Tag Archives: health and wellness

How to Take the Stress Out of Sober Travel

travel sober, addiction free, sobriety, travel safe, addiction free, stay sober, an informal cornr, caleb anderson, how to

a Guest post by Caleb Anderson

Travel can be exhilarating, relaxing and rejuvenating. But if you’re in addiction recovery, travel can be scary because you think you may be tempted to fall back into old and dangerous habits. It doesn’t have to be that way. Travel can give you a sense of calm and an awareness of the big world around you. It’s also a great way to help heal your body and mind.

A little advance planning can make your trips easier and less fraught with triggers. Here are a few tips to get you ready for this big step.

Try Sober Travel

There are travel companies that offer sober tours, trips and even cruises. Though you might think you need to avoid the big cities that are party meccas, you can enjoy these places sober, too. Sober tours offer companionship with other people who want to stay clean but still have a great time.

Travel with the right people

Don’t bring your party-animal friends along on a trip. Travel with people who understand your situation and who will refrain from drinking and drugs, if that’s what you need. If you’re comfortable with others drinking around you, but don’t want them to offer it to you, communicate your needs ahead of time. Good friends will honor your recovery.

Look for meetings

If you’re in a 12-step program, you can find meetings almost anywhere. They’re even offered on cruise ships, which are typically loaded with alcohol. Plus, meetings are a great way to meet new people and experience other cultures. Keep your sponsor’s phone number handy, and tell him or her in advance of your trip. You might even get some good travel tips.

Manage stress

Travel can often include stressful situations, which could easily trigger a relapse. If you plan ahead, you can ease some of that anxiety. Make lots of plans, lists, and itineraries to keep the guesswork to a minimum. Build extra time into your travel schedule for the unexpected, like a delayed flight. Tell your travel partner that you may need help if you get too stressed, and he or she might need to take the reins and help you relax.

Bring your pet

If you’re planning on being in the great outdoors for a sober adventure, and you have a dog that loves to hike or camp, bring him along! Your dog can help calm you when needed, as well as give you a loving companion to cuddle. Not only will you both be getting some time outdoors, but you’ll get some extra bonding time. Plus, your dog will appreciate the vacay, too!

Continue your self-care routine

Do you meditate every morning? Read a book over coffee? Take regular breaks to clear your head? Keep this up on your trip. Continue eating well and exercising for your health. Just because you’re away from home doesn’t mean you have to give up your goals.

However you do it, just do it. Travel can hugely benefit your state of mind. Just by getting out of your normal routine, you reset your thoughts and experience the world. Travel enhances your creativity, gives you a more “open” personality and relieves stress. Studies have shown that just preparing for a trip can boost your mood. Everybody wants something to look forward to!

As J Henry Hanson put it in Huffington Post, “Waking up clear-headed and knowing where I slept is extremely satisfying to me. Rising with the sun, rather than the moon, enables me to really get to know a place that I am visiting,” she said. “Sober travel allows me to recall sunsets over Volcan Masaya in Nicaragua, Green Turtles laying eggs in Costa Rica, swimming on Starfish Beach in Panama, and participating in a Mayan planting ceremony in Guatemala. The absence of a hangover allows me to savor museum exhibits rather than rush through so I can find my next cocktail.

Extra Reading & Resources

Sober Vacations International 

Addiction.com – Last Minute Vacations for Sober Travelers

Sober Travelers

Read related —->  What’s the Alcohol doing to You?

I hope you found this article informative and gained some new insight. Please feel free to leave your comments and SHARE your new found knowledge with others. Use the ‘Contact’ form to make a request on a topic of your own interest. It is FREE to subscribe by RSS feed.


Caleb Anderson is in recovery from an opiate addiction. He hopes sharing his experiences will help others. He co- created RecoveryHope.org to help people with substance abuse disorders and their families.

