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How To Have A Social Life While Recovering From Addiction

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It was the partying and bars that helped bring you to this point. After years of self-destructive behavior, failed relationships, and even some run-ins with the law, you’ve finally managed to walk that straight edge. You’re clean and sober, and you have every reason to want to keep that going. 

But you also deserve friends, fun, and the rest that comes with having some kind of social life. That can be tough when you’re recovering from addiction. Society as a whole is not designed to be supportive to those in recovery. But without social interactions and good times, the resulting depression and loneliness can trigger a relapse. 
To help, Karen Weeks of Elderwellness.net shares some tips for staying clean and sober while going out and having fun.

Image Source: Pixabay

Finding The Right Activities

One of the keys to staying sober while going out for fun activities is picking the right ones. This takes some of your history into account. If you spent way too much time in your previous years in dive bars, heading to hear a band at one might not be the best idea. Here are some activities that help support you in your addiction recovery. 

  • Play some games: This doesn’t mean sitting alone on a couch playing video games. You need social activities. Instead, get some friends together for board games. Bring a pack of cards to a restaurant and play there. And yes, video games with a bunch of friends in the room does count. 
  • Go see some live sports: Sports loyalties bring out a passion from their fans. Even if you barely know people, you can quickly bond over a game. But instead of hitting the bar scene, go see the game live. Professional leagues can be expensive, but minor leagues can be even more fun. 
  • Join a local league or sports club: Speaking of sports, you can have a social life by joining a local league or amateur sports club. Many adults get together on weekends to play some football, basketball, and more. 
  • Check your local library and park district: You’d be surprised how many social activities are now being offered by your hometown’s library and park district. Visit their website and look to see what clubs, events, and happenings you can attend. 
  • Reconnect with former friends: If you lost touch with friends along the way, rekindling old friendships can be a healthy way to heal and move forward in your sobriety journey. If you have trouble finding old classmates, try a site like ClassFinders, which makes it easy to track down school friends by graduation date and alma mater.

Going Along With The Group

You can’t be that person who’s always telling the group where they need to go. Sometimes, you’ll have to head with your friends to some place that can challenge your sobriety. It’s not inevitable, but it is something you can handle. 

First, explain to your friends why certain activities are just not for you. There’s a difference between going to a restaurant that serves alcohol and a dive bar that serves nothing but cheap booze. Your friends will understand. 

Once out, a big way to stay sober is to change your focus. Instead of thinking about how you can’t enjoy a few drinks, focus instead on how you can mingle, talk to people, eat great food, that sort of thing. In other words, give your mind something positive to think about. 

Just make sure you have an exit plan. Hanging out at a club can be great, but what happens when you suddenly realize everyone around you is high? You need to know when to leave. But you also need to know how. 

A Sober Companion Can Save You

When you’re out and about, having a close friend who can leave with you can be a lifesaver. Suddenly leaving a club or house party is embarrassing, but it’s less so when someone is heading out with you. Find a friend that you can depend on like that, and be sure to make it up to them if you have to leave early. 

It’s not always easy living the sober life. You’ve already made many big changes to your lifestyle, and more are probably on their way. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a social life. Just pick your activities carefully, focus on something fun and sobering, and make sure you have an exit plan. 

Soothing Sounds You Can Customize

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Copyright: fermate

Check out this interesting website I found, which enables you to customize soothing sounds which you can use as a nice background or “white-noise” experience:

https://asoftmurmur.com/

The dashboard for A Soft Murmur, which is available as an app for both iOS and Android, allows you to adjust the volume or omit different nature or soothing sounds: waves, rain, wind, thunder, fire, birds, crickets, singing bowl, white noise, or coffee shop. For example, combining rain and thunder sounds will mimic a thunder storm. If you choose to upgrade to their premium plan, you can then access 13 more sounds, and have access to any new sounds as they are added to the app.

Are Art-Related Immersive Experiences Worth It?

