{"id":14989,"date":"2021-04-29T23:19:38","date_gmt":"2021-04-30T09:19:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uhphawaii.org\/?page_id=14989"},"modified":"2021-04-29T23:32:13","modified_gmt":"2021-04-30T09:32:13","slug":"alcohol-awareness-developing-a-mindful-approach-to-drinking","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/uhphawaii.org\/index.php\/alcohol-awareness-developing-a-mindful-approach-to-drinking\/","title":{"rendered":"Alcohol Awareness:  Developing a Mindful Approach to Drinking"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"14989\" class=\"elementor elementor-14989\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7b08da4 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7b08da4\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;,&quot;shape_divider_bottom&quot;:&quot;tilt&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-shape elementor-shape-bottom\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-negative=\"false\">\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 100\" preserveAspectRatio=\"none\">\n\t<path class=\"elementor-shape-fill\" d=\"M0,6V0h1000v100L0,6z\"\/>\n<\/svg>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-17884df1\" data-id=\"17884df1\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-49f2356c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"49f2356c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-large\">Alcohol Awareness:  Developing a Mindful Approach to Drinking<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-324233c8 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-post-info\" data-id=\"324233c8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"post-info.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"elementor-inline-items elementor-icon-list-items elementor-post-info\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-46f67bb elementor-inline-item\" itemprop=\"author\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/uhphawaii.org\/author\/hi-vizibility-marketing\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"far fa-user-circle\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-author\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUniversity Health Partners of Hawaii\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-a474e5f elementor-inline-item\" itemprop=\"datePublished\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/uhphawaii.org\/index.php\/2021\/04\/29\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-calendar\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-date\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time>April 29, 2021<\/time>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-df2ff2d elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"df2ff2d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-229c2477 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"229c2477\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7f4c1f9a\" data-id=\"7f4c1f9a\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ba61a1a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3ba61a1a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>By Marybeth Kotrodimos<\/p><p>It\u2019s no surprise that during the pandemic, consumption of alcoholic beverages in our world\u2019s population saw a dramatic surge, right along with deliveries from Amazon and take-out meals.\u00a0 The stress, boredom, fear, and isolation that were by-products of the pandemic drove many people to sooth their nerves and provide a distraction from the tedium of lockdown by drinking more alcohol than usual.\u00a0 April is National Alcohol Awareness Month, and now, more than ever, is a good time to take stock of our drinking and work on developing healthy habits.<\/p><p>We know that the effects of habitual excessive alcohol consumption can be devastating, causing permanent damage to our bodies, our mental health, our relationships, and our ability to provide for ourselves.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/disturbmenot.co\/alcoholism-statistics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The World Health Organization<\/a> has reported that \u201calcohol influences over 200 health conditions and diseases with an emphasis on cancers, liver cirrhosis, injuries, and DSM-IV alcohol dependence.\u201d\u00a0<\/p><p>Along with causing myriad medical issues, alcohol abuse impacts us mentally, socially, and emotionally. The hippocampus, which is the part of the brain that plays an important role in memory and learning, becomes impaired when we drink alcohol, affecting our ability to think clearly and remember what we\u2019ve learned.\u00a0 Our behavior and our judgement are impacted, and our emotions can run to extremes, sometimes leading us to greatly embarrass or hurt ourselves and others, causing relationships to erode and careers to become derailed.\u00a0<\/p><p>Up until fairly recently, in this country and many others, habitual alcohol consumption was addressed with an all-or-nothing approach. \u00a0You either were or were not considered an alcoholic, and if you were, abstinence was the go-to solution.\u00a0 Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was the only widely known program for those who wanted to stop drinking. \u00a0AA does offer a solid and effective program for living sober through immediate and complete abstinence, and it has helped many people lead better lives.\u00a0 Indeed, AA has, no doubt, saved many lives which may have been cut short due to alcohol abuse. \u00a0But what about people who are not that far along on the alcohol abuse spectrum, and who, for whatever reason, have found themselves drinking more than usual and would like to develop the skills to drink more mindfully?\u00a0 The concept of alcohol awareness encompasses varied approaches to addressing habitual drinking.<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/cutbackcoach.com\/blog\/healthier-habits-around-alcohol-consumption\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dr. Adii Jaffe, author of <em>The Abstinence Myth <\/em>writes<\/a>, \u201cOnly 10% of drinkers who over consume show signs of physical dependence on alcohol, which means for 90% of the population, the opportunity is in building better habits rather than needing to cut out alcohol entirely.\u201d For those who fall into that 90 percentile, he touts an emphasis on \u201cbuilding a new approach\u201d which allows them \u201cto re-balance their relationship with alcohol, on their own terms.\u201d\u00a0<\/p><p>Gaining popularity at this time are some online programs with tools to help people develop better personal alcohol awareness, or to stop drinking entirely if they choose to do so.