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Living the Conditions of Genocide

genocide,60s Scoop, ptsd, mental health, living genocide, healing and welness
Healing from Genocide

One day, nestled in the forest, a child giggles and points to the birds flying by, staying close to his/her parent. This parent teaches the child how to pronounce words, naming the birds, a tree, the grass. That smile that lights up the parents face when this child repeats the words back, correctly, makes this child happy beyond words. It’s called joy.

Can you remember experiencing such a joy and sense of freedom, security, from your own childhood years? Can you imagine living the conditions of genocide?

Learning what is Genocide?

Genocide, in our minds, refers to ‘mass murder’ of a people but there are a few other terms that need explaining since they get used interchangeably but have their own separate definitions. As we know, the United Nations defines Genocide as ‘the destruction of a national ethnic, racial or religious group‘ and is considered the ultimate crime against humanity. It doesn’t have to necessarily mean complete annihilation of a group but still aims, to ‘eradicate‘ a part of Humanity.

Crimes against Humanity refers to systematic attacks against the civilian population regardless of whether in times of peace or war. It refers to acts against common human rights and values such as murder, extermination, forced displacement, slavery, rape, torture and other inhumane acts.

War Crimes, refers to criminal acts committed during armed conflicts and severe acts of Breach to the Rules of warfare. These rules are set down in the Geneva Conventions to protect the innocent civilian population, prisoners of war, sick or wounded military personnel, destruction of towns, cities, not justified by armed combatants.

The term crimes against humanity, is considered an ‘umbrella‘ term to encompass crimes that are not necessarily extreme as genocide but these crimes do not need to reach this point, in order to be defined and punished, by International laws.

urban militarized police
urban militarized police

What is a Society and Culture?

The conditions that occur in armed conflict zones affect people who make up a society. A society is defined as, ‘a group of people who live within the same territory and share a common culture’ (Sociology, The Core). Their social structure (more-or-less recurrent and stable patterns) are disrupted and people are displaced when homes, towns, villages are destroyed.

Culture refers to ‘the social heritage of a people, learned patterns for thinking, feeling and acting that are passed from one generation to the next. It includes ‘non-material’ culture, (the abstract creations like values, beliefs, symbols, norms, customs) and the ‘material’ culture which refers to the ‘physical’ artifacts and objects’.

Surviving Causes behind Violence

The urge and need, for self-preservation kicks in, and people will flee the conflict zone. They will enter a new nation seeking asylum and refuge. They will learn to add a new ‘culture‘ to their own. Where does one go when getting attacked in their own homelands?

The armed conflict zones, even in peaceful zones,can affect society and culture especially if ‘ethnocentrism‘ (judge the behavior of other groups by the standards of one’s OWN group) is the driving force to perceive others as an object of loathing, strangeness, evil and danger. It is one of three ingredients that arise from apathy towards the acts of racism.

One barrier may be ‘language‘. It is considered one of Man’s greatest ‘symbols‘ since it is ‘a socially structured system of sound patterns with specific and arbitrary meanings’. Language is the ‘cornerstone‘ of every culture around the world and PRINCIPLE means by which human beings create culture and share it from generation to generation.

silent pleas for help
pleas for help ignored

Why does Conflict exist?

Perspectives on reasons that conflict exists may differ, such as :

i) failure to give minorities full equality, wastes valuable human resources, generates ethnic hostilities, reduces economic production and undermines authority. Similar behaviors of abusers upon their ‘victims‘ and/or tyrants with government powers.

ii) A study of dominant group policies has revealed that a dominant nation ‘developed six types of policies: assimilation, pluralism, legal protection of minorities, population transfer, continued subjugation, and extermination‘(George E.Simpson and J.Milton Yinger, 1972). The minorities are kept ‘in their place‘- subservient, vulnerable and exploitable.

Long-term Effects of Violence

The long term effects of conflict zones have been studied since the First World war. Many names have been applied and today, a common term is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and is used to describe the psychological impact of a traumatic event for an individual.

PTSD is a form of anxiety arising from a stressful or frightening event. Causes can be from natural disasters, criminal violence, lawful violence, s. assault, serious physical beating, and military combat.

