Category: Sober living

15 Best Sober Blogs to Follow

We understand that everyone’s situation is unique, and this content is to provide an overall understanding of substance use disorders. These disorders are very complex, and this post does not take into account the unique circumstances for every individual. For specific questions about your health needs or that of a loved one, seek the help of a healthcare professional. Sober living houses can foster peer encouragement, camaraderie, character development, and accountability in residents. The outcomes of living in such an environment can include positive health, behavioral, and relationship changes. She writes about her ever-evolving sober life, the pitfalls of sobriety, how she avoids relapse, her experience in dating sober, and general reflections on the life of a 20-something-year-old.

It allows us to accept our past mistakes, learn from them and bring… Design For Recovery is committed to helping you or your loved one live a fulfilling life free from alcohol and drug addiction. Below you can find out what to expect when you contact us for help.

Ethos Recovery

Those searching for the right sober living home should look for facilities with reputable staff, and a safe and productive living environment and culture. In the late 1940s, some AA members decided to fill this pressing need by acquiring low-cost housing that required strict sobriety and encouraged residents to attend AA meetings. These became the first sober houses in California – some of which are still operating today. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) originated in the 1930s and provided the steppingstones for sober housing by requiring strict sobriety, participation in the community, peer support, and a 12-step program. However, AA did little to address housing needs for its participants as they worked through the program. Tammi Salas’s blogs are some of the most visually appealing pieces I’ve ever read and witnessed.

Another tip to keep in mind when selecting a home is the location. It would also be helpful if the house were near your work or school, a grocery store, public transit, a laundromat, and a healthcare provider. Here’s a list of basic sober living rules that many homes enforce. If you want to learn more about the sober curious movement, read this blog post next.

Sober living houses – life worth living

The majority of her content is devoted to highlighting each month of her sobriety. When Tammi was first getting sober, she looked for resources that provided the feelings around each milestone of sobriety. Jean McCarthy began her blog on the first day of her sobriety and has https://ecosoberhouse.com/ been writing ever since. Her site shares her own personal struggles, but also offers insightful and useful information on navigating through a sober life. Those who were not ready to put the work in (in recovery terms) were felt to have a detrimental effect on others.

We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs. Heavy alcohol consumption can lead to a variety of serious side effects. The reason behind many alcohol-related mental and physical health problems is inflammation. Chronic alcohol-induced inflammation can damage healthy cells, tissues, and organs. When a person consumes alcohol regularly, the entire body can suffer from… When individuals experience stress, they often turn to coping mechanisms.

Sober Living Blogs to Help You Through Recovery

Try to choose a quality sober living home located outside of your hometown as well. Being farther away from the environment that initially drove an addiction can help individuals avoid relapse. Someone’s family and friends could become a barrier to recovery, or may even trigger relapse. sober living blog Conversely, having a change of scenery and being safely away from temptation can facilitate faster healing. In our comprehensive guide, we share the truth about sober living homes, including what it is like living in a sober house and how it factors into the long-term recovery process.

What Is Cognitive Dissonance?

Cognitive dissonance is the uncomfortable feeling that results from finding out new information that contradicts what is already known about a situation. This discomfort also happens when someone’s behavior doesn’t match reality or facts. Sometimes, the ways that people resolve cognitive dissonance contribute to unhealthy behaviors or poor decisions.

Example―A woman who is overweight has been advised by her doctor to follow a certain diet, exercise, and lose weight so as to reduce any possible health risks. Her diet has been carefully discussed and designed, and it completely does away with junk food that poses a threat to her health. The woman knows why dieting is important, and that it is for her health, and not for any silly https://ecosoberhouse.com/ reason. Yet, she gorges on cakes, donuts, burgers, and other fatty food that is strictly taboo for her. The woman tells herself that, “It’s okay, cheating once in a while is allowed! ” or “I’ll just exercise extra tomorrow and work this off.” or “The doctor is being unfair, my diet doesn’t really have to be this strict.” or “He didn’t say when I was to start following this diet.

Social pressures

In fact, every time you are faced with making a decision there is the possibility of dissonance. The dissonance we experience on a daily basis is usually insignificant enough that we reduce it automatically – often without even knowing — and move on. However, when beliefs and actions that are important to us conflict, we experience a greater level of psychological discomfort.

Take this assessment to see if you have symptoms common in people with an anxiety disorder. The choice to courageously deal with obstacles is at the heart of personal growth work. While cognitive dissonance happens to all of us, it is HOW we respond, that determines whether we evolve through expanded understanding or whether we devolve into a reactionary, limiting stance.

How to reduce cognitive dissonance

You feel guilty but can’t afford to buy meat from pasture-raised or grass-fed animals. Every time you see the membership tag on your keychain, it reminds you of that cognitive dissonance treatment pesky truth — that exercise is part of a healthy lifestyle. This incompatibility (dissonance) can happen when you do something that goes against one of your values.

