“There’s a phrase, “the elephant in the living room”, which purports to describe what it’s like to live with a drug addict, an alcoholic, an abuser. People outside such relationships will sometimes ask, “How could you let such a business go on for so many years? Didn’t you see the elephant in the living room?” And it’s so hard for anyone living in a more normal situation to understand the answer that comes closest to the truth; “I’m sorry, but it was there when I moved in. I didn’t know it was an elephant; I thought it was part of the furniture.” There comes an aha-moment for some folks – the lucky ones – when they suddenly recognize the difference.” ~ Stephen King
April is alcohol awareness month.
A month to just notice and observe.
Are your drinking habits feeling healthy?
Are you concerned about a family member?
From the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.:
“Alcohol Awareness Month, held every April, was founded by and has been sponsored by NCADD since 1987 to increase public awareness and understanding aimed at reducing the stigma that too often prevents individuals and families from seeking help.
During Alcohol Awareness Month, NCADD and NCADD’s National Network of Affiliates reach out in communities across the country to bring the American public information about alcohol and alcoholism as a chronic, progressive disease, fatal if untreated, and genetically predisposed.
The disease of alcoholism is a family disease that is treatable, not a moral weakness, from which people can and do recover.
In fact, millions of individuals and family members are living lives in long-term recovery from alcoholism!”
Alcohol not only affects the person who is abusing alcohol. It affects their spouse, children, parents, siblings, and friends. Don’t let the stigma hold you or your family back from getting help.
Keeping with the theme of alcohol use, I would like to share my interview with Lisa Frederiksen, author of Crossing the Line, from Use to Abuse to Dependence. Lisa shares great insights regarding the myths that many of us believe regarding alcohol use.
I hope you enjoyed the interview.
Learn the science behind addiction, understand the emotional toll it takes on a family, and what steps you can take to help your loved one, as well as yourself.
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Cathy! Thank you so much for this interview, and I’m so impressed with your technical skills to create the video with you in Mexico and me in California!!! I really appreciate your support and look forward to holding our webinar for parents and family members concerned about a loved ones alcohol or drug abuse.
Hi Lisa,
You are so welcome. Thank you for all that you are doing to spread awareness of drug and alcohol addiction. Your book is amazing and will be so helpful to many. The video was fun, now that I know more, we’ll have to do another.
Great advice as always Cathy and can highly recommend Lisa Frederiksen’s book ‘Crossing the Line, from Use to Abuse to Dependence’.
Alcohol Awareness Month is the ideal opportunity to inform ourselves about drinking, whether we enjoy alcohol socially or have concerns that we are using alcohol to fix an emotional or physical need.
It’s also a chance to break down the stigma of alcoholism for the individuals and their families who are often regarded as weak willed and lacking in self control.
Alcoholism is usually seen as such a negative condition, but the good news is that it is manageable and treatable. Millions of people live happy, fulfilling lives without drinking and I after a 20 year battle with the bottle myself, I glad to be one them!
Thank you for the recommendation, Carolyn! I know, myself, learning the science behind why alcoholism is a brain disease and how it is a person becomes an alcoholic were hugely helpful in my letting go my feelings of anger and betrayal.
Hi Carolyn,
April is the perfect time to remind people to just notice their drinking and consider if it is fine or unhealthy. You are right, our lives do not have to revolve around alcohol and there is so much more to life without it. Thank you again for sharing your story. You are a beacon of hope to many.
“In fact, millions of individuals and family members are living lives in long-term recovery from alcoholism!”” – Thanks for pointing that out. I don’t think most people understand that alcoholism is a true, degenerative, progressive disease. The same goes for any type of addiction. The sooner people realize that addiction must be treated medically – not just psychologically – the sooner we as a society can actually address the drug epidemic that’s sweeping the nation.
Great interview Cathy and Lisa. Alcohol is a very important subject. Becoming an alcoholic seems to just sneak up on people. They do not realize what they have become. This goes for the teens and young people also.
For me having lived with it as a child I can spot it fast and if the drinker won’t get help, get help for yourself, so you can understand and learn what to do and who to deal with it.
Thanks again both of you and blessings to you both,
Debbie
Thank you, Debbie. You are so right – it does sneak up on a person, and it is most important to get help for oneself even if the drinker won’t. Thanks so much for sharing. Take care, Lisa
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Cathy & Lisa,
Well done! The interview is a nice summary of some of the many myths of alcoholism and it’s really terrific that you’ve posted it during Alcohol Awareness Month. Now, if parents and adult caregivers will pay attention . . .
On the technical side of things, Cathy, you continue to amaze me with your skills. Treatment Talk has quickly become a go-to source for new and innovative ways to address the issues of use, abuse and addiction.
I’m becoming an even bigger fan!
Hi Beth,
I agree, we can only put it out there and hope that parents read, listen and be proactive. The video was fun, and I’ve been wanting to do a Skype interview for awhile. I plan to do more in the future. Thanks for your kind words.
Thank you so much, Beth – and I, too, am so impressed with Cathy’s skills and innovative approaches to sharing this information.
Cathy, what a wonderful interview. You were superb and so was Lisa. Almost like seeing you in person. 🙂 This is an important message and I’ll be proud to share it. Thank you for a great post. I did not know that April is Alcohol Awareness Month.
Hi Vidya,
Thanks for sharing. It is an important message for all, but especially for parents. Take care.
Thank you so much, Vidya! And thank you for sharing the interview with your readers!!
Cathy,
Loved your interview! Lisa, your book looks great and very helpful to many people. How great that the two of you have met up and are now putting together a webinar. I’ll sign up!!
PS Cathy, Great to see what you look like and sound like!!
Hi Betsy… yes, we’ve been fortunate to connect and are looking forward to working together. Thank you for your interest in our webinar!!
Betsy…and I meant to thank you for the book compliment, too! Hopefully its brevity and simplified science angle will interest readers and help them better understand why so many of the common myths about drinking are actually what get people into trouble. Take care…
Powerful interview, Cathy. I admire how you are able to present the facts without a condemning tone. Alcoholism is so prevalent that it seems there is always only one or two degrees of separation within families. The more confidently we can separate excuse from fact, the quicker the addictive tendencies will collapse.