Fatal Error: One for the Road

The New Year begins and all over America people believe that it must be ushered in with a glass or two of some alcoholic beverage.  It has become a part of our culture and even recovering alcoholics want to celebrate with a non-alcoholic beverage that has all the appearance of an alcoholic drink.  It seems that even here we see the strong influence of alcohol and celebration.  Some people believe it's not a celebration if it doesn't include alcohol and others use "celebration" as a means to an even  greater intake of anything alcoholic.

Alcohol has been found to have some benefit, according to recent studies, but the researchers also indicated that meant one or two drinks a day, not one or two an hour.  So, the research doesn't support excessive drinking and, certainly, not binge drinking as we may find on holidays.

As to traffic accidents, we can only estimate the toll that takes on everyone's life; the driver, the victims, everyone's family, the police, insurance rates and even ER personnel.  No one is left unscathed by these accidents.  The group with the highest incidence of driving while drunk and in traffic accidents includes those between the ages of 21-25 where over 27% of them drove drunk.

What do we need to do about this excess and the recklessness that comes with alcohol when driving?  For one thing, alcohol isn't a means to dampen your social anxiety, although we see many people with anxiety or panic disorders drinking to self-medicate.

Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes all of us to help potential alcoholics not become full-blown drunk drivers and we need to learn ways to short-circuit the tantrums that come with it.  Take the keys, have a designated driver, or take a taxi. 

Related Topics:

• 9 Hangover Myths
• Drunk Drivers Aren't Changing Their Behavior

Technorati Tags: parties, alcohol, drunk driving, safety, New Years, celebrations

Photo: iStock Photography

The Piggybank Mentality: Money and Sanity

The season for giving gifts and racking up that $17.3 billion in credit card debt that has Americans swimming in a sea of red ink is over and now the average consumer/gift-giver has to face some very unpleasant music. You can't undo what's been done but you can do something about maintaining your sanity in the year to come. We've heard mixed comments about the economy and I don't have to be a credit analyst to know that times are going to get rougher in terms of mortgages, credit card payments and paying for gas for the family car.

The secret to survival and maintaining your sanity is to begin now to 'look for that silver lining' that old song told us about. What can you do?

Stress, in many families, is increased by financial problems. We know that more family arguments have a basis in family finances. Instead of arguing about everything, come to terms with your situation and begin to work together now to improve your future.

I think that the piggy bank is here to stay and it should be a symbol for us to help us remember that saving rather than spending to the limit is the only way out of this.

I heard an economist talk about how we are not pushing the country's production by what we want and need, the forces of production are pushing us to buy, buy, buy and too many people are responding to this pied piper.

The Road to Sanity

The road to sanity is paved with several things:

1. Get a grip on your spending and ask yourself one question: Do I really need this?


2. Take that loose change in your pocket and put it in the piggy bank, then into a savings account


3. Sit down and make a budget that reflects what you actually have to spend and stick to it


4. See a financial counselor if your credit cards are going to get you into serious problems


5. How many credit cards do you really 'need' and how many can be either shredded or renegotiated for a lower rate?

When you take action, no matter how small it seems, it gives you a sense of empowerment. Instead of having a tantrum or growling at your kids or co-workers, be responsible now for past actions. The years of acting like a kid and just scooping up all those glossy, unnecessary goodies are gone. Reality does bite, but you have the remedy and it's not in drugs or alcohol.

Related Topics:

• Managing Marriage and Money Problems
• How to Cope with Tax-Time Stress

Technorati Tags: holiday, stress, money, credit, money management
Image Credit: iStockPhoto.com

Social Anxiety: Eating

Eating can be both a pleasure and a painful experience, depending on how you view it. I'm not talking about people with eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia.

I've seen people eating alone quietly in restaurants while they peruse the pages of a magazine or book or listen to their iPods. Some leisurely eat while scanning the room to look at interesting people or overhear conversations that have caught their attention. People, in this way, can be fascinating, if you overcome your feeling that you're being somewhat intrusive.

But for some, eating in a restaurant is something they would compare to walking over hot coals a mile long. It is an excruciating experience. Let me tell you one experience I had with an institutionalized patient who, unknown to the staff, had this fear of eating in public. They saw it as willful, obstinate and extremely annoying behavior. He wouldn't eat in the dining room and he'd dump his tray almost as soon as it was filled. Then he'd storm back to his unit and demand money for candy which he could buy at a store on the grounds.

This fellow was a large, rather unapproachable-looking guy who had been a resident for over 20 years. He was always walking around in a state of clothing disarray. The staff was approaching the end of their rope.

Unsuspecting me, the new "kid" on the block as it were, was brought in to remedy this situation. I didn't know where to begin, but I felt that the dining room with all the patients must have held the answer. I began a plan to take him, alone, down to the dining room and to keep him engaged in conversation while the other patients came in. Once he was aware of them, dump went the tray and he wanted to return to his room.

We worked on this for weeks and then, after I left, the next person, under my direction, worked with him. It went very well as he gradually learned to handle the anxiety he initially felt and to block out what others were doing.

Learning to be comfortable when eating out is really a matter of learning how to help distract yourself and to refocus on something you find interesting or helpful.

Related Topics:

• Social Anxiety Disorder
• WebMD Video: Learn to Start Enjoying Life

Technorati Tags: socialanxiety, shyness