Guest Blog: Qigong for addiction Recovery by Janice Tucker.

For those of you recovering from addiction, there is one method that you may not yet have come across which, integrated into your existing recovery programme, can help you maintain sobriety and improve the quality of your health and your life. This method is called Qigong. In the post below you will learn some interesting facts and tips which will show you how to use Qigong for addiction recovery. Qigong (or sometimes referred to as Chi Kung or Chi Gung) is a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that is thousands of years old. It involves simple exercises which combine gentle movement, breathing and the use of your mind to restore both physical and mental health by promoting the smooth and balanced flow of Qi (energy) throughout your whole system. Benefits of Qigong In addition to the well known physical benefits from Qigong such as improving your energy levels, [...]

By |2019-10-21T13:20:22+00:00April 19th, 2018|Addiction|3 Comments

It’s not all about Addiction.

Not everyone that drinks alcohol or uses drugs becomes dependent on them. Not everyone ends up in the gutter, isn’t that a relief. The more people I work with the clearer that’s becoming to me. What I am finding in my work is that many people are self-medicating due to something that is going on in their lives. It might be past trauma, anxiety, depression, or a combination of all. They may not have developed the skills to express themselves or to process what they are feeling. They use alcohol or drugs to cope. It’s the only way they know to deal with things. So when they go to a counsellor who tells them they have to stop they bolt. Why? Because you are taking away the only coping mechanism they have and leaving nothing in its place. Giving Space But what happens when we give someone [...]

By |2019-10-21T13:14:51+00:00October 8th, 2017|Addiction, Family Support, My Blog|2 Comments

A reflection on my journey.

So this blog is long overdue. It’s about my own personal experience and how life has changed for me. Before I go into all that I have to speak about how unwell I got due to the effects of addiction. I’m going back over 10 years here and suffice to say I got very unwell. I was at a point where I was exhausted all the time, I wasn’t sleeping, and in fact I hadn’t had a good night sleep in years. I was so stressed that I felt like I was about to explode all the time and like I was just about able to contain myself. It felt like there was a pressure cooker inside me about to go off. Where did all this stress come from? Anyone who is worried about a family members drug or alcohol use knows what I’m talking about [...]

By |2019-11-26T11:01:37+00:00June 13th, 2017|Addiction, Family Support, My Blog|1 Comment

Wine A Lot: Women and their relationship with wine.

Drinking wine has now become a fashionable thing to do where a glass or two is now a daily ingrained habit for some women. While a glass of wine is no harm, research in Ireland is showing that women are drinking more, and more often than previous generations. The results of this is that increased numbers women are presenting to services with alcohol-related conditions such as liver cirrhosis, liver disease and alcohol related cancers. Now, this is not a discussion about the evils of alcohol, but we do need to have a conversation about why women are drinking the way they do. How has it come to this and how is it that women are nearly out drinking men in today’s society? In general, Ireland’s relationship with alcohol has been fraught with problems. Internationally the stereotypical view of an Irish person is a ‘falling down’ drunk person. But [...]

By |2019-11-26T11:08:25+00:00January 23rd, 2017|Addiction, Family Support, My Blog, Online Counselling|0 Comments

Top Tips for Staying Sober at Christmas.

My Top Tips for Staying Sober at Christmas. Are you all set for Christmas? That’s a question we are often asked in the lead up to the festive season. Me, I’m a last minute.com kinda girl, rushing around getting presents, I just love the hustle and bustle of it all. I have a few little rituals I like to do every Christmas; decorations go up early in December (some might say too early!), shopping lists are completed, Christmas cakes are baked, and I always go to town for a few hours Christmas Eve to soak up the atmosphere. These are the things I like to do every year, it’s a habit at this stage. But what if you are in recovery and the old habits at Christmas no longer support you and your recovery. How can you take care of yourself over Christmas? It’s natural for family [...]

By |2019-11-26T11:11:46+00:00December 12th, 2016|Addiction, My Blog|0 Comments

Self-Care at Christmas, a Time to Celebrate, or not?

