Alcohol abuse can be an issue for many people amidst the Coronavirus Pandemic, due to job loss and the stay-at-home orders which are in place. You may never have experienced issues with alcohol abuse, but notice that your alcohol consumption has been increasing – perhaps you’re drinking every day, starting to drink earlier in the day, switching from beer to wine to hard liquor – all of which are signs of alcohol abuse. Or, you may be an alcoholic who has many years of sobriety, finding yourself “thinking about drinking” – and then acting on those thoughts, going into a relapse. In many ways, the impacts of the coronavirus are a “perfect storm” for alcohol abuse:

• you feel anxious about everything going on;
• you don’t want to experience those uncomfortable emotions;
• you rationalize that drinking can temporarily “numb” unpleasantries;
• you don’t have to report to work so you can drink as much as you want;
• you justify that drinking will be a “fun” way to cope;
• you don’t have to worry about a DUI because you’re staying at home;
• you might live alone and not have to be accountable to anyone;
• you can be enabled by drinking with others via video conference;
• you have alcohol delivered along with your food which makes it oh-so-easy;
• you figure that “no one will know” if you relapse…
• what are the reasons YOU may be drinking right now?

On a personal note – I want to share why I’m especially concerned about the coronavirus and alcohol abuse. During this challenging time, my brief “addiction” was watching TikTok videos. Watching these short video clips on a variety of topics took my mind away from the severity of the Coronavirus Pandemic, and temporarily gave me something to laugh about. However, I began to notice that many of these videos had alcohol as a theme: coronavirus drink recipes (using the beer Corona mixed with other ingredients), “Bored in the House” drinking games (featuring the song of that title by Curtis Roach, played in the background of the video), making fun of oneself while drinking (to excess, which is alcohol abuse). These subjects may be funny to some, but to me, it’s no laughing matter. That’s because I’m a Licensed Addiction Counselor, and in addition to the treatment of eating disorders, I also provide counseling for people who abuse alcohol (the clinical term is, Alcohol Use Disorder).

April is Alcohol Awareness Month, so this is another reason that I’m writing about the topic of coronavirus and alcohol abuse in this article. There are many reasons why people develop Alcohol Use Disorders, including past traumas, current stressors, and genetic factors. The stress associated with the current Coronavirus Pandemic can be extreme, as people are losing jobs, losing money, and losing their lives. The bullet point list in the first paragraph described many possible triggers for alcohol abuse. How do you know if you’ve “crossed the line” from being a social drinker to an alcohol abuser? My simple answer is, if you’re concerned about that, then you probably have. For a definitive answer, consult with a Licensed Addiction Counselor, or similar type of mental health professional. Amidst the coronavirus, many counseling offices are open (as long as social distancing can be maintained while meeting in person). Other options include telehealth (sessions conducted by phone or video conference).

Although coronavirus issues can lead to alcohol abuse, this time of social distancing and stay-at-home orders can also be an opportunity for recovery. Here are a few recovery tips:

• find friends who will commit to staying “Corona-free” for the rest of this month, and keep each other accountable – you can tell your friends you want to stay alcohol-free for “health reasons” if you’re not ready to share your concerns about alcohol abuse;
• create structure in your day, especially if you don’t have a job – try to wake at the same time, start the day with something positive (instead of checking the latest news), plan breaks for healthy meals, connect with your family and friends (even if it’s virtual);
• make a list of different activities that you can do as a means of coping – consider the 5R’s (from Dr. Dorie’ method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy, or EDIT™ which has applications for all types of addiction):
  • Responsibility – clean your counters (again), do laundry, walk the dog, just do it!
  • Recreation – play a game (NOT a drinking game), play with your dog, just for fun!
  • Relaxation – read a book, watch a movie, take a bath, listen to music, meditate, just be!
  • Reward – download some new music, make a small purchase online, just a little treat!
  • Recovery – write in a journal, make a gratitude list, read recovery blogs, just for you!
• join online support groups (many 12-Step Groups have online options, search for Alcoholics Anonymous) – if you struggle with alcohol abuse AND eating disorders, you are welcome to join the online group hosted by Dr. Dorie every Monday evening. CLICK FOR INFO

Alcohol abuse, eating disorders and other addictions happen in ISOLATION – recovery happens in CONNECTION. Let’s stay connected!