You start going to bed earlier and get up with enough time to work out. It’s hard at first, but instead of feeling guilty when you see the gym keychain, you feel proud of yourself. You may make a conscious effort to choose nutritious foods, try to avoid processed foods and soda, and shoot for eight hours of sleep every night. Cognitive dissonance happens when you hold two conflicting thoughts in your mind at the same time — like loving both hamburgers and cows. Sometimes, new information leads to cognitive dissonance, but that also allows you to take new actions you may not have thought about taking before.

Kudzu Root: Benefits, Uses, and Side Effects

Kudzu is a flowering plant that is native to East Asia, but it has been introduced to the United States and other parts of the world. It is known for its extensive vining growth habit, which has caused it to be classified as a weed in some areas. Despite its reputation as a pest, kudzu has a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is valued for its medicinal properties. The root contains a compound, puerarin, which proves to increase insulin sensitivity, thereby regulating blood sugar levels.

The appropriate dose of kudzu depends on several factors such as the user’s age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for kudzu. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe https://ecosoberhouse.com/ and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using. Taking kudzu along with medications that also slow clotting might increase the chances of bruising and bleeding.

Fast facts on kudzu root

We may receive commissions for purchases made through the links in this post. Most of the information in this guide is based on scientific research that can be found and verified in the PubMed medical library. We highly encourage you to use the library to verify anything you read in this article. We excluded from consideration studies that are either confounded or have a high conflict of interest. When you take a standardized extract, you know exactly how potent it is and how much you need to take to get the desired outcome.

Of 71 patients 29 showed improvement, 20 showed some improvement, while 22 patients showed little or no improvement. Under ideal conditions, a kudzu plant can grow up to 30 cm in one day and up to 30 m during the growing season. Kudzu was first introduced to the USA in the 1870s and was widely planted in the southeastern states up to 1933 as protection against erosion and a source of food and fiber. In no more than 10 years the plant had become a very troublesome weed that covered more than 200,000 hectares and that is almost impossible to eradicate. Additionally, kudzu sends out new growth from the root crown but not the entire root below it.

What is Kudzu?

Now kudzu’s popularity is also picking up in the Western world as a wellness supplement. For instance, it may reduce the effectiveness of birth control due to its estrogenic effects (8, 17). Kudzu root is rich in antioxidants, compounds that protect cells from oxidative stress that can lead to disease.

• Some studies also suggest that kudzu root may have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which may help protect against chronic diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s.
• One reason for these negative result may be that the substance daidzin present in the plant is less effective in its purified form and kudzu is more effective when used in its natural state.
• Another report suggests that taking kudzu root by mouth might cause liver damage.
• One small study looked at the effects of kudzu in 17 men ages 21–33 who reported drinking approximately 22–35 drinks per week.
• Kudzu crowds out native plants, greatly reducing your habitat potential.

While going gray is perfectly natural and no cause for concern, for many people it can have a negative psychological effect. Many turn to hair dyes in an attempt to retain their youthful looks but commercial hair dyes usually contain harmful chemicals that can irritate the skin and weaken the hair even further. This climbing plant is native to Southeast Asia, parts of Eastern Asia and the Pacific Islands. It was originally brought to the US for ornamental purposes and to produce a natural shade.

Kudzu in Cooking and as Food

To be on the safe side and until more research is available, pregnant and breastfeeding women should not use the herb and it should not be administered in therapeutic doses to children. Studies in Japan, USA, and Finland have shown that isoflavones are clearly linked to reduced occurrences of breast and uterine cancer. In short, the substance blocks estrogen at the activator sites on breast cancer cells, without stimulating these cancer cells to divide like estrogen would.

As well as having physical benefits for menopausal women, there is evidence that it can improve mental well-being in post-menopausal women. Kudzu root is linked to a wide range of potential health benefits from easing menopausal symptoms to treating alcohol dependence. kudzu extract for alcoholism Still, more research needs to be done to prove whether it’s truly effective. Some studies also suggest that kudzu root may have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which may help protect against chronic diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s.

A Possible Breast Cancer Treatment

This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Another potential side effect of it is gastrointestinal issues. These symptoms may be mild or severe depending on the user’s sensitivity to the herb.

• “When kudzu is taken orally, it can improve vasomotor symptom scores (i.e. hot flashes and night sweats) in perimenopausal women,” Beckerman says.
• Inflammation is not something to be take lightly as it can contribute to more serious issues like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even cancer.
• Some have reported that the labels are misleading, claiming more kudzu contents that there really are.
• But for others, kudzu was a vine with a story to tell, symbolic of a strange hopelessness that had crept across the landscape, a lush and intemperate tangle the South would never escape.
• It is a powerful source of isoflavonoids, a class of compounds that have phytoestrogenic properties.

Studies have suggested that kudzu root may have cognitive-enhancing effects, particularly in older adults. The plant contains compounds that may help to improve memory and learning, as well as reduce the risk of age-related cognitive decline. It’s important to always consult with a physician or healthcare professional before taking any supplements, natural or not. It can decrease anxiety symptoms, including heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rates. In addition to reducing anxiety, it also has stress-relieving properties, which make it beneficial for people who experience chronic stress.