Frequently when I am teaching an alcohol class I ask students to reflect on their drinking. I want them to think about going beyond their historical drinking patterns, but look at their personal happiness at each stage as well. Has drinking improved your happiness over time?
What is Your Level of Happiness?
This sounds like an easy question, but is it easily answered? Don't forget this significant fact - alcoholic beverages are depressants. While some will feel a burst of energy when they have a drink or two, they will eventually come down as alcohol actually causes the central nervous system to slow down. Drinking over a long period of time will increase this effect and can cause irreversible damage to the central nervous system.
Chances are if you are reading this and you are a heavy drinker, you are not happy. While your alcohol consumption may not be the only reason for your lack of happiness, it surely isn't helping the situation.
Bumming You Out
it's worth repeating, alcohol is a depressant. Having instructed alcohol awareness classes, and having attended hundreds of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, I can tell you that excessive drinking is most assuredly a contributing factor to the big D - depression.
There is no pill that will remove an alcoholic's depression as it is driven by extremely negative emotions - anger, guilt and self-loathing. It's a inescapable cycle of bad feelings, continued drinking and very bad decisions.
Regardless of what the popular perception is, problem drinkers mostly don't deny their problem. Though they are able to justify their behavior too will suffer from alcoholism or have some other type of addiction. How do you think that makes them feel?
Relationships with Others are Vital
Do you have many people you feel intimate with? I don't mean superficially. I am talking about close personal contacts, friends and family, who you feel bonded to. Once again, the odds the more you are involved in drinking, the less people you are close to. I don't care how many people have friended you on Facebook; I am talking about in person interaction.
Daily phone contact voice-to-voice is a great way to bond people. Twitter and Facebook are superficial and provide only a tiny bit of positive emotional or psychological bonding with other people.
Personal relationships, building lasting physical, mental, spiritual and emotional ties is what being alive is all about. As alcoholism progresses it makes those who are involved with it disconnect themselves from real living falling into alcoholism induced psychological and emotional inertia.
Redeem Your Life and Redevelop Relationships
I encourage each of you who reads this to assess your relationships. Consider those people you feel close to now, were close with recently and have virtually lost contact with over the years.
If you were ever close to these people, and you have fond memories of them odds are they have similar thoughts and feelings about you. If you remember a happy time associating with them, or you made a strong personal bond at one point, there is definitely the spark to relight that connection fire.
Many heavy drinkers, who suffer from guilt and anger over their drinking problems and their life really end up with very low self-worth. Reconnecting with those who you felt positive about being around will not only help you see the good person you once were, but make you feel and believe you can again be a good person. And if you need help getting through your alcohol addiction, you should seriously consider alcohol awareness classes.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Alcohol Classes Come in All Shapes and Sizes
Often when clients contact me looking for an alcohol awareness class, they aren’t sure the length of class they should take. Our alcohol classes, for example, come in 8 hour, 16 hour and 24 hour lengths. They are also called our Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 classes.
Which is the best for you?
If you are a client who is coming because of a mandated hour or session alcohol awareness class requirement… let’s say from your work or from a a court then you should find out from them what the requirement is. That makes your option very simple.
But if you are taking an alcohol awareness class that has no specified hour or session requirement or taking the class for a personal reason, then with luck I can help you find the right alcohol class length.
8 Hour Class - The Starting Point
At a minimum you should look at a course which is 8 hours in length This is the shortest class that will really give you a good comprehension of the issues around alcohol and it’s impact on you, your friends and relatives and your community as a whole. A course like this can really cover all the important subjects including:
16 Hour Class – Getting Deeper
With the Sixteen hour alcohol class you really jump up in the depth of the subject matter. There are not more topics, but a more in depth study at each topic. Plus there are a lot more examples and vignettes. You might find this class to be easier because the examples and stories make the study a bit more restful. as an alternative of having to learn subject after subject in the 8 hour format, you can see lots of different examples of each subject matter. For example in our sixteen hour course, we have more personal interviews with the victims of DWIs so you can really learn more about the personal impact driving under the influence has on the community.
24 Hour Class
The 24 hour alcohol awareness class goes even deeper than the 16 hour class. Like the 16 hour class in comparison to the 8 hour alcohol class there are more examples, more photos and more in-depth understanding of the topics Taking this Level 3 alcohol class means you will really come away with a thorough understanding of the subject matter. Sure it’s a greater commitment, but of you’ve had a serious problem with drinking or maybe are a repeat offender, then this is the best course for you.
Still Unsure?
If you are undecided as to which course to take, we recommend contacting Online Alcohol Class for a free consultation.
Which is the best for you?
If you are a client who is coming because of a mandated hour or session alcohol awareness class requirement… let’s say from your work or from a a court then you should find out from them what the requirement is. That makes your option very simple.
But if you are taking an alcohol awareness class that has no specified hour or session requirement or taking the class for a personal reason, then with luck I can help you find the right alcohol class length.
