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Alcohol is a cooking ingredient for many recipes. Seasoned chefs and home cooks who come to recovery have often put too much alcohol in themselves rather than the food they were cooking it with. For them, and any home cook or professional chef, there is a challenge in one of their most beloved hobbies. Many questions arise regarding cooking with alcohol. We’ll try to answer them here so you can continue to be your best chef and make recipes you love.

Depression is the leading mental health diagnosis worldwide. Over 300 million people suffer from depression around the globe. Though your depression may be leaving you feeling isolated and disconnected in your thoughts, you are not alone. Even people without a diagnosable depressive condition experience depression. Chronic depression and major depressive disorder is common in all walks of life. To all those thoughts telling you that you are alone and the only one feeling this way-- tell them they are not true. There are others, just like you, struggling with their emotions and working toward living their lives.

There is an odd notion upon getting sober that once we are through withdrawals and the drugs have left our system we are immune to any negativity. All the wonderful things of the world we have been missing out on should come rushing in and gather at our feet. No more pain, no more addiction, no more being broke, and no more sadness. Unfortunately, this just isn’t so. No matter the recovery we are in, life still happens. As human beings, we still continue to respond emotionally to life. Life is not always happy and neither are we. Negative emotions like sadness are just part of the deal. The true gift of recovery is learning to live life on life’s terms. Essentially, learning to live life on life’s terms means taking all of life in stride- the good and the bad- then showing up to it. “Showing up” to life means meeting life as it demands to be met- dealing with negative when there is negative without being consumed, altered, or destructive. The work we do in recovery equips us to stand strong through all of life’s ups and downs. More importantly, recovery teaches us how to rise to all of these challenges without picking up drugs, picking up a drink, or reverting to old behavior.

Obsessive compulsive disorder is a psychological disorder commonly misunderstood. Mainstream media depicts OCD as being about having to repeat patterns and attain to a very specific lifestyle so as not to induce anxiety. OCD is not about being out of control of one’s behaviors as it is about being in strict control of one’s behaviors. OCD is often stemmed out of trauma, which is a violent event in which one feels out of control. OCD develops as a coping mechanism to create calm, order, and control. Definitively, OCD is “a pattern of unreasonable thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead you to do repetitive behaviors (compulsions).” At its worst, OCD can mean not being able to leave the house unless a certain pattern of behavior is completed. OCD can interfere with the quality of one’s life and create more chaos than calm.

Power is a powerful thing. Jimi Hendrix once said, “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” As addicts and alcoholics in a constant power struggle with our drug of choice, we know the power of power. We might have thought at some point we had power over our addictions. Somehow, it always ended up that our addictions really had the power over us. The first step of the infamous twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous reads, “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol; that our lives had become unmanageable.” A love for power is unmanageable. Our love for trying to extend power over our addictions was unmanageable. Admitting to powerlessness in the first step is critical. If we continue to live under the illusion that we have power over our addictions, we might be inspired to try using or drinking once more. A recent study looked at how the idea of power and powerlessness affects the way people see themselves. It found that when subjects were prompted to imagine a powerless situation, their personality traits seemed to shift from one area of their life to the next. When subjects were prompted to imagine a situation in which they felt powerful, they seemed to be more authentically themselves. Inherently, there is power in becoming powerless, strength in weakness, and courage in fear. “The biggest implication of this sort of study,” the author wrote, “is that having power allows people to freely express themselves in situations where others might more carefully consider how their behavior impacts, or even harms, others.” Many of us thought that drugs and alcohol revealed our true selves. Once we experienced those euphoric sensations, we were suddenly free to be who we truly were- who we didn’t even know we truly were. We find through the work of recovery, however, that we hadn’t really any idea who we were and that the “power” we were experiencing was a false pride. Returning back to our original states, we are challenged in our powerlessness to truly discover our authentic selves. Avalon of Malibu overlooks the cliffside and coastline of beautiful southern California- a perfect reminder of the powerlessness we all experience. Surrounded by serene nature, Avalon provides a luxury environment for healing mind, body, and spirit. Offering programs for both substance abuse and mental health treatment, Avalon is able to work closely with each patient’s individual needs. Call us today for a confidential assessment 1-888-958-7511.

