Fuzzy Thinking: It’s Just a Phase in Addiction Recovery

a man having difficulty to think clearly

You’re determined to succeed at recovery. It hasn’t been easy, but you’re making progress. You have a few weeks under your belt, and you’re thinking, “This might just work!” You are doing your best to make better decisions and to use the techniques you talk about in therapy, but there’s one problem. It nags at you, filling you with fear and self-recrimination.

Your mind isn’t clear. You get easily confused and your thinking is fuzzy. You’re worried that your addiction has left you mentally impaired and you’ll never escape this “brain fog.”

The good news is that most men in recovery experience periods of fuzzy thinking, and it’s typically only temporary. Remember that addiction causes serious changes in your physical and mental condition. During recovery, your body goes through a type of reset. Your memory loss, muddled thinking, and inability to concentrate are probably the result of one or more of these intertwined causes:

  • The physical effects of withdrawal
  • Sleep disruption leading to fatigue
  • Nutritional deficiency
  • Coping with stress & fear without drugs or alcohol
  • Emotions that can be overwhelming.

Guiding You to Clarity

Fortunately, the rehab professionals at 10 Acre Ranch have the knowledge and resources to help you find your way through the fog. Nutritional meals ensure that you have adequate nourishment; exercise, recreation, and meditation practice contribute to a sense of well-being and better sleep. Disease education helps you understand the physical and mental changes you are experiencing. Recovery assignments provide valuable preparation to lessen the stress and emotions of moving beyond rehab. With these resources and a little time, most individuals successfully recover their cognitive skills.

Comprehensive Resources for Successful Recovery

As you progress through the early stages of recovery, you may encounter doubts, fear, and physical challenges. When you place your care in the capable hands of the staff at 10 Acre Ranch, you’ll have access to the resources you need for physical, emotional, and mental restoration. Don’t let the haze of alcohol and drug addiction keep you from living a full and active life. Call 1-800-266-7074 to start the admissions process and begin your journey today.

Is It Just Overeating or Is It Food Addiction?

overeating, food addiction, woman eating burger

Americans love summertime celebrations, including a plethora of food: sausage and ribs on the grill, ice-cold beverages, crunchy snacks, and calorie-laden desserts. And yes, many of us overindulge. Maybe it’s not too bad to have that extra portion of Aunt Martha’s potato salad or an extra slice of Grandma’s pound cake on the 4th of July, but if you’re overeating every weekend (and during the week, too), you could be in the grip of food addiction.

When the Problem Is Addiction

Recent studies have shown that foods stimulate the production of dopamine in the brain in much the same way that drugs and alcohol do. It is believed that some foods, especially those beloved salty snacks and sweet desserts, over-stimulate the body’s reward mechanisms, resulting in cravings and compulsive eating. Often confused with hunger, cravings are actually the body’s need to keep dopamine production going.

It’s a vicious cycle:

  • Junk food consumption over-stimulates receptors in the brain.
  • Too much dopamine is produced.
  • The brain reduces the number of receptors.
  • The body craves more stimulation.
  • More and more food (especially the wrong food) is consumed.

To anyone recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction, this pattern is all too familiar.

Ending the Cycle

Food addiction may resemble other substance abuse problems, but there is one overriding fact that makes treating this addiction unique: food cannot be avoided. Humans must eat to survive. Avoiding junk food, exercising regularly, and learning about better nutrition may help, at least for a time, but these strategies do not address the fundamental factors of addiction and are, therefore, subject to relapse.

Programs offering strong social support, such as Overeaters Anonymous and other 12- step programs, have a successful record of dealing with many of the emotional and self-esteem problems associated with food addiction and being overweight. But for some food addicts, especially those whose addiction has resulted in serious eating disorders, professional therapy may be the best approach. Whatever the treatment program, success will depend on identifying and managing the triggers of the addictive eating cycle.

Get Help for Addiction at Our CA Men’s Rehab

10 Acre Ranch is a California residential treatment center for men 18 and older who are struggling with addiction. If you have begun substituting food for your unresolved drug or alcohol addiction, we can help. A wide range of supportive programs are offered at the Ranch, including nutritional counseling, meal preparation, and outdoor recreation. Visit with our staff today to explore how 10 Acre Ranch’s economical, customized residential programs can help you live a healthy, productive, addiction-free life!

The Truth About Drinking & the Gym

You wouldn’t think about taking a six-pack of beer to the gym when you train, but you might not give a second thought to partying the night before or after your workout. Unfortunately, the ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality could be ruining your gains at the gym. Here are just a few of the ways boozing can stunt your fitness goals.

Slower muscle recovery. Your body sees alcohol as a toxin, and it takes energy to remove it from your tissue. When you’re focused on fitness, you need those energy reserves for muscle fiber recovery and muscle gain.

Increased cortisol production. Alcohol increases the production of the stress hormone cortisol. High cortisol levels lead to sugar and junk food cravings, along with boosting fat storage in the midsection.

Reduced fat burning. As your liver converts alcohol to acetate, your body prioritizes acetate burning over fat burning. If you are eating while drinking, that means the rest of your meal is stored as fat. Some studies show that moderate to heavy alcohol intake may decrease fat burning by 70 percent or more!

Decreased nutrient absorption. As you’re probably aware, alcohol irritates your stomach and increases acid production. You need nutrients to build muscle and improve your fitness, and an irritated stomach derails nutrient absorption.

Dehydration. Alcohol is a diuretic. Dehydration decreases physical performance, increases fatigue, and depletes energy levels. In addition, dehydration prevents cells from producing ATP, which is a critical source for muscle energy.

