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alcoholism

Death by Detox: How “Just Stopping” Can Be Fatal, Part Two

Following the passing of my sister in August 2022, I struggled to wrap my mind around how Pip actually died. How did my sweet, hilarious sister become a statistic? How did she die from alcohol withdrawal? I knew it was possible, but as I mentioned previously, I never fathomed it could happen to me. One of my main forms of coping was researching. I had to learn more about alcohol withdrawal, detox death, and delirium tremens (DT). I needed to learn more about why you should detox from alcohol in a safe environment. DT is most common in people who have alcohol dependence. Dependence on alcohol occurs over time. Dependence means you are physically dependent on the alcohol; your brain has slowly compensated for the way alcohol serves as a depressant. If someone stops their daily drinking cold turkey, the brain then panics in its own way. Your central nervous system becomes overexcited, which can be dangerous. Read More

Death by Detox: How “Just Stopping” Can Be Fatal, Part One

We all know those things that happen in the real world, that we believe could never happen to us. As a licensed counselor and educator, I am well-versed in how complex it is to detox safely and why you should detox from alcohol in a safe environment. But my professional experience and insight never prepared me for what happened to my younger sister. Though detox death is rare, rare still happens. Most of us simply never think it could happen to us. But it can. And for me, it did. Read More

9 Ways Excessive Drinking Affects the Body

By Christa Banister Whether it’s beers during the big game or bottomless mimosas at brunch, there’s no shortage of occasions for alcohol to be enjoyed. But it can be hard to know how much is too much. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention… Read More

The Effects of Living with an Alcoholic

This blog was originally published in the Huffington Post. There is a much larger story here. It’s the story of all mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, and cousins who care about and are concerned about someone abusing alcohol. Even closer to home, it’s about the… Read More

Alcohol Awareness Month: Changing Attitudes on Rite of Passage

The National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence (NCADD) is promoting its 32nd Annual Alcohol Awareness month this April. The theme for this year encompasses the idea of drinking as a rite of passage.  This immediately makes me think of a case that I have been following regarding a fraternity at Penn State and the alcohol-induced death of one of its pledges. While there are many issues in this case that can be picked apart and examined, I feel that alcohol, as a rite of passage is central to what occurred. Read More