Blog
This page is intended to be an area of the site where genuine experiences and coping mechanisms can be posted and objectively discussed. We will be promoting this facility nationwide.
MOTIVATION FOR THOUGHT:
We wonder if the same people organising this petition would readily direct purchasers to this site and give out our printable leaflet freely to their customers? Just a thought.
Mixed messages from the UK as they begin to see how wrong they got it! And we told them they would, by the way!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1266046/Former-Met-boss-Sir-Ian-Blair-blasts-24-hour-drinking-ladette-violence-rockets-nearly-50.html
Submitted on 2010/02/25 at 5:57am
I have been sober for almost ten years thanks to the company of A.A., sponsor, 12-steps, and a God of my understanding. I was a “high functioning alcoholic” who was beginning to lose my grip on the functioning aspect. However, it was very difficult for me to acknowledge I was alcoholic because I had retained the same business for over five years, was wed, owned a house, had fine apparel, etc. Once I began to attend A.A. meetings, I encountered others who drank precisely like me, felt like me, and existed like me. That power to connect and identify is what started me on the route to a daily recovery. I never reckoned I could experience my life without alcohol. Today I am so thankful to wake up and know what happened the night before, not be struck with remorse or regret, and feel physically wonderful.
Milo Brueske
Time for proper action: Millions has been squandered to get us this result. Time for radical new thinking:-
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0416/1224268445657.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1266718/Mystery-buyer-splashes-record-35-000-bottle-champagne-London-hotel.html
At a time of massive increase in alcohol-related problems the vulgarity of this story is sickening. Surely those who can afford it are presented with an ideal opportunity to help provide educational intervention around alcohol intake instead of wasting this obscene amount. Brief intervention at police stations, colleges and A&E wards would go some way towards at least naming the problem directly with abusers and giving them the opportunity to take positive action. This amount would fund a site like ours for over 3 years and help vast numbers of people. This includes those trapped within the ripple effects of someone else’s problem drinking. Men, women and children can suffer for a lifetime from the horrendous negative side-effects of a family member’s drinking. Frequently they are left abandoned in alcohol’s trail of destruction, afraid, unheard and unaided.
Hence the sickening vulgarity of this story.
I help out with the Facebook page. Recently, I made the mistake of trying to reason with an anonymous critic of some of our aims. He or she ignored the core points of my reasonable and balanced responses so I had to block contact.
Although this type of thing rarely happens I though it would be worth recording some facts.
ARI constantly states that we are not anti-alcohol but are anti the devastation it can and does cause for many.
We are made up of therapists, other medical personnel, recovering problem drinkers, families who have problem drinkers in them and people who have suffered from the negative side-effects of alcohol.
Daily, at the coalface, many of us come across desperate people in pain and suffering because of their own alcohol intake or that of someone close to them.
There is no shortage of affirmation of drinking countrywide in it’s many facets. The “happy-clappy” ads which bombard us make sure of that. In fairness though, they are a bit selective in their promotion of drinking. As a social mood altering chemical we accept of course there can be benefits for some people from it’s consumption.
However, I hope it’s clear from what I’ve said already that that is not the area we are aiming our work at. Sadly statistics frequently bleach the harsh reality we witness daily. We believe it’s reasonable to say that there frequently are problems with the way statistics are gathered and analysed by all “stakeholders” in the alcohol issue as in many other areas of statistical analysis.
However, when people need help those who profit from alcohol appear to have little or at best a slanted interest. And it appears that many deny the existence of the problem itself. As denial, in the area of problem drinking, is one of the core indications of a problem of some sort perhaps this is a warning in itself.
As a response to try and help as best we can we set up, fund and run www,alcoholresponse.com
As a web based facility it is aimed at helping professionals, authority figures, individuals and affected persons regarding the extent of problematic drinking in oneself or in others.
We receive no public or industry interests funding, which leaves us free to comment as and when we feel appropriate.
We are not so narrow-minded as to reject other options for dealing with the issue and are not set in our opinions. However I think it would be difficult to present us with evidence contrary to that we witness first hand daily.
Just my thoughts for the day!
Thanks again and regards,
Damien. (volunteer)
WHO to tackle alcohol misuse, binge drinking
HOWEVER:- Sometimes talk and reports are mistakenly viewed as action; it’s time for serious action:-
http://alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE64J0LN.htm
UK Doctors make an interesting point:-
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/letters/article7134459.ece
We would do well to follow this in Ireland but it’s only part of the solution.
The executive chairman of Marks & Spencer is nothing short of a disgrace with these comments.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/7759894/Sir-Stuart-Rose-minimum-alcohol-pricing-is-insane.html
I think AA might not be everyone’s answer and what could be helpful is a ‘Change Your Lifestyle’ advisory clinic that examines the root cause of turning to alcohol and drugs and helps folk find a way to alter their way of life. I suspect that many alcoholics are people who find themselves in a ‘rut’ and can’t see a way out of it.
Also, I wonder how big is the problem of mixing drugs with alcholic intake - I suspect a lot of ’single vehicle accidents’ at night-time are due to people mixing things. We never seem to hear anything about what substances drivers had taken. More awareness of the dangers would be good.
Just googled for help and came across to your site. It is a really nice post. Th for sharing and helping me to take action at last.
We have been in touch with this lady;- she is an inspiring example of what can be done, despite the horrendous pain and suffering endured.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-1299694/Helen-Newlove-talks-campaign-youth-crime-His-killers-responsibility.html
AA Ireland has described as “unacceptable” the drop in mandatory breath tests carried out by gardaí last year, which fell by around 56,000 on 2008 figures.
http://www.tribune.ie/article/2010/aug/01/drop-in-drink-driving-checkpoints-unacceptable-aa/?q=alcohol
One of Alcohol Response’s key aims is “The provision of direct intervention measures for both alcohol user and concerned persons at every available opportunity.” Surely a drink driving conviction provides an ideal opportunity for basic educational intervention. There may not be an issue of an alcohol problem but then again there just might be.
http://www.herald.ie/national-news/drink-drivers-could-escape-breath-test-in-new-legal-hitch-2303526.html
This report states that “Out of those found guilty, 9,275 were fined, while 679 received prison sentences.” not a word about the great chance for “opportunistic educational intervention” which would at least help us to deal with the issue at its roots.
The frightening shame is that those who ought to understand better just don’t seem to “get it”
When there’s nothing relevant around in the news we try and fish out material which may help someone. This is interesting:-
http://www.herald.ie/lifestyle/femme/should-i-give-up-on-my-partner-if-he-canrsquot-give-up-the-booze-2101725.html
You maintain up the very good operation friends. This website indicates how well you comprehend and know this subject.
On Saturday 4th Sept and last night from 10pm to 6.30am a total of over 220 people visited this website seeking help and advice.
This is a 150% increase on what would be normal. A pattern is emerging very clearly that there is a constant trend to the searches. Most of the visitors came from Google with searches like “help with a drinker in the family causing problems”, “how to help an alcoholic”, “alcohol and violent abuse” and “how to stop drinking that is a problem” May seem a small amount overall but considering that each problem drinker negatively affects an average of 10 people we can only hope that our humble effort positively helped some of those visitors.