Living With An Alcoholic Spouse: A Healthy Detachment

The best thing you can do when dealing with an alcoholic spouse is to detach from the abuse of the alcoholic. You can do this if you truly love your spouse and want to help them to possible sobriety. The more you focus all your energies on the alcoholic, the less likely he is to get sober. This article focuses on how you can detach and remain healthy mentally.

Don't Make Alcoholism Your Problem

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If you have never read any of the Al-anon material then you probably don't know that you are making the disease of alcoholism YOUR problem. One of the sad facts of living with an alcoholic is we become just as mentally and emotionally sick as the alcoholic. This happens because every step of life we take, and every breath of air we breathe has some involvement with the alcoholic. Our emotions overtake our own mental health as we try and cope with the deterioration of the alcoholic in our life. What are we doing wrong? We are concentrating too much on the disease, instead of concentrating on our mental and emotional health. We may as well be tipping the bottle for them. Better yet, we may as well be drinking with them!

Don't Enable

Most spouses of alcoholics don't realize they are helping their spouse drink just by a few simple behaviors and actions. Several ways in which you may be enabling your spouse to drink is by buying them alcohol, drinking with them, calling the boss and or family members for him because he is too hung over or too drunk to do it himself. Lying to friends, boss, family and co-workers about him and his drinking problem. Taking them to the store, arguing with them, and behaving like a victim. You are not the victim of alcoholism until you make yourself BEcome the victim.

Get Off The Pity Pot

Get off of the pity pot and begin living for yourself, instead of living for the alcoholic. "Oh poor me, everyday I am suffering and I can't take it anymore" attitude won't get you anywhere. You need to take care of yourself and that cannot be done if you are focusing all of your attention on the alcoholic and what he is doing or what he isn't doing. Start focusing on what you can do for yourself. Get out of the house, don't hang around the alcoholic, and don't let them abuse you with their words. If you care about the alcoholic in your life, this is what helps them more than anything else.

Detach With Love

You are powerless to getting your loved one to stop drinking. The first step in being able to detach is by realizing that the shenanigans of the alcoholic is not your problem. Don't try and fix their messes for them. Not only does this enable them to continue drinking, but also it justifies their drinking. Don't have any interaction with the alcoholic while they are drinking; that includes, talking and arguing with them. Why fuss and fight with someone who has lost the ability to make any sense? Don't become ensnared in the alcoholic trap with them. Stay out of the trap, so you can help them. Ninety-five percent of what an alcoholic says is manipulative and hogwash anyway. Don't start believing in the lies of the disease. Separate yourself from the antics of the alcoholic.

Pray For The Alcoholic

I can't tell you how important the process of daily prayer can be. Not only does it bring you closer to God but it will also get you into the habit of going to God with your life challenges. God does hear your cries of pain and He will give you the answers you need to get through your trials and tribulations, even if your spouse continues to drink. Be patient and remain faithful in the Lord and He will deliver you from your suffering.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)

Living With An Alcoholic Spouse: A Healthy Detachment

DISEASE

Helping to Treat Anemia in Your Dog With Healthy Dog Foods

Your dog is not exempt from anemia. Anemia is not a specific disease, but it is the result of a disease process. Anemia happens when red blood cells, hemoglobin, or both are drastically reduced. There are common signs of anemia in dogs, such as: loss of pink color of the gums, tired, listless, and very lethargic. Anemia is not the same type of disease as in humans. It is not caused by iron deficiency.

These signs alone warrant a visit to the veterinarian. Your dog's veterinarian will take several tests on the red blood cells. The most common test is the PCV (packed cell volume). If your dog is diagnosed with anemia, there may be some other tests that will need to be done. The veterinarian will need to know if the bone marrow is producing increased numbers of new red blood cells to replace the lost. This can be shown in a blood smear.

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Also in a blood smear, parasites will be looked for that might be causing the destruction of the red blood cells. This could be a sign of leukemia. Parasite presence will be tested also in a fecal exam. This is also a reason that could be causing blood loss.