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Numerous visual artists and musical artists have been honored by a relatively new type of immersive experience which has become increasingly popular since COVID and lockdown changed our perceptions of our world. Ads for immersive experiences featuring Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Gustav Klimt, or Pink Floyd have frequently popped up on Instagram and Facebook news feeds over the past year. The idea is that when you attend one of these events, you are fully surrounded by and immersed in an imaginary, illusory world. A popular trend in the world of immersive experiences has focused on prominent painters such as Van Gogh and Klimt, whose bodies of work were intensely vibrant and unique.

The problem is that the Los Angeles versions of two of the immersive experiences I mentioned, Van Gogh and Monet, were complete disappointments. I attended the Van Gogh experience, and expected to be dazzled and amazed after paying $70 ($40 admission, $30 for a cushion to sit on) for the privilege of seeing the spectacle. Instead, I was annoyed by the long wait, lack of crowd organization, and the obstructive pillars which littered the viewing rooms. The cushion I was allowed to sit on during the 12 minute short film was on loan, not something which I could keep as a souvenir (not that I wanted the flimsy cushion anyway). The concrete floors were cold and hard, and the short film morphed and mutated Van Gogh’s works in such a way that it was impossible to experience the purity of the original images. My cousin and I were in and out of that venue within 30 minutes. I have heard similar negative feedback regarding the Monet experience.

Who else has been disappointed by art-related immersive experiences?

Your Family’s Guide to Hassle-Free Healthy Eating

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Photo Credit: Pixabay

By Karen Weeks

Please check out

Elderwellness.net and contact her via karen@elderwellness.net

These days, we’re surrounded by sodas, ice cream, and fast food restaurants. Those things can be fun and convenient. However, it’s also good to get into the habit of eating healthy foods, especially if you’re a budding entrepreneur and dealing with the potential for burnout of managing your business and employees. So if you want to help your kids and yourself eat better and feel better, here are some tips from Dr. Stacey Naito to help.

What Is Healthy, Whole Food?

You may be wondering what “healthy” really means when it comes to your family’s food choices. Most health professionals agree that the healthiest foods contain adequate micronutrients and are unprocessed. A better way to think about this is to aim to choose whole foods or natural foods that have not been processed.

For example, chicken breast, spinach, quinoa, yams, and nuts are all whole foods because they have not been processed. On the other hand, cereal, white bread and french fries are not whole foods. Try to incorporate more whole foods into your family’s diet and try to get more gut-healthy probiotics from surprising sources like garlic and onions in order to boost your family’s digestive and mental health, as well as their immune system. Also, make sure to fuel your family for the day with a nutritious breakfast.

Why Eat Whole Foods?

By eating foods that are high in vitamins, minerals, fiber and healthy fats, your family will be getting the energy they need to survive and thrive. By avoiding processed food that is high in sodium, sugar, trans fat, and saturated fats, your family will also be protecting themselves from the dangers of obesity, heart disease, and even tooth decay. In addition to the physical ramifications of a poor diet, eating highly processed foods can impact your family’s mental health and make them feel more stressed, depressed and anxious. 

In essence, what we eat affects brain function, biochemical pathways and even the size of certain areas of the brain that regulate mood and emotion. Foods high in unhealthy fats and sugars are also highly addictive; the more we eat, the more we want. If you want your family to be healthy (both physically and mentally), you can counteract these effects by encouraging a diet that is rich in whole foods. 

In addition to health benefits, eating foods in their natural or whole state cuts down on the environmental impact of plastic food packaging. When you eat a banana, there is no waste. The peel decomposes, leaving no trace behind. Adversely, the plastic bag carrying banana chips adds to the problem of packaging waste pollution.

How Can Families Get Started? 

One of the easiest ways to ensure your family is getting enough healthy whole foods is to prepare food at home. Get your entire family involved in cooking – not only is there an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables in season, but you likely also have more time to spend preparing meals. Plus, kids who cook tend to eat healthier as adults. 

Another way to ease your family into healthier habits is to add veggies to your favorite comfort foods. Avoid trying to trick your children into eating veggies and take the time to explain to your children why having zucchini with macaroni or spinach on pizza is good for them. Smoothies can also be an easy way to get kids into eating more fruits and veggies. Blend up bananas with leafy greens or even pineapple with cabbage. 

If you plan on taking a road trip, you have an extra chance to get your kids to eat healthy. Instead of stopping for fast food, try bringing some healthy snack options, like dried fruit, popcorn or low-sugar cereals. 

