Alcohol Abuse

Alcoholism is a chronic, progressive, and often fatal disease. Twice as many men are alcoholics. Studies have found that People who start drinking alcohol before the age of 14 are five times more likely to eventually become alcohol dependent than those who start drinking after age 21.


I had no experience of alcohol abuse myself, but I had seen people around me addicted to alcohol and they had destroyed their family in the process. I had seen my mother drinking excessively to drown her sorrows and how he 'lost' herself in the process of drinking.

One of the symptoms associated with alcohol abuse is blackouts, or periods of amnesia that can span several hours or even several days. Alcohol abuse is a chronic self-destructive pattern of heavy drinking that produces significant damage to one's health, career and family relations. The chemistry of alcohol allows it to affect nearly every type of cell in the body, including those in the central nervous system. Alcohol dependence is the inability to free oneself at will from a pattern of heavy drinking and can be thought of as an addiction to a drug. Indeed, alcohol is a drug. It is a central-nervous-system depressant, and some of the dependent individual's craving is based on an acquired physiological need. After prolonged exposure to alcohol, the brain becomes dependent on it. The severity of this disease is influenced by factors such as genetics, psychology, culture, and response to physical pain.

Alcohol abuse is a tremendous social problem in the United States. It is estimated that somewhat over 10% of adults have at least one prolonged bout with alcohol abuse. The cost in auto accidents, damaged careers, and unhappy homes is beyond measure. If you find yourself abusing alcohol or are addicted to alcohol, ask yourself, if you are using alcohol to destroy yourself. If you become aware that you are using a bottle in much the way that a suicide victim uses a gun, then you have made an important step in the direction of recovery. If you feel helpless in the face of this kind of knowledge, you should seek outside assistance, the professional help like Stone Hawk Rehabilitation or the psychiatrists. Drinking alcohol does not solve your problems at all. TV programmes often 'taught' people about drowning your sorrows by drinking at the bar. This is not going to work.



Do not use alcohol to facilitate a creative process too. Most people need good, fresh ideas in their work. Engineers, teachers, people in the advertising business, writers, are all examples of people who are paid to be creative. Remember you do not need alcohol to gain inspiration. Do not start the habit of drinking too. Habitual drinking lead to addiction and abuse. If you discover that your drinking is out of control, and you cannot stop when you want to, and that alcohol abuse and addiction are having a destructive effect on your life, The Stone Hawk program is designed to enable graduates the ability to move back into their life on their own. The programs for re-entry focus on teaching students to live ethical lives free of their addiction, standing on their own two feet.

Coping With Depression

Living life for more than 30 years, I have come across people who suffer depression, and I had also have my own experience of being depressed. Having been through depression and having seen how depression can change a person's life -- their own thinking and how they in turn affect the people around him/her, especially the family members, I had come to realise that depression is something which can be avoided and they are not contagious nor scary.

In fact, in this busy world, many people has experienced feelings of depression at one time or another. These feelings can be with us for as long as you want to 'indulge in your own world'. However, with the right kind of mentality and positive thinking, many depression can normally pass away in hours or days. However, not many people would want to get out of their world even when they were advised. Long term wise, depression if allow to persist, is harmful to the health of the person. If depression is prolonged and persist and the person has suicidal thoughts, then they should be referred to a mental health specialist or psychiatrist.

Depression is typically caused by a combination of biological, genetic, and psychological factors. Some common symptoms of depression are

• Persistently sad or feeling sense of 'emptiness'
• Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness and helplessness
• Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed

If you have always wish to play tennis and have admired people playing it, then you should learn it. You live to learn. If you see your friend can do it, so do you.


This could be you. Anything is possible in this world only if you want to do it.

Coping and overcoming depression is a choice and a decision to be made. Family should give lots of support to the depressed person and the first step to cope with depression is to change the lifestyle of the victim. To overcome depression, the person must think positively and eliminate as much negative thoughts as possible. Next, visit tennis store or any sports store. Buy a pair of k swiss tennis shoes or any other shoes that you love. Pamper yourself, knowing that your life is precious and you have worked hard all your life. You deserved to be rewarded with things you love. Having tennis shoes, you must also look at babolat rackets and you must buy yourself tennis racket that you like. With tennis balls, tennis rackets and tennis shoes purchased, you can always be ready to go to the tennis court to play your favourite game with your friends.

Dress your best and you increased your self-esteem and you feel much more confident and better. Become socially active by planning your time for your hobbies as well as time for exercise and other social activities. Do something which you like and try to be good at it. You will feel a sense of accomplishments succeeding in the things that you love to do. Do not give yourself unachievable goals, but set realistic goals. Learn to rest and relax too, knowing that there must be a balance in everything in our life. Read good books, surround yourself with positive thinking individual and love what you are doing. When your time is well-spent and your mind is not filled with negative thoughts, you will realise that you are no longer depressed.

Pregnancy Blues

During pregnancy, woman wants the husband to show more love and care for them. The woman needs all kind of support and help from the man he loves and trust.

The first time I discovered that I am pregnant was a memorable one, since that was my first time. I was filled with anxiety as well as excitement. Both Richard and me was happy. Pregnancy was hard and I had written at Happiness Is Bliss, signs of early pregnancy, which was so unbearable for me. It was no fun at all, but torture. Soon the baby was born and everything was fine.