These are a few tests that can be run to find the cause of your dog's anemia. It is important for these tests to be done because there are many diseases that can cause anemia in dogs. These diseases can be grouped into three different groups. These are:

1. Diseases that cause blood loss - These diseases can be caused by trauma or injury that severs blood vessels or internal organs. Fleas, ticks, and hookworms can cause blood loss. Intestinal tract, kidney, and urinary tract tumors can cause blood loss. Blood loss could be caused by diseases that prevent proper blood clotting.

2. Diseases that cause hemolysis (red blood cell breakdown) - Diseases that cause the red blood cells to destruct include: autoimmune disease, blood parasites, chemicals and toxins, and cancer.

3. Diseases that decrease red blood cell production - Bone marrow suppression can be the result of decreased red blood cells because of: severe, chronic disease, poor nutrition or nutritional imbalances, autoimmune disease, hypothyroidism, chemicals and toxins, and cancer.

Treating anemia can be moderate or severe. If it is life-threatening, a blood transfusion may be needed. This will stabilize a dog in order to give the veterinarian time to find out the source of the anemia. If the anemia is moderate, you will need to make sure your dog can get enough nutrition during this time, especially.

Making sure your dog is given all natural healthy dog food packed full with vitamins and minerals will help give your dog more strength during this tough period. Hopefully, the veterinarian will find out the cause of the anemia and your dog will be up and running around in no time. Consider keeping your dog on an all natural dog food to help protect him from becoming sick in the future.

Helping to Treat Anemia in Your Dog With Healthy Dog Foods

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Periodontal Disease - Dentists Can Use Microscopes to Help Treat Gum Disease and Keep You Healthy

Spirochetes, yeast and amoeba. Oh my! At any given time you may have millions of bugs swimming in your mouth. Most of them are harmless, but for the 80% of us susceptible to periodontal (gum) disease, they can be a real problem.

huntington's disease

I know this is not a pretty subject, but it is important. Gum disease is the most common reason for tooth loss and can also significantly increase your risk of conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Taking care of your gums can save your teeth and possibly lengthen your life.

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We used to believe that periodontal disease and bad breath were caused by irritation and toxic by- products of dental plaque. We would diagnose gum disease by looking for inflammation or measuring gum and bone loss. Unfortunately, this would only tell us what damage had already occurred.

More recent research shows that gum disease is a contagious, bacterial infection. The presence of these bacteria signals the immune system to get involved and the result of that involvement is inflammation. Inflammation is what causes damage to our tissues and bone. In addition to special cleaning, we can now treat the infection directly and more effectively. We can be Bug Busters!

Microscopes are the Dentist and Hygienist's newest partners in keeping you healthy. By evaluating the bacteria in your plaque, they can prevent and treat your specific condition. If you are interested, you can even look at your own bugs. When looking under the microscope, we are evaluating how many bugs we see, what type, how active, and if they are working together in organized groups. We also look for white blood cells, which are a sign of immune system activity. With this information, we can decide how to best take care of you and help you take care of yourself. Yes, you can be a bug buster too!

Now, for the contagious part, and this is not good news. When babies are born, they do not have bugs in their mouths. These organisms are only found in people and animals. When we kiss, sneeze, or share things we put in our mouths, we are exchanging bugs. If you have periodontal disease, treat it, and it keeps mysteriously coming back, - you may want to stop kissing the dog.

The good news is microscope evaluations give us an edge in treating and preventing gum disease. We can be specific in our therapies and even prevent surgeries. Not all dentists use microscopes yet, so be sure and ask if this is important to you. Regular monitoring of your condition can help you keep your teeth and possibly even lengthen your life.

Let's be Bug Busters together!

Bite of Wisdom: "Laughter is the shortest distance between two people." Victor Borge

Periodontal Disease - Dentists Can Use Microscopes to Help Treat Gum Disease and Keep You Healthy

DISEASE