The post Coronavirus and Alcohol Abuse appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ can lead to complete recovery from eating disorders – which means having a healthy body image; a clear sense of values and identity beyond one’s body; the ability to intuitively and mindfully enjoy all foods without restricting, binge eating, or purging; effective ways of coping with a range of emotions; regular Self-Care practices; relapse prevention skills; and a strong presence of one’s “Intuitive Therapist” to guide ongoing recovery.

My name is Dr. Dorie McCubbrey, the Creator of EDIT™ – which I developed during my own eating disorder recovery. Practicing the five principles of EDIT™ led to my freedom from anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder, and continuing to live these principles in my own life allows me to stay free. This is how I know that complete recovery is possible! Also, as a Licensed Addiction Counselor and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist, I’ve been using the EDIT™ process with my clients for more than 20 years, and have guided thousands on their journeys of complete recovery from eating disorders.

I truly believe that by practicing the five principles of EDIT™, anyone can find freedom from anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, or other issues with food, exercise and weight. Here’s a “taste” of each of the five principles, and what freedom can feel like:

Love Your Self: You look in the mirror, and truly LOVE what you see – your radiant essence, your compassionate heart, your creative mind, and your strong body. You are free from society’s standards of what others think is “ideal,” and you fully embrace your True Self!

Be True To Your Self: You live your life in alignment with your “Intuitive Therapist” – your own inner guide to eating, exercise, and all decisions in your life. You trust your intuition for the type and amount of food your body needs. You rely on your intuition for the flow of mindful movement. You go within to access intuition for relationship guidance, career choices, and moment to moment needs.

Express Your Self: You have skills to safely and fully experience a range of emotions as they come and go through the day. You view your emotions as “messengers,” pointing to areas in your life you need to address. You approach all emotions with curiosity, knowing they are guiding you on your healthy path. 

Give To Your Self: You incorporate Self-Care throughout your day, to “feed your true hunger” – spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically. When you are “nourished from within,” there is no need for eating disorder behaviors of any kind.

Believe In Your Self: You wake up every morning, excited for the opportunities in your life! You live as if you’ve never had an eating disorder. Occasionally, an old “ED” thought might pop into your mind, but rather than acting on it, you naturally become curious about it – as “IT,” your “Intuitive Therapist,” takes over. Your ED-IT transformation is what complete recovery is all about!

Article may be reprinted with the author bio below.

©2018 by Dr. Dorie McCubbrey. Dr. Dorie is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Licensed Addiction Counselor who is passionate about training professionals to effectively guide clients in recovery from eating disorders, through her Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ Certified program. She also meets with clients at her treatment center, Positive Pathways PLLC, located in Evergreen Colorado. Learn more at: https://www.drdorie.com

*****

Want more that this “taste” of EDIT™? Dr. Dorie is passionate about her method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ to help people overcome eating disorders and addictions.  She provides customized counseling for eating disorders and alcohol / drug addiction at her Positive Pathways treatment center in Evergreen, Colorado – and EDIT™ eating disorder training and certification for coaches and clinicians worldwide. CALL 303-494-1975 – EMAIL DR. DORIE – GET CERTIFIED

The post Eating Disorders: Complete Recovery appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

The fiFTH EDIT™ Principle involves “complete recovery” and lasting freedom from eating disorder behaviors. However, before clients fully commit to their recovery, they are often filled with ambivalence. Sometimes, they want treatment. Other times, they cancel appointments and still find that their eating disorder “works.” If you witness your client in this ambivalence, here’s what you can do to help. The EDIT™ process involves having ED-IT dialogues with clients. Here’s what this might sound like:

ED (false self): I’ll always be eating disordered.

This belief reinforces ED as ones false self identity. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, ensuring the existence of ED indefinitely. However, the harmful effects of ED will eventually extinguish its own existence.

IT (True Self): I have a new life of freedom in recovery.

This belief affirms lasting recovery, with ones Intuitive Therapist (IT) guiding the way. There is a sense of ease, as the True Self embraces ITs new life.

Try this “taste” of EDIT™ – Winning the War Within

Sometimes the client is unsure which wolf they want to feed – false self or True Self, eating disorder or recovery. There can appear to be pros and cons to both. Click on the image below for a downloadable worksheet which you can use with your client, to shift their readiness for change.

