Not enough alcoholics are educated about this
My father died of alcoholic liver cirrhosis four years ago. It came as a surprise to all of us, even though it was clear he had a severe drinking problem for decades. It was especially surprising to me, as a former nurse and a recovering alcoholic. You would think I’d know more about liver problems and alcohol use than the average person. But the truth is, in the months before his death, I had no idea my father’s liver was struggling at all. …
Hi friends,
Hope you’re all doing well and getting a fresh start on the new year. We’ve had some really great stories published in the Mental Health and Addictions Community (MHAC). Below you will find the top stories published since the last newsletter.
Also, one important announcement — it looks as though we can’t add any more editors to this publication. Medium has changed the rules again for publications and any new pubs can no longer have more than 3 editors.
I’m getting this news from fellow pub owners and not Medium, which is disappointing. I noticed that I couldn’t add any more editors and other pubs were having the same issue. A few pub owners wrote to Medium and were told about the new rules. So it looks like any people asking to be part of the pub from now on will have to be added as a writers. …
One of these stats is slightly hidden in your Medium stats page
If you’ve been on Medium a long time, you’ll know that the writers here have cyber-relationships via Facebook groups and writer groups outside of the forum. These groups have pros and cons, but mostly they’re quite supportive and informative.
One of the main topics of discussion amongst writers is “where do our earnings come from?” And although we still haven’t solved this mystery despite much discussion, I wanted to share two statistics that may point us in the right direction. The first one (and the most important one IMO) is daily member reading time.
Make sure you don’t confuse this with the number of reads. For example, even though you may have 1.2K reads for a given story, it depends on how many seconds or minutes a person actually spends on your story. If they spent only a few seconds, then the actual read won’t give you a good payout. …
You’d never think these conditions stem from a liver stressed by excessive alcohol.
As a former nurse and recovering alcoholic, I’m amazed to learn how many health issues are connected to a struggling liver. Before I quit drinking, I had a few health conditions that were problematic and mysterious. I had a lot of nerve pain, problems with my balance, digestive issues, a puffy face, and anemia. I had no idea they were linked to a liver trying to do its job while filtering out all the alcohol I drank.
You’d think (being a nurse) that I would have known what was happening to me. …
Medium Helped me Find my Niche in 2020
Well, 2020 was quite the year, that’s for sure. But on the optimistic side, I did find my niche here this year.
My topics have ranged from addiction, mental health, self, photography, and inspiration. But it’s my addiction pieces that went off the charts this year. More so, people really responded to articles exploring co-occurring issues within mental health and addictions.
I suppose that I have a unique view on these topics as I am a recovering alcoholic but also worked as a nurse in mental health and addictions. …
Ever since my father died from alcoholism, I’ve been contemplating why I chose sobriety while my father chose death.
My father died from his alcohol addiction four and a half years ago. The grief I have felt is complicated, to say the least. I can get over losing a parent, as I understand that this will happen to all of us at some point. But the fact that his death felt like a kind of suicide has left a hole in me.
Most people don’t realize that 90% of all suicides are associated with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse issues. Of course, in my father’s case, he didn’t get up one day and decide that was the day he would take his own life. …
Hi friends,
As promised, I’m finding a good schedule for newsletters so that we can take advantage of this fabulous platform feature to promote our writing. Each week, I’ll try to do a round up of top 3–4 stories for the week. I figure this is a do-able goal and will be helpful to community members.
I also wanted to let you know that I’m still thinking of ways to spruce up the branding of this platform. If you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them. …
If you drink to “de-stress,” this information will be valuable to you.
As a recovering alcoholic and a former mental health nurse, I have a unique view on how alcohol affects the nervous system. I have seen and experienced for myself how alcohol makes anxiety worse. And as a nurse, I have a deeper understanding of the biological processes that precipitate anxiety in alcohol users.
If anyone has any doubt, let me clear it up: alcohol will absolutely make your anxiety worse.
People who are heavy drinkers can tell you that anxiety is one of the most uncomfortable symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. The trouble is, most people don’t understand why alcohol causes anxiety. …
Hi friends,
I’m just getting around to updating the publication, creating the newsletter and adding some esthetics. It seems I’m struggling with how to add an image on the header, but I’ll figure that out soon!
I’m really proud of this publication and the work you’re all submitting has been amazing. The caliber of writers here is fantastic. I’m glad you’re all enjoying the community nature of this publication. For those who are new or who may have forgot, we are a giant team of editors all contributing to the publication. …
And an Ayahuasca ceremony helped me remember it.
It was during the last Ayahuasca journey that I remembered the terror from my childhood bullying experience.
Before that, I only remembered the “fact” of it. Kind of like how I know Mars exists, but I don’t know what life on Mars feels like. Likewise, I didn’t remember what it felt like to be almost choked to death.
I retained some memory of the before — me, in my new dress, hoping to make friends at a new school. Innocent child words were said, but I don’t remember what they were. …
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