Prolonged deprivation (such as experienced by concentration camp survivors) may scar people psychologically for Life. Other symptoms may include recurring memories, sense of personal isolation, disturbed sleep and concentration, deadpan emotions, awkward socialization skills, depression, irritability. These symptoms may show immediately or months later aka ‘delayed‘ reaction.

stop violence signage
Stop Violence message

Research, New world, and Healing

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that ‘10% of the people who experience traumatic events will have serious mental health problems and another 10% will develop behavior that will hinder their ability to function effectively‘. It is a tragic consequence of living through conflict upon any Human regardless of age.

Research has found that rehabilitation can be gained with positive new life experiences, psychological support, religious and cultural practices. If we can provide opportunity to fulfill Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: physiological (water, food, air), safety and security (shelter), love and belonging (family, friends, community), self-esteem (positive new experiences, hope, joy), self-actualization (conscious of others, able to help others), rehabilitation and recovery can be attained.

People accessing help are found to be resilient and find recovery. WHO and the UN continue their research for improving and providing continual help in this area.

Racism in Canada

Did you know that 2/3 of the Indigenous population of N America, were wiped out by the early colonists and pride abounds, in that extreme act? Remember the little child, so happy beyond words? Well, 1950’s to today, First Nation children have been systematically and regularly ‘apprehended‘ and removed, from their FN communities and families.

Adult children of the 60’s Scoop have literally ‘lived‘ the EXACT same conditions and experiences, as the terrified refugee’s (arriving on our shores) but, in government care supported by the Childrens Aid Society, in their own homelands, Canada. Do you think that’s truly fair to do, upon a People? a Child? in exchange for money?

Learning in Action

Related Reading

Racism Can Cause PTSD Similar To That Of Soldiers After War

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

FREE Download, UN Declaration of Human Rights

What is PTSD and What can we do about it?

I hope you found this article informative and gained some new insight. Please feel free to share your new found knowledge with others. Use the ‘Ask a Question’ form to make a request on a topic of your own interest. I hope you visit again for more informative articles coming soon.

 AIC| An Informal Cornr, all rights reserved. Ginsense writes articles on business skills, development, health, science, technology and society and enjoys advocating for independence, security and a better world for all of us. She works as a VEA to help businesses operate more effectively.

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Heart Lesson – Torsades de Pointes

heart issues torsades de pointes
heart waves arrythmia

A healthy heart as we know is a pump that delivers oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood for our bodies to survive.

Our hearts can contract up to 2.5 billion times during a person’s average life. We recognize the heart as one of the most major organs since without it, there’s no life.

Unfortunately, one can be born or acquire ailments that affect our heart, such as ‘Torsades de Pointes‘.

 Learning Heart Arrhythmia

Torsades de pointes refers to a dangerous arrhythmia of the heart. It’s usually not diagnosed or treated correctly, and still a somewhat, difficult condition to identify. Arrhythmias are viewed as a disorder in the normal rhythm and rate of the heartbeat.

Studies have revealed common characteristics of this condition for improved care and treatment depending on which variation exists. These variations refer to congenital or acquired torsades.

Types of Torsades + Heart Rates

Inherited Torsades is due to an inability for ‘ion channels‘ to correctly carry the electrical action/impulse of the heart and acquired version refers to drugs triggering Torsades due to ‘blocking‘ these ion currents. Ion channels describes the flow and rate of electrolytes, sodium and potassium in the heart.

Torsades in action has the heart in a state of ‘polymorphic ventricular tachycardia’. This refers to the heart rate increasing to 150 beats per minute (bpm) and up to 250 bpm. A normal heart rate is anywhere from 60 to 100 bpm.

Athletes can have lower heart rates than 60 bmp. This abnormal heart rate will ‘spontaneously‘ return to a normal beat but can recur and/or progress into ‘ventricular fibrillation ‘(VF) symptoms which can lead to death, if it persists. It is this ‘return to normal