Picture this: Its Christmas time, decorations are up, the fire in on and Christmas songs are playing in the back ground. Sounds of laughter and children playing echo through the house. This scene or something like it is the dreamy scene we conjure up when we think of a happy Christmas. For many, Christmas is a time for the family to get together, Santa Clause, children, gift giving and receiving, movies and relaxation. However, for families of substance abusers, Christmas and the lead up to it, it’s a different story. The reality can be a time of great stress, worry and anguish. The thoughts of managing someone’s substance abuse issues during the Christmas period can be overwhelming. How can families better cope with this over the Christmas period? Expectations Within these families the need for open honest communication is really important so everyone knows where they [...]

By |2017-12-13T20:31:15+00:00November 28th, 2016|Addiction, Family Support, My Blog, Online Counselling|0 Comments

Guest Blog: Energy Emotional Freedom Techniques for Coping with Other People’s Addictions by Susan Browne

It’s not easy when you are impacted by someone else’s addiction problems. People end up feeling worried, frustrated, powerless, maybe even thoughts that they might be somehow to blame, and often angry and resentful. The feeling of treading on eggshells around a loved one’s overuse is also a common theme. It would be of great benefit for you to develop an awareness of your own stress levels, and take action to help yourself. EFT (stands for emotional freedom techniques - tapping on energy meridian end points to improve energy flow) has helped thousands of people to de-stress and get into a better mindset around hundreds of day-to-day and much more serious challenges that life can present. Living with an addict is no exception. What if you were to rate your stress levels around this just now, how stressed do you feel? Rate yourself on the SUE scale . [...]

By |2019-10-21T13:38:29+00:00September 20th, 2016|Addiction, My Blog|0 Comments

Why I love offering an Online Counselling Service

When I started my counselling practice it was from a desire to support people. I know the affect anxiety, depression or addiction has on people and families and felt that my own experiences put me in a position to give that support. So when I launched my practice it was to provide one to one counselling to people in my local community in North Kerry. Sometimes when clients contacted me for an appointment and inquired where my practice was based I often got the following responses ‘Oh that’s too far for me to travel’ or ‘I can’t make an evening appointment’ or ‘I’ve no childcare at that time’. I felt really bad for these clients as I know the courage it requires to take that first step and contact a service looking for help. This prompted me to launch my online counselling service. Why? Firstly I believe that everyone [...]

By |2020-02-20T13:22:03+00:00April 14th, 2016|Addiction, Family Support, My Blog|1 Comment

Understanding Addiction: If you think you have a substance abuse issue

I really hope part 1 of this blog made your understanding of addiction clearer. In the second part of this blog I will briefly discuss what criteria needs to be present to diagnose an addiction and what steps you can take if you think you have developed one. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 is used by most clinicians and lists 11 criteria that need to be present for a substance abuse disorder/ addiction to be diagnosed: Taking the substance in larger amounts or for longer periods of time. Spending a lot of time getting, consuming, or recovering from use of the substance. Being unable to reduce or stop using the substance. Cravings, compulsions and urges to use the substance. Unable to do what you should at home, work, or school, because of substance use. Ongoing use, even though it is causing problems in relationships. Giving up recreational, social [...]

By |2019-10-21T15:20:24+00:00March 5th, 2016|Addiction|0 Comments

Understanding Addiction (Part 1) a brief explanation.

Before I began to write this blog I tried to remember how addiction was explained to me. I remember feeling extremely confused and very unsure about what I was hearing. At the time I didn’t understand all the different factors that had to be taken into account before someone was diagnosed with an addiction and I have to be honest I couldn’t understand why someone couldn’t just stop! I also didn’t consider or understand what it meant to be called ‘addict’ and why someone might be reluctant to accept the label! Of course after training as an addiction counsellor I now have a deeper understanding (Thank God!!). In my practice I have worked with people who are deep in addiction and have had the privilege of walking alongside them into recovery. What follows is a brief explanation of the different aspects of addiction which I hope leave you somewhat [...]

By |2019-10-21T15:23:17+00:00February 21st, 2016|Addiction|0 Comments
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