8 Hour Class - The Starting Point
At a minimum you should look at a course which is 8 hours in length This is the shortest class that will really give you a good comprehension of the issues around alcohol and it’s impact on you, your friends and relatives and your community as a whole. A course like this can really cover all the important subjects including:
- Problems and patterns of alcohol abuse
- Learning about how alcohol works
- Understanding how specific drugs work
- Legal vs. illegal drugs
- Impact of DUI on you and your community
- Ideas for how to end dependency
- And many others
16 Hour Class – Getting Deeper
With the Sixteen hour alcohol class you really jump up in the depth of the subject matter. There are not more topics, but a more in depth study at each topic. Plus there are a lot more examples and vignettes. You might find this class to be easier because the examples and stories make the study a bit more restful. as an alternative of having to learn subject after subject in the 8 hour format, you can see lots of different examples of each subject matter. For example in our sixteen hour course, we have more personal interviews with the victims of DWIs so you can really learn more about the personal impact driving under the influence has on the community.
24 Hour Class
The 24 hour alcohol awareness class goes even deeper than the 16 hour class. Like the 16 hour class in comparison to the 8 hour alcohol class there are more examples, more photos and more in-depth understanding of the topics Taking this Level 3 alcohol class means you will really come away with a thorough understanding of the subject matter. Sure it’s a greater commitment, but of you’ve had a serious problem with drinking or maybe are a repeat offender, then this is the best course for you.
Still Unsure?
If you are undecided as to which course to take, we recommend contacting Online Alcohol Class for a free consultation.
Monday, April 11, 2011
How to Find the Best Alcohol Awareness Class
Students frequently call me wanting to know where to find a good alcohol awareness classes. They are looking for both a quality alcohol class and one which will meet their requirements.
I try to answer their questions as best I can. The first thing I want to know is what their requirements are for an alcohol awareness class. Often they they have no idea because like most people, they've never had to take an alcohol awareness class before.
The next thing I want to know is are they trying to satisfy a court requirement, DUI requirement or personal requirement? If they are mandated to take an alcohol class for a court requiement or because of a DUI, they should check if there's a list of classes that are certified. If the court doesn't mention a particular class, then I usually suggest that they think about an online alcohol class. I let them know if they aren't sure to call the court for clarification.
The next thing is how to figure out the quality of the course. I let them know that they need to look for a reputable class that was created by experts and sounds legit. This is evident when you check out their internet presence to see and by contacting them over the phone or by email. An good sign of a high quality class is one which comes with a 100% guarantee for any reason. Don't accept an alcohol education program that forces the student come up with some "proof" that the class isn't accepted. Accepting what you say should be enough reason.
A program that has a human that responds in a straightforward manner to any inquiries is an important piece of information. The other thing to ask for is a course summary to determine the topics that are discussed. Some courses spend more time telling you that you are a bad person than explaining about alcohol awareness. Or some gloss over the materials or appear to be shoddily put together by cutting and pasting content from the internet. It's important to stay away from classes like this!
The last thing people ask is whether to take an in-person or online alcohol class. The choice is really up to the person's preference. classroom classes are good for people who like interacting and being around other people and don't mind having to go to the same class at the same time each week. Online alcohol awareness classes are much better for somebody who prefers to take the class on their own time and don't want the inconvenience of committing to the times of in person courses. Online alcohol classes are frequently much cheaper than classroom classes, so it's a great way to save money.
I try to answer their questions as best I can. The first thing I want to know is what their requirements are for an alcohol awareness class. Often they they have no idea because like most people, they've never had to take an alcohol awareness class before.
The next thing I want to know is are they trying to satisfy a court requirement, DUI requirement or personal requirement? If they are mandated to take an alcohol class for a court requiement or because of a DUI, they should check if there's a list of classes that are certified. If the court doesn't mention a particular class, then I usually suggest that they think about an online alcohol class. I let them know if they aren't sure to call the court for clarification.
The next thing is how to figure out the quality of the course. I let them know that they need to look for a reputable class that was created by experts and sounds legit. This is evident when you check out their internet presence to see and by contacting them over the phone or by email. An good sign of a high quality class is one which comes with a 100% guarantee for any reason. Don't accept an alcohol education program that forces the student come up with some "proof" that the class isn't accepted. Accepting what you say should be enough reason.
A program that has a human that responds in a straightforward manner to any inquiries is an important piece of information. The other thing to ask for is a course summary to determine the topics that are discussed. Some courses spend more time telling you that you are a bad person than explaining about alcohol awareness. Or some gloss over the materials or appear to be shoddily put together by cutting and pasting content from the internet. It's important to stay away from classes like this!
The last thing people ask is whether to take an in-person or online alcohol class. The choice is really up to the person's preference. classroom classes are good for people who like interacting and being around other people and don't mind having to go to the same class at the same time each week. Online alcohol awareness classes are much better for somebody who prefers to take the class on their own time and don't want the inconvenience of committing to the times of in person courses. Online alcohol classes are frequently much cheaper than classroom classes, so it's a great way to save money.
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