Scroll below the image for guidelines about using the worksheet.
CLICK ON IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT

Eating disorder or eating disorder recovery? That is a decision that many clients make every day – and sometimes multiple times a day. It can often feel like a “war within” – as the client’s voice of the Eating Disorder (ED) seems to compete with the recovery wisdom voiced by the Intuitive Therapist (IT). Rather than dismissing ED’s arguments for “giving up on recovery” and “giving in to eating disorder behaviors,” it can be helpful to look more closely at exactly what ED is saying in the client’s mind. Similarly, it can be helpful to guide clients to examine their recovery wisdom in more detail, to notice the risks of their eating disorder behaviors and the benefits of recovery.

This worksheet walks clients through the various ED and IT messages, so they can clearly see the perspectives of both sides. Clients can “win the war within” as they honor ED and IT – and then make a decision where they choose to place their attention. If 51% of the client’s mind is focused on the benefits recovery, while 49% still considers the seeming advantages of their eating disorder – then recovery “wins.” The idea is to gradually guide clients to shift the percentage, so ultimately 100% of their attention is given to IT’s recovery wisdom.

This worksheet can be done in session, or assigned as homework. Suggest that the client start by completing the corner of the grid where their thoughts seem to be the strongest in that moment. For the purpose of illustration, let’s look at the top left corner first. Here, the client can list anything that they can think of that is a negative consequence of their eating disorder. The client can write a list, or just write words to full the box. For example, a bulimic client might write: life controlled by ED, burning my esophagus with stomach acid, rupturing my esophagus, sudden electrolyte imbalance, heart problems, accidental death.

The last statement in the above example might seem quite morbid – and yet that’s the reality of eating disorders. They can be deadly. When reviewing the grid with your client, be sure that they “get it” – any eating disorder behavior can cause accidental death. On the lighter side, now let’s look at the top right corner of the grid. Here, the client can list all of the positive outcomes they can imagine experiencing by staying in recovery. For example, that same bulimic client might write: I get my life back, totally at peace with food, learning to love my body, more friends, maybe marriage someday?

When reviewing this grid with your client, help them to realize that in “giving up ED” and staying in recovery, they open themselves to “a new best friend.” (Was ED really their friend anyways? Or more like an abusive lover?) ED behaviors usually happen in isolation, but recovery happens in connection with others. As clients expand this list of positive possibilities… sometimes fears arise. These are the perceived negatives of staying in recovery. For example: What if I don’t like the “new me”? What if I get really really fat? Will anyone ever truly love me? What if I end up alone?

This grid flows right into the final one – the benefits of quitting recovery, or, the perceived positives of ED. “Maybe ED isn’t so bad after all,” your client sometimes thinks. Here, that same bulimic client might write: ED is familiar, ED feels safe, purging helps me control my weight, I can avoid having to look at what scares me.

This process can reveal where your client is “stuck.” In this example, it’s fear – so you as the EDIT™ Certified practitioner might encourage your client to safely explore their fears with you. What if underneath what seems so safe and familiar (ED) lies their True Self (IT) – and it’s actually ED that’s afraid of IT, as if ED’s survival depends on keeping IT hidden! Guide the client to be curious… I wonder what your True Self is really like? What if your True Self holds the key to your happiness? Would you like my help to get to know the Truth of who you are?

©2018 by Dr. Dorie McCubbrey. Dr. Dorie is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Licensed Addiction Counselor who is passionate about training professionals to effectively guide clients in recovery from eating disorders, through her Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ Certified program. She also meets with clients at her treatment center, Positive Pathways PLLC, located in Evergreen Colorado. Learn more at: https://www.drdorie.com

Article may be reprinted with this author bio.

*****

Want more that this “taste” of EDIT™? Dr. Dorie is passionate about her method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ to help people overcome eating disorders and addictions.  She provides customized counseling for eating disorders and alcohol / drug addiction at her Positive Pathways treatment center in Evergreen, Colorado – and EDIT™ eating disorder training and certification for coaches and clinicians worldwide. CALL 303-494-1975 – EMAIL DR. DORIE – GET CERTIFIED

The post Believe In Your Self appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.