Finally, be patient as your kids pick up new healthy food habits. You may need to serve veggies alongside old favorites for a while, and don’t get discouraged if your loved ones go after the occasional indulgence. The process may be gradual but eventually, your entire family will begin to see the benefits of eating those healthy foods. 

Dr. Stacey Naito is a board-certified family practice physician, artist, and fitness model. Check out her blog for fitness and wellness tips, inspirational stories, and product reviews. 

The Great Rolex Shortage of 2021

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You might not know or care that there is a significant shortage of Rolex watches, but it’s true. Though Rolex is known as a rich person’s watch brand, it also manages to be the most recognized watchmaker worldwide. Rolex has no clear plans to address the shortage by increasing production either, so the demand for a Rolex timepiece will continue to seriously outpace the number available. This supply issue applies not only to brand new pieces, but is also affecting the pre-owned market in a big way. Part of the blame lies with the COVID lockdown situation, since the Rolex factory had been shut down for several months during the height of the pandemic, but there has also been a surge in luxury watch sales since then.

Let’s say you have your eye on a new Rolex GMT-Master II Oystersteel and Everose Gold. The MSRP is listed at $14,800. If you are unable to locate a brand new one, you might want to try a site such as Chrono24, which features pre-owned luxury timekeepers. The problem is that the price jumps up to a minimum of $22,495 for a preowned 2021 model, more than the MSRP for one never used. It seems quite backwards, but that gives you an idea of how well a Rolex piece holds and increases its value over time.

In summary, if you have been yearning to own a Rolex, be prepared to look high and low for one. You should also be prepared to purchase one as soon as it becomes available, because new models which are posted for sale on authorized dealer sites tend to sell within minutes.

Cool Radio Websites

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Copyright: popovia

I stumbled upon two very interesting radio websites which I wanted to share with you. The first is http://radio.garden/ which enables you to tune into thousands of live radio stations all over the globe. The site consists of a globe map which enables you to explore different regions of the world and listen to their local radio station offerings. You can save favorites to visit later, and you can also utilize the search bar to search by country, city, or specific station.

I also got a kick out of https://radiooooo.com/ which enables you to search for music from different eras, spanning from 1900 to present. The music featured is worldwide, so if you wanted to hear music from Italy in 1975, you could plug into that region and era, and listen to the music that Italians were grooving to in 1975. You can listen for free, but if you want to skip or rewind songs, or bookmark tracks, you would need to join their club, which is $4.99 per month.

Happy listening!

Hold Onto Your Car!

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The pandemic has created many shortages and supply chain issues, among them toilet paper, disinfecting supplies, and workout equipment. But did you know that there is also a shortage of used automobiles? Two major factors which have caused so many people to turn towards used cars are decreased new automobile production, and budget concerns which have resulted from decreases in income. If you have an extra used car sitting around that’s not being used, it may be a small gold mine for you if you sell it right now, because the demand is so high. But if your used vehicle is one you actually need in order to get around, and it’s in good mechanical shape, you’re better off holding onto it until the surge in demand simmers down.

Even my car, which is a 6 year old economy car, is now worth about $1,400 more this year than it was at the beginning of 2020. Strange, but it’s true. Prior to the pandemic, I had actually considered selling my car and getting a newer model, but I am definitely pushing my plans back by about 3 years or more. I truly hope that when I am ready to get a different car, the supply chain issues with new automobile production will not be an issue like they are right now.

If you are in the market to buy a used car, you already know how difficult it is to actually locate one. It took one of my dear friends four months before she was able to find a used car to purchase. She looked everywhere, and kept responding to listings which turned out to be sleazy dealers instead of the private parties they claimed to be. The vehicles were not in good mechanical condition, so they never passed mechanical inspection. The only reason why she was finally able to find a decent car to buy was because a friend of hers whose mother was going to buy one from a family member changed her mind, and offered to sell the car to my friend. Had that not occurred, my friend would likely still be on the hunt for a set of wheels.

If you can purchase a new car instead of struggling to find a used one, be prepared to pay about 5% more than before March of 2020.