Most women suffered postnatal depression after their birth of their child. But I have no problem with my first child. I knew everything about breastfeeding, feeding the baby, changing diapers and so on. I spent time with the baby and the three of us(Richard, baby and me) were okay. I started working again when the baby was about mine months old. That was where problems started and day by day, little problems become a big problem. Work, family, children and housework was still manageable. His mother always told him not to 'pamper' the wife, and what a good teaching is that. Thanks to the advice she gave to the son! She did not know what is love and no wonder her marriage was a broken one. How I wish my husband can show me some love (but to his mother, that is called "Pampering" me!).

Things were fine until I discovered I am pregnant again some months later. As usual, I felt terrible and moody. With so much work, both home and workplace, and now during that time, I was pregnant, it was a hard time. I felt totally stressed out on top of the feeling nauseous and I could not do anything like my first pregnancy. I got angry with husband who are not caring and not understanding. Since I was not feeling well, nauseous all the time, he should help out. Helping out and doing extra work is showing your love and not 'Pampering' me! Despite telling him my feeling, nothing was changed. I was not able to do any housework. He had to do them after he finished work(forced to do it, since I was not able to do anything). Our family time were reduced, more unhappiness in the family. Soon, he had more overtime and more late hours... I got depressed as well.

I feel that pregnant woman needs care and love very much. During pregnancy, the hormones in the body 'disrupt' their normal body function and not all woman can cope with such body changes. Things are especially harder if the pregnant woman needs to look after another small kid or even more when they are pregnant. When there are nobody to help them, they feel lost with no support.

However, even though my second pregnancy was not a pleasurable one, it was a much easier labour. I was depressed during my second pregnancy. My husband was not supportive and understanding. To make matter worse, I discovered only after the birth of the baby that he was actually having an affair...... that explained....

Depression Not The END

If I had never been depressed, how do I know the meaning of real happiness? If I do not know what is cold, how do I know what is hot? For knowing what is pain when you fall down, you want to learn. You want to learn why you fall down, so that you will not fall down again to suffer the pain twice. If you have not taste the bittergourd, do you know what is bitter?

I have tasted all aspects of life. The sweet, the salty, the spices and the bitter of life. Life is never so meaning as now. My life seems to have just begin. I had just written a post, "The Genuine Smile" at Happiness Is Bliss, my blog about woman, woman's health, any matter pertaining to woman and all about happiness. I can confidently tell you what is The Genuine Smile today, if you read the post and you see my photograph, with the brown sentences below the picture.

I was depressed at a time where I was not happy with my job and at the same time, I was very fed up with my family life. I hate those days. But I am not going to leave all this with me when I am gone. When I am alive, I am going to LIVE to TELL my story, my life story, a story of a mediocre life, nothing special, nothing glamourous, but a real life, real story, unlike the TV shows and Movie.

I faced medical supplies and medical equipments everyday. I smelled 'hospital'. I 'live' in the refrigerator, the environment was extremely cold. However, I never complained about work. I worked to get my monthly pay. I worked to earn money -- Money for my future, money for my house with Richard, money for buying my favourite decorations and everything for my house.

Richard and I got our first house, our home. I was happy with Richard. We were happy, but the problem came also when the house came. It was a long story, which I will write slowly at appropriate time and relevancy. I suffered depression. I cried, I was very stressed and I thought of what was the meaning of living. I told the doctor what I saw and he thought that I had schizophrenia. But I know truly well, what kind of condition and what kind of situation I was in. I can still remember what I saw. I can tell you, I did not hallucinate. It was really something which I saw. I do not need anyone to believe me, but I know what I was doing and I still know what I am doing. Believe or not whether I am normal, abnormal, sick or not sick, does not matter.

At the hospital I worked so hard, I put on latex gloves while at work and I worked seriously. Back home, my new home (Richard and my home), I could not stand messiness and dirt. I cooked, I cleaned and I washed, everything which the housewife would do. I also need to work. I thought I came home and I could have peace and comfort. A home to rest after a hard day of work. But I was wrong. It was nightmare, back in those days where Richard and I had our first house. Richard was not the culprit, the cause of the nightmare. It was his father. I could still remember the kind of things he did. I hate it.

At work, I thought of my problems at home. At home, I had to face the problems. I, eventually could not take it and resign from my job, and my relationship with my father-in-law, Richard's father soured. Today, his father and his mother were divorced. I would not want his son to be like him one day.

I was depressed when my husband left me for another woman. I was happy when I met new love. I was happy when my husband came back. I am happy now that I know what I want and what is my purpose of living. Life may be hard but I choose what I want, this path. And I know that all these things which happened, everything that I had gone through are not without purpose. I will live to tell you my 'depression' experience, my 'schizophrenia' experience as what the doctor had said, and what kind of mental illnesses I had witnessed in people around me.

Psychiatrists are never 100% correct. They are just people like us, but they studied and they are qualified psychiatrists. But how sure are you that the psychiatrist themselves are 'normal' people and they are not psychologically healthy people? Studies, theories and practical are always different. If the researchers and scientist are so smart, why they cannot win the viruses? If Psychologists and Psychiatrists can read the minds of every person and predict their steps and actions and 'cure' these people, there would not be so many mentally-ill patients in the hospital. But I will tell you my views of all these illnesses, based on my own experiences and what I see, hear and know.