Methamphetamines and exercise target some of the same regions in the brain. The “high” one gets from exercise is, on a physiological scale, similar to the high one gets from meth. Meth, also known as crystal meth or ice, is a synthetic stimulant drug. Being high on methamphetamine is characterized by having an excess amount of energy, alertness, awareness, focus, and enough blood to make the body feel stronger than normal. Meth abuse can keep people up for days at a time with endless activity. Researchers feel that exercise can help make use of that tendency to be hyperactive, especially once meth leaves the body. Meth addiction in extreme cases can leave someone awake for ten days or more. Usually the person isn’t conscious for the whole ten days, but their brains and bodies are still moving. Circadian rhythm is the natural 24 hour process the brain and body experiences, which includes sleep. Because methamphetamines keep people awake for days on end, it directly disrupts natural circadian rhythm. Resetting an unsettled sleep pattern in recovery usually requires the use of prescription medications for sleep. For meth addicts in particular, even a sleeping pill might not work. Exercise helps reset the circadian rhythm. People report sleeping better after including twenty minutes to an hour of exercise into their daily routine. Exercise helps the body get rid of excess energy so there is less to disrupt sleep. Additionally, having been worked and done physical output, the body is prone to sleeping deeper as well as longer. Even without the presence of methamphetamines or other stimulating medications, exercise can help a recovering meth addict get a good night sleep. Part of the equation is the similarity in the way exercise and meth affect the brain. In recovery, the brain is desperately seeking some source of pleasure. Without pleasurable stimuli, the brain is restless, resorting to sending out signals of distress in the forms of cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Exercise as part of a methamphetamine recovery program helps to reset the otherwise unorganized brain circuits. Essentially, the brain’s natural clock is reset. Avalon By The Sea offers clinically renown care for substance use disorders like methamphetamine addiction. For a confidential assessment and information about our treatment programs, call 1-888-958-7511.

The average person thinks about sex about 15 times per day. Having a sudden sexual thought at a deemable inappropriate place and time can feel quite embarrassing. Sexual arousement during a serious meeting or conversation feels out of control and out of place. When it happens there are feelings of shame, even guilt, mixed with an odd and unsettling sense of pleasure. Imagine that situation occurring all day long, coupled with an inability to let the sensation pass. Meet the sensation with troubling behaviors which can lead to negative consequences, then continue doing that behavior regardless of the negative consequences. This is sex addiction. Sex addiction riddles people’s lives with constant sexual compulsions from pornography to sex services, to texting. What is Sex Addiction? Currently, sex addiction is labeled as a process addiction. Process addictions are different from substance use disorders in which there are chemicals involved that alter the brain. Instead, a process addiction involves a process or activity, like gambling and sexual activity. However, numerous studies have shown that process addictions stimulate the brain in a manner very similar to chemical addictions. The production of dopamine, the pleasure communicator in the brain, is not exclusive to chemical substances. Sex is pleasurable and brings the brain pleasure, which, as in chemical dependency, it can become dependent upon. Signs and Symptoms of Sex Addiction One of the key signs a sex addiction has developed is the need for more sexual activity or more extreme sexual activity to achieve the same feelings of pleasure and/or relief. What starts out as an innocent exchange of pictures with a partner can quickly develop into paid prostitution, hours of pornography, and calls to sex hotlines. An alcoholic or addict is taught that there is danger in the first drink because it always leads to more. Other signs and symptoms include:

Alcoholism is hard to define. How can we conceive into words what is an inexplicable inability to stop uncontrollable drinking? There seems to be no satisfactory answer to explain what alcoholism is, what alcoholism does, and how it can be cured. Ironically, many definitions of alcoholism exist. Webster Dictionary, for example, defines alcoholism as “a diseased condition produced by alcohol.” The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous was a monumental and revolutionary text produced in the late 1930’s by two alcoholics, one of whom was a doctor. At the time, there was quite literally no answer to alcoholism. Men and women alike suffered in hospitals, “health farms” and “sanitariums” beyond the medical help of a doctor. When a doctor tried to treat the physical symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, they couldn’t seem to stop the desire to keep drinking. Trying a more psychiatric based treatment, they couldn’t seem to stop the physical cravings. In both instances, doctors were confounded by the spiritual lacking in their patients. No promise, no reward, not even the prospect of developing a “wet brain” or dying of cirrhosis could stop these alcoholics from continuing to drink. Dr. Silkworth, the attending doctor to AA founder Bill Wilson, wrote an introductory letter for The Big Book in which he describes alcoholism to be a mental and physical disease. Mentally, alcoholics suffer the “phenomenon of craving”. Physically, alcoholics have an allergy to the drink, meaning that once an alcoholic has one drink, they cannot stop consuming more. What came as a surprise to both Bill W. and Dr. Silkworth was the spiritual component of alcoholism. Bill’s friend Ebby was once his drinking partner. As Bill’s drinking came closer to bottom, Ebby visited him, seemingly recovered. Famously he quipped, “I’ve got religion.” Shortly thereafter, Bill entered the hospital once more where he had what he called a “spiritual experience”. From that moment forward, Bill no longer had a desire to drink. That is until one business trip when he found himself pacing back and forth across a hotel lobby looking longingly upon the bar. Having developed some time sober, he did not want to drink again. He commenced to reach out to another alcoholic. Together, they discovered the healing power of two alcoholics, out of which AA was born. Alcoholism is a chemical dependency upon alcohol which results in a diseased condition of mind, body, and spirit. The right approach to recovery integrates treatment of all three. Avalon of Malibu combines evidence based treatment methods for mental, physical, and spiritual health as part of a highly customized treatment plan. Set along the iconic southern california coastline, Avalon offers privacy in a luxury environment. Call us today for a confidential assessment, 1-888-958-7511.

A personality disorder is defined as “a deeply ingrained and maladaptive pattern of behavior of a specified kind, typically manifest by the time one reaches adolescence and causing long-term difficulties in personal relationships or in functioning in society.” According to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fourth edition), a personality disorder is “an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the culture of the individual who exhibits it.” The National Institute of Mental Health reports that in a 12 month prevalence, 9.1% of US Adults will experience a personality disorder. Personality Disorders are separated into three categories: Suspicious personality disorders, Emotional and Impulsive personality disorders, and Anxious personality disorders. Suspicious Personality Disorders and Characteristics

What If I Don’t Have The Time To Practice Mindfulness? “Ego says: Once everything falls into place I will find peace. Spirit says: Once I find peace, everything falls into place.”- Marianne Williamson “Mindfulness gives you time. Time gives you choices. Choices, skillfully made, lead to freedom. You don’t have to be swept away by your feeling. You can respond with wisdom and kindness rather than habit and reactivity.” - Henepola Gunaratana Making Time When You Don’t Have Time Leadership speakers, spiritual gurus, and organization lovers alike all agree that if you don’t have time to (insert action or behavior here) then (insert action or behavior here) is the most important thing you need to do. If you don’t have time to make time, making time is what you need to spend your time doing. Mindfulness practices are an important tool in anyone’s recovery toolbox for mental health. Practicing mindfulness helps us to connect to ourselves, calm down our heart rate, get grounded into the present moment, and regulate our emotions. For anxiety, depression, panic, OCD, and PTSD, mindfulness can help ease any uncomfortable moment. Making time for mindfulness practice each day is a way to keep maintenance over yourself spiritually, physically, and mentally. Life gets busy when we make our way back into it after treatment. Treatment for mental health is a special time where all time revolves around you, your needs, and being taken care of. Outside of treatment, we have to put all our new knowledge, strength, and tools to the test to live life manageably. Mindfulness practices don’t have to take up large chunks of time, like getting lost in a two-hour meditation. Quite the contrary, mindfulness can be effective in as little as one minute. Short, Simple, Impactful Mindfulness Practices Two methods of mindfulness that are powerful ways to get connected to the present moment are checking and scanning. At any point in time during the day, you can take even ten seconds to close your eyes, focus on your breath, and turn your attention inward. Noticing your emotional state helps you to keep a gauge on what you are experiencing. For more than just a check, try being with your thoughts in a mindful way for one whole minute. Body scanning is a practice to help separate physical sensation from emotional sensation and find peace in between the two. Depression can cause us to feel lethargic, heavy, slow, and unmotivated. Anxiety can get our adrenaline pumping, causing us to feel antsy, edgy, and squirmy. A body scan can take just five minutes. Starting from your toes, mindfully notice the physical sensations in each part of your body. Actively and gently tell your body it can relax. Your mental health is our priority. We make the time to meet your needs as you uniquely need them to be met. Avalon By The Sea offers premiere mental health treatment as one of Southern California’s only mental health treatment facilities licensed to treat psychiatric issues as a primary diagnosis. For more information on our program and a confidential assessment, please call 1-855-464-8409.

