Outpatient treatment for women who love wine in San Diego and Carmel Valley

According to a recent British survey, 8 out of 10 bottles of wine consumed at home are purchased by women. Drinking wine has replaced the social connection of having a cup of coffee with friends.

The problem is that women do not think drinking wine 3-4 times a week is a problem. Most women who call an outpatient alcohol and drug treatment program for alcohol treatment are dependent on wine.

Wine is packaged and sold throughout grocery stores, and many women think it is a food item. Wine is displayed in the vegetable section, the bread and bakery section, the candy section, end aisles, front aisles, the potato chip section and all sections in between. It’s no wonder that women in Carmel Valley, Del Mar, Encinitas, La Jolla and Scripps Ranch purchase and drink it. Consumers are seduced by hundreds of millions of dollars spent in research and marketing by the brewers to get the women to pick up the bottle of wine.

I have heard college educated women say that they could not have an alcohol problem, because they only drink wine. They think alcohol is a food group. And it is not.

Yet women are frequently drinking and isolating at home, becoming more depressed and anxious, and feeling more and more lonely. Why the loneliness? We have given our personal power over to the substance in a bottle. We think it will change our mood state and give us a euphoric feeling, yet the downside is that we become depressed and anxious, feeling guilty because we cannot keep our commitment to just have one or two drinks.


Women often have a 2 drink rule. If a women has a problem with being unable to consistently control the amount and effects of alcohol, feels urgency to drink and sneaks or hides alcohol, she could be in the early stage of alcohol dependence.

Two drinks does not seem like it provides effective emotional effects, e.g. a mood change, and a sort of compulsion takes over. The needs of the body to satisfy the growing physical and psychological need for alcohol, undermine her thoughts, emotions and behaviors. In this case, women cannot consistently control the amount of alcohol they are drinking and the 2 drinks turns into 6 or 8 drinks, an overload to the mind and body.

Drinking alcohol whether it be wine, beer, vodka or whiskey, while ignoring the feedback from others that the alcohol is a problem just adds to the confusion and need to drink more.

If drinking wine is beginning to be a problem for you, call us for outpatient alcohol treatment, where you can attend during the day, from 10-1pm, or evening from 6-9pm. Take the steps now to get back your health. Now is the time to decide and act.

Judy Saalinger, Ph.D., MFT, CAS

Foundation Fifty - 50 Days to Meeting Your Needs: #2 Food & Drink

Day 2: Food and Drink:

"Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are."
--Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826)

The foods we eat and the liquids we drink determine our perception of the day, the way we handle stress and interact with others. Eating a planned meal or snack will keep our lives on an even track, something that will build our reserves as we go through the changes in our lives. Eating because we are anxious, lonely, tired, sad, angry or excited will lead to a temporary solution, however when the uncomfortable feelings or event occurs again, we may attempt to solve it in the same manner.

Bonnie was irritable with her seven-year-old twins who always wanted to play before going to bed. Writing down the things she could not control to help her understand what she really needed, she made the connection that eating too many carbohydrates (cookies, prepared foods, cereal and breads with refined sugars), were making her even more tired in the evenings. Bonnie was already tired after having worked all day and attended support group meetings right after work. In order to get more energy Bonnie got together with her friends at work and they shared recipes for low carbohydrate meals. She even went online and found an international group that exchanged cooking ideas. As she transformed the way she looked at food -- from something to mask her real need for more energy to a resource that could help her improve her well-being -- she was able to make change. When we eat well and abstain from alcohol and illegal drugs, we make clear decisions and are less impulsive with our emotions.

Be aware of what you are doing or not doing, and why. If we are eating compulsively, or not wanting to eat at all, we are masking our emotions and denying our real needs. Through assertively communicating these needs to others as well as ourselves, we will be able to maintain a healthier balance in all areas of our life. If eating patterns become a problem in our lives, we may be in an addiction, hypoglycemia or diabetes. It is best to check it out with your doctor. Changing food patterns is not easy. Give yourself a pat on the back for each small step forward and be gentle on yourself with old behavior. Each meal and snack is a new experience, and a new opportunity to choose differently!

Write what you are eating today:

Healthy Food & Liquids

UNFULFILLED

Unbalanced or excessive eating to mask your emotions; low water intake; excessive alcohol, mood swings.

SATISFIED
Adequate and balanced food, healthy nutritional patterns and regular water intake.

TRY THIS:
* Create a daily plan of three balanced meals and two healthy snacks.
* Drink eight glasses of water a day.
* Take a short walk after each meal.

List the healthy foods and liquids you take into your body:

Rate the fulfillment of your needs for healthy food and liquids today on a scale of 1-10:

What actions are you willing to take that would give you a ten today?

What would give you a ten, 50 days from now?

Write this goal and create an action list.

Fill in the affirmation:

I, ___________ am doing_______________________ to meet my needs for healthy food and liquids

Thank you for the strength to keep my commitment to eat healthy today.