Family of an Addict

How to Come Together as a Family of an Addict

When someone you love has an alcohol or drug addiction, you spend all your time, energy, and resources trying to help them. Everything, including your own health and well-being, falls by the wayside as you try to make your loved one see that they might need drug rehab. Then, when they go into rehab, you realise that they are getting support – but what about you?

Your family may be struggling equally as much as your loved one with an addiction, and here’s what you can do to come together as a family.

Become Educated

When you don’t know precisely how addiction works, it can be hard to handle your emotions. You may get angry that your loved one is doing this to you on purpose, or upset that they knowingly hurt you. You may even think that they’re weak, selfish, or stubborn.

With some research, however, you can learn that addictions come from electrical impulse changes and brain chemistry alterations. Such knowledge can help you to let go of some of those emotions, and you may even find helpful tools that benefit your family as you deal with your loved one in drug rehab.

Go to Family Therapy

When someone has an addiction, it’s not just them that is suffering. It’s everyone around them. From that addict’s children and spouses to the addict’s parents and siblings; an addiction can impact everyone in the family. Such is the stress it can cause that it can end up tearing a family apart.


Common Exercise Mistakes

Common Exercise Mistakes That Could Be Stopping Your Weight Loss

Around 2.3 million Australians are on some form of diet, exercise regime, or are actively trying to improve their fitness. While deciding to lose weight is an excellent first step, there might be some things you’re doing that aren’t helping the process. Read on to learn how you might be stopping your own weight loss progress.

Not Enough Calories, or Too Many

The foundation for weight loss is a calorie deficit. You need to burn more calories than you’re eating and drinking. However, many people make the mistake of consuming too many through miscalculation, or not enough. Pay attention to the healthy food you are eating, such as nuts. They are good for the body but are also high in calories.

However, if you consume far fewer calories than your body is burning, then it can have the opposite effect. A low-calorie diet could lead to detrimental muscle loss, which can impact your fitness and exercise, as well as a slow metabolism. The goal is to strike a happy balance, which may require the helping hand of an expert in the field.

Not Enough Exercise, or Too Much

When you lose weight, you lose both fat and muscle. However, how much of both can depend on your fitness regime. If you start consuming fewer calories but don’t exercise, you can lose more muscle mass. When you exercise, you can reduce lean muscle loss while promoting fat loss.


Addicted to Drugs

Why People Get Addicted to Drugs

To those who have not grown up around addicts, addiction, or people who have gone to drug rehab, it can be hard to understand why people get addicted to drugs. However, addiction is one of Australia’s most significant problems, which means it must be easier than you think to find yourself reliant on alcohol or drugs. So, what’s the cause?

Many studies show that biology, your environment, and development can all play a part in someone becoming a drug addict and potentially needing drug rehab down the track.

Several studies over the years have shown that addiction can be genetic and inherited. Your risk of addiction can be higher, depending on whether you are related to an addict or someone with an addictive personality. What’s more, if your environment is one involving drugs and alcohol, you are at higher risk of forming a reliance on these drugs as well.

For example, if you grow up in a household where mum and dad, or other live-in family members, consume a lot of alcohol or partake in drug use, then you are more likely to consider using these substances yourself. If your household is free of substance use and abuse, you are less likely to become an addict.

Some people can also get addicted to drugs if they are prescribed opioid pain killers by a doctor. One in ten who are prescribed opioids end up addicted to them. There’s a genuine reality that 1.4 million Australians are currently battling opioid addiction and could require drug rehab.


Dental Help

Warning Signs That it’s Time to Seek Out Dental Help

Seeing a dentist is not always at the top of everyone’s list of fun things to do. Often, you can get so caught up in life that you either forget to make an appointment or put it off because you’re too busy. The problem is, your oral health is as important as your mental and physical health, so you must make time for it.

Both cosmetic dental procedures and general ones are beneficial for your oral health, and regular dental check-ups are paramount too. However, if you say ‘yes’ to any of these signs below, you need to bump that appointment to the top of your to-do list and make time sooner rather than later.

You Have Pain or Discomfort

Pain and discomfort can be a sign that something is not quite right in your mouth. You may have an infection, decay, or general toothache that’s impacting your daily life. With any sign of irritation, see your dentist without delay. They can identify the problem and offer a solution.

You Can’t Eat Properly

At any time of your life, you should be able to eat without any problems. If you find yourself avoiding certain types of food because it’s uncomfortable or impossible, then see your dentist. Chewing problems can be caused by gum disease, cavities, or even tooth loss you haven’t addressed. Eat soft foods to ensure your body gets all the nutrients your body needs, but make an appointment immediately.


Stop Drinking

How to Stop Drinking

Every month in a 12-month period, over 2,300 people typed “how to stop drinking” into a Google search engine. That’s 2,300 people who haven’t been able to stop drinking without assistance, need some handy tips, or think they could possibly have a problem that requires a drug rehab facility.

Not everyone understands that alcohol is a drug and that it can be addictive. It’s entwined in Australian culture and activities and is seen as a social norm, rather than a potential problem waiting in the wings.

The truth is, alcohol is damaging. One in six Australians consume enough alcohol to put them at risk of an alcohol-related injury or disease, and one in five over 14 were a victim of an incident involving alcohol in 2016.

If you’re ready to admit that enough is enough, then read on. Here are a few things you can do to stop drinking and turn your life around.

Step One: Remove Alcohol from Your Home

Removing temptation is the first step to stop drinking. Get rid of any alcohol in your house and avoid places that sell it so that you don’t put yourself in an easy purchasing situation. If you make it challenging for yourself to access alcohol, you are less likely to give in to your urge to drink.


Teeth Whitening Tips

Teeth Whitening Tips You May Not Have Known

Everyone knows that the way in which to achieve brighter, whiter teeth is with a teeth whitening treatment from your dentist. You sit in the chair while your dentist applies the whitening gel, then you wait for it to take effect. The entire experience is comfortable and harmless.

What you may not have known is that there are many outside influences for how stained or white your teeth are. Read on to learn some interesting teeth whitening tips that you may not have heard before.

Your Tongue Has More of An Impact Than You Think

You use your tongue to taste food, chew, swallow, and speak, but did you know that your tongue relates to your teeth’s whiteness too? Everyone knows that brushing your tongue can prevent bad breath, but it can also get rid of trapped bacteria. If you don’t brush your tongue, that bacteria can move onto your teeth and darken your enamel.

Baking Soda is Not the Miracle Product You Might Think

Many people swear by baking soda for everything. It’s a staple for cleaning, the kids’ volcano school science project, and apparently, your dental help. In reality, baking soda can be harmful and isn’t advised for teeth whitening. Consistent use of baking soda can wear away your enamel and damage your teeth structure.