The road to long term recovery from mental health disorders is long, but not without reward. As we learn to manage life on life’s terms while coping with our diagnoses, we are able to witness first hand our remarkable development. If you find you’re being hard on yourself for not doing well enough, see if any of these small (and not so small) victories are making themselves apparent in your life. Remember how far you’ve come and use that as inspiration for taking each new step forward. You can do this! Showing Up (and on time!) Our depression kept us depressed. Our anxiety kept us anxious. Our paranoia kept us paranoid. Whatever our diagnosis, we let the entirety of our mental health disorder control our lives. Without the ability to cope and the tools to manage, we missed out on life day after day. Doing life was just hard. Some days, it is still hard. Treatment and recovery for mental health helps us learn how to take life on and show up. Being present for ourselves, for our families, and for the demands of life is a victory in mental health recovery. Showing up on time consistently may seem like no accomplishment for others but a huge success for us. Staying Clean and Organized… Depression can leave us without the motivation to get anything done. Studies have shown that a clean and orderly environment that is welcoming can help alleviate some stressful depression symptoms. Try mustering the inspiration to clean on an especially down day and be left with mess. Recovery for mental health means being able to get out of bed and clean our rooms or our houses; not just once, but day after day. ...Or Allowing For Mess While pervasive mess might be a symptom of mental health disorders like depression, it is the bane of others. Obsessive compulsive disorder, for example, thrives on rules, lines, exactness, and tidiness. Recovery for mental health from OCD means allowing a little bit of mess in your life without feeling completely out of control. Managing Finances Financial management starts with getting a job. If we are able to get, and hold, a job, we are already in a tremendous victory. Learning how to tackle finances one step at a time is a victory with each move. Paying bills, having groceries, putting gas in our cars (having cars) are all major accomplishments. Personal Hygiene Daily practices of personal hygiene can be challenging in different ways for different disorders. We might be too obsessed with hygiene or we might not practice hygiene at all. A balanced hygiene practice is important for self care as well as general health. Avalon By The Sea proudly boasts the title of being one of California’s only licensed facilities for treating mental health as a primary diagnosis. If mental health is preventing you from feeling victorious in life, help is available. For a confidential assessment, call Avalon today at 1-855-464-8492.

Boundaries are lines which set limitations. Geographically, boundaries divide areas of land. Emotional, boundaries help us set limitations on what we are willing to do and what we are not willing to do. Like a line in the sand, a boundary divides ourselves from others. Autonomy Autonomy is a political term applied to autonomous governments. Specifically, an autonomous government is one that has the ability to rule itself. Boundaries help with gaining a better sense of self. Without boundaries, we are easily influenced by everyone and everything. We aren’t able to demonstrate self-knowledge in a way that says, “this is what I want. This is what I need.” Setting boundaries helps us to grow and be ourselves in exactly the way we need to be. Boundaries are not means of control. Ultimately we are never completely in control of things. However, boundaries are a way of setting up some guidelines for how you want to be treated and how you want to engage with others. Self-Care As a result, you are able to better take care of yourself. Child psychology frequently finds that children with a lack of boundaries growing up have a hard time later in life. They are challenged in taking care of themselves or having healthy relationships. When you set boundaries you will be better able to create time and energy for self-care because you prioritize yourself. Having a healthy balance in relationships is a form of self-care in itself as well. Freedom When you set boundaries, you stop saying “yes” to everything that’s asked of you. You stop harboring resentments toward the people you aren’t saying no to you. You stop burning out and burning up in anger. Instead, you start saying no, with love. You have time to do the things you really want to do. You are freed from the prison of stress that comes from not setting boundaries or setting poor boundaries. Communication Setting boundaries can be confusing at first. With boundaries, practice makes...for better boundaries. There’s no such thing as perfect. In time, you will learn more about yourself and your needs, making your communication more clear and precise. Not only will you communicate more articulately about yourself, you’ll be able to ask more about others. Avalon By The Sea offers both certified substance abuse and mental health treatment. One of California’s only mental health facilities capable of treating psychiatric issues as a primary diagnosis. Providing the highest quality care, Avalon is committed to helping you succeed in life long sobriety. It is possible. For more information and a confidential assessment, call 1-855-464-8608.