description of a person’s panic attack, it made me cry. It had several therapies, mostly mind work and meditating, and some phrases to repeat. It took a while but I felt immediate partial relief and encouragement. The panic attacks were the scariest things I had ever dealt with up till then and the idea of them coming back was chilling. But they never did. Later, I found out that once you get these things to leave you can get rid of them at will. Once you are to that point, the fear of the attacks returning loses it’s power and you can start living a full life again. You’ll be OK…don’t worry!
Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at
10:54 am
One point that is quite clear in the addiction treatment program in Texas is the fact that detoxification is not the end-all-and-be-all of the recovery process. In fact, the detoxification phase is just a medical phase that removes the presence of the addictive substance from the body and does not work for entire recovery from the dependency at all. The true treatment comes from removing the temptation for using the substance from the mind of the patient. This is the true meaning of rehabilitation anyway; to make the patient readjust himself or herself to the life left behind due to the addiction.
An addiction treatment center in Texas realizes that it is important to treat the mind of the person to overcome the addiction just as it is important to treat the body. That is the reason there is an elaborate aftercare program in the state that helps bring people completely into sobriety. Here we see some details on how the aftercare phase of the recovery program is implemented.
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Sunday, January 3rd, 2010 at
11:15 am
Alcohol and substance abuse or any other addictions will not take away your problems and fears. In the short run, they might make you feel better, but in the long run these addictions will only make things worse.
So what do you do to make your problems and fears go away? Well, since you can not runaway from them, then the best solution is to tackle your fears head on no matter how strong they may be. The key is to be smart in how you try to manage these fears. Here are some ways in how to manage your persistent fears and anxieties.
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Thursday, December 31st, 2009 at
10:31 am
Your fears, anxieties, and other problems have the best of you and you do not know where to turn for help. At some point you feel totally helpless as you struggle each day. No matter what you do, you cannot run away or hide from your fears. In these cases, some people will use alcohol or other substances to feel better.
Alcohol and substance abuse or any other addictions will not take away your problems and fears. In the short run, they might make you feel better, but in the long run these addictions will only make things worse.
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Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 at
10:38 am
It is not easy to deal with our fears and anxieties however trying to avoid them through Alcohol or other substances will not work. Avoiding your fears and anxieties will not make them go away. Your fears and anxieties will always be there. The best way to deal with your fears is to find effective ways to overcome them. As a result, here are some techniques a person can use to help manage their fears and anxieties.
The first step is to learn to take it one day at a time. Instead of worrying about how you will get through the rest of the week or coming month, try to focus on today. Each day can provide us with different opportunities to learn new things and that includes learning how to deal with your problems. Focus on the present and stop trying to predict what may happen next week. Next week will take care of itself.
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Monday, December 28th, 2009 at
11:25 am
One-third of the population experiences panic attacks caused by panic disorder according to statistics. The sufferer must first realize that he or she is indeed prone to the condition and seek out professional help to aid in stopping it. A doctor can diagnose the disorder and administer various treatment options to help the sufferer stop the panic attacks. Depending on the extent of the condition, treatment can vary from therapy, medicine, or a combination of the two.
SSRIs or selective serotonin reputake inhibitors that include Prozac and Paxil are medications that may be prescribed to treat anxiety and depression. Others known to decrease the discomfort associated with anxiety and depression are benzodiazepines like Valium and Xanax. There are other measures that can be taken that may also help stop panic disorders aside from these treatment options.
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Saturday, December 19th, 2009 at
11:59 am
Alcohol is the universal drink whenever celebrations or get together comes. Although it is considered as a kind of chemical that has a formidable effect on the body and it is not labeled as food. There are several kinds of alcohol. There is alcohol that people use externally and another that the body use internally. Drinkable alcohol is ethyl alcohol. Fermentation is the process that is used to make the alcohol that people drink. Even though alcohol is widely drank by almost everyone, there are several health considerations on what alcohol can do to our body.
How does alcohol affect the body?
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Thursday, December 10th, 2009 at
10:56 am
If he had consummed 26 ounces of liquer, how many hours does it take so there would be no alcohol in him anymore?
Thursday, December 10th, 2009 at
10:56 am
Say after 5 years of on and off again heavy drinking.
Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at
10:49 am
I know it’s a horrible idea to mix alcohol and any medication, especially anti-anxiety meds and anti-depressants. I also know that everyone is different and people react differently. But I was just wondering if you know of any anti-anxiety meds/anti depressants that are not as horrible to mix with alcohol.