From Self-Medicating to Self-Care

“I need a drink” is a common catch phrase people use to sum up a bad day.  The culture is rife with advice that a “nice glass of wine” is all it will take to feel better about whatever challenges life dishes up.  So, when we are faced with big health issues, like anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses; physical illness or changes in our physical health; or stress caused by any social or familial changes or losses, it can seem like an easy fix to pick up a drink to “take the edge off.”   As alcoholics, this response becomes our go-to.  We come to depend on alcohol to deal with our problems.  It becomes a vicious cycle as our bodies and brains are stressed from processing the alcohol, as we stuff our emotions deeper and deeper down inside, and as we become dependent on the drink to fix us. We find great freedom from that dependence in sobriety, but it can be daunting to realize that even though we are now sober, we still have the same issues we had before we sought relief in the bottle - the same anxiety, the same depression, the same hormonal changes, the same trauma.  On this show, our guests will share their experiences about how they found new and better ways to deal with their lives.  From menopause to dual diagnoses, we can move from self-medicating to proper self-care!