And, if all of these reasons aren’t enough, remember that drinking makes your workout feel harder—and nobody needs that.

Treatment for Alcoholism at 10 Acre Ranch

If someone you love is stuck in a cycle of addiction, they are starving their body of the nutrients required to battle harmful toxins. 10 Acre Ranch offers counseling and group meal preparation that teaches the importance of nutrition during rehab. Food is fuel, and proper nutrition restores physical health and supports mind-body balance. Make a radical lifestyle change today! Embrace fitness and healthy eating at our CA men’s rehab facility. To learn more, call 800.266.7044 or reach a team member by email: info@10acreranch.org. Your inquiry is confidential and our compassionate team members are ready to help!

Alcohol & the Bedroom: Facts & Myths

wine glass and alcohol in the bed

Alcohol has a reputation for improving sleep, libido, and sex—but what’s the truth about drinking and the bedroom?

The Impact of Alcohol on Sleep

Put down that nightcap. America is sleep deprived, and alcohol isn’t helping.

According to National Sleep Foundation studies, 20 percent of Americans sleep less than six hours a night, and sleep disorders are on the rise. Without healthy sleep, we have trouble thinking, performing cognitive tasks, and cementing memories. Sleep deprivation also kills sex drive and contributes to clinical depression. And, if that weren’t enough, lack of sleep makes us look older, faster.

Myth: Alcohol helps you sleep better.

Fact: Alcohol reduces the time it takes to fall asleep.

Alcohol has a reputation as a sleep aid, but that’s not the whole story. A drink or two may allow you to fall asleep faster, but it disrupts the REM cycles that leave you refreshed. Drinking also:

  • Disrupts your body’s circadian rhythms, which impact memory, cognition, and emotional stability.
  • Acts as a diuretic, forcing you to get up to pee more often.
  • Depresses the respiratory system, making you more likely to suffer from sleep apnea.

Lack of sleep can also put a damper on your sex life. Sleep deprivation causes what one California State University researcher calls “tense tiredness,” which can lead to a lack of sexual interest and a reduction in sexual performance. If alcohol is harming your sexual desire, then you and your partner may have to make use of monster cock hd porn in order to feel fully aroused in the bedroom.

Additional Impacts of Drinking on Sex

Alcohol is not the aphrodisiac it’s cracked up to be. While one or two drinks may act as a social lubricant, drinking can also have dangerous sexual repercussions.

Myth: Alcohol boosts my sex drive.

Fact: Drinking lowers inhibitions and leads to poor decision-making.

You may feel more “relaxed” and open to sex when you are drinking, but studies show that alcohol decreases erection and orgasm. In more regrettable cases, people wearing beer goggles don’t put proper sexual boundaries in place. They are more prone to:

  • Ruin marriages & relationships
  • Engage in casual one-night stands
  • Have unprotected sex with one or multiple partners
  • Contract an STD

10 Acre Ranch Drug & Alcohol Rehab

If you or someone you love is battling a drinking problem, we can help. Our proven recovery programs, recreational activities, and fitness opportunities provide a well-rounded approach to men’s addiction treatment. Begin the admissions process or find out about insurance benefits by calling 877.228.4679 today. Serving men 18 and older, our CA addiction rehab encourages clients to embrace an active, healthy lifestyle as they pursue sobriety and wellness.

Activity-Based Addiction Treatment for Men

Seeking help for a drug or alcohol problem isn’t an easy step to take. You may think you know what treatment will be like, and that may be the reason you’ve stayed away until now. And if you’re not comfortable sharing your feelings and participating in a group therapy environment, you’re not alone.

Hiking, working out at the gym, playing softball, or spending time with animals doesn’t sound like addiction therapy to most people, but these are some of the activities you’ll enjoy as part of your addiction treatment program at 10 Acre Ranch. Called “activity-based therapy,” this holistic component is part of many top-ranked drug and alcohol recovery programs.

Why is Activity-Based Therapy Important?

Delving into your feelings to determine why you’ve risked your health, job, and relationships to use drugs is tough, especially for men who don’t see themselves as the “sensitive type.” While talk therapy is integral to helping addicts recover, it’s only one small part of a holistic approach.

Activity-based therapy encourages clients to explore other outlets, particularly those that are physical in nature (sports, weightlifting, etc.), to help patients cope with the changes in their lives that occur during addiction treatment. It’s natural to experience anger, frustration, and aggression during recovery. Participating in recreational activities and completing recovery assignments that are less traditional and more free-form allows men work through negative emotions without becoming self-destructive. These distractions may even curb cravings. Having fun reminds patients that joy still exists in their lives—and that their future holds value far beyond a temporary high.

Studies have shown that complementary therapies like exercise and music performance are valuable components of a multidisciplinary treatment program for drugs and alcohol. Activity-based therapy may also lessen the risk of relapse, in some cases.

Activity Therapy and Men’s Drug Addiction Treatment

Residential, outpatient, and drug detoxification programs approach treatment in several ways, all with the goal of maintaining long-term sobriety. Local outings, softball tournaments, group meal preparation, and nature walks are just some of the activities offered to the men at 10 Acre Ranch, in combination with therapy (individually and in a group setting), 12-step integration, and disease education.

10 Acre Ranch Drug & Alcohol Rehab

To learn more about the therapeutic programs, recreational activities, and fitness opportunities available at 10 Acre Ranch addiction treatment for men, dial 877.228.4679 today. Serving men 18 and older, our wide range of programs encourage clients to embrace an active, healthy lifestyle as they pursue sobriety and wellness.