\u00a0 These programs are not meant to treat people with severe physical alcohol addiction, which requires more intervention and treatment than they provide. \u00a0For people who are physically addicted to alcohol, withdrawal, without the guidance of qualified healthcare providers, can be lethal. But for those who generally have drank more moderately in the past but are concerned because the frequency or amount of their alcohol consumption has escalated, there is help for developing healthier drinking habits without abstaining completely.\u00a0 For those who enjoy having an occasional glass of wine, beer, or a cocktail after work or when they socialize, but are finding that they are drinking more heavily and more frequently, especially in this last difficult year, the harm reduction approaches advocated by organizations such as Cutback Coach and Dry January are drawing interest. And there are reports showing them to be effective for those who could benefit from better management of their relationship to alcohol. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><p>Launched in 2020, <a href=\"https:\/\/cutbackcoach.com\/blog\/healthier-habits-around-alcohol-consumption\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cutback Coach<\/a> is focused on the development of mindful drinking, rather than requiring its participants to strive for a goal of complete abstinence, as 12-step programs like AA do.\u00a0 Participants set up a custom program with individual goals for their reduced alcohol use. Delivered primarily by two-way text messages, this program provides an easy to use format for tracking consumption, as well as maintaining a running calculation of the money and calories saved from drinking less, as measured from a baseline established by participants. \u00a0A \u201ccoach\u201d is available 24\/7 by text and email, offering advice and words of encouragement to help participants achieve the health benefits associated with avoidance or reduction of alcohol consumption, including better sleep, weight loss and increasing energy. \u00a0<\/p><p>\u201cWe want to destigmatize the conversation around alcohol, and help people understand how small changes to drinking habits can have a huge impact on their physical and mental wellbeing. We believe just as you don\u2019t need to be extremely out of shape to get benefits from tracking calories and steps, you don\u2019t need to be an extremely heavy drinker to improve your overall health by tracking your alcohol consumption. Our goal is to help people be more mindful about their drinking, especially after the challenges 2020 presented for many of us,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/cutbackcoach.com\/blog\/healthier-habits-around-alcohol-consumption\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cutback Coach<\/a> CEO and Co-Founder Nick Allen.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><p>Older and better known than Cutback Coach, <a href=\"https:\/\/alcoholchange.org.uk\/publication\/dry-january-evaluation-2019\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dry January<\/a> is a program which encourages people to abstain or greatly reduce their drinking for the month of January. The concept of abstaining from alcohol in January as a means of jump-starting a healthier relationship with alcohol throughout the year dates back to the 1940s.\u00a0 It gained wide-spread recognition in the US and elsewhere around the globe several years after it went digital for a campaign launched in 2013 by the British charitable organization Alcohol Concern.<\/p><p>Dry January participants download an app on their phones called <em>Try Dry: The App for Dry January and Beyond<\/em>.\u00a0 They generally begin at the first of the year with a commitment to stop drinking or greatly reduce their alcohol intake for the month, and are encouraged to maintain the tracking and the mindful approach to drinking moving forward into the year.\u00a0 Participants use the Try Dry app to track the progress they make in saving money and cutting calories as they maintain a record of the drinks they consume, or the days they go without drinking.\u00a0 Articles and individual testimonies are posted on the app to help keep participants motivated and informed about the benefits of drinking in moderation or living sober.<\/p><p>There are other organizations which assist people with developing a healthier relationship with alcohol; however, it is widely understood that stress, emotional distress, and other factors affecting our mental health are frequently the underlying causes of habitual drinking, and until they are addressed, they will still be present.\u00a0 If you are feeling overwhelmed and in need of a substance to help cope with daily stress, alcohol can make the problem worse.\u00a0 Getting sober or cutting back to manageable level of consumption is the first step toward improved mental and physical health, but there is no substitute for the intervention and support of good behavioral health provider when it is needed.\u00a0 If you find you are relying too much on substances these days, don\u2019t hesitate to contact a licensed professional.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-620c8e7c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"620c8e7c\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-549df68f\" data-id=\"549df68f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-50bbae9b elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"50bbae9b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/uhphawaii.org\/index.php\/news-all\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">&lt;&lt;   &nbsp;Return To News<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alcohol Awareness: Developing a Mindful Approach to Drinking By Marybeth Kotrodimos It\u2019s no surprise that during the pandemic, consumption of alcoholic beverages in our world\u2019s population saw a dramatic surge, right along with deliveries from Amazon and take-out meals.\u00a0 The stress, boredom, fear, and isolation that were by-products of the pandemic drove many people to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21740,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-14989","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uhphawaii.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uhphawaii.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uhphawaii.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uhphawaii.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21740"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uhphawaii.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14989"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/uhphawaii.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14989\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14994,"href":"https:\/\/uhphawaii.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14989\/revisions\/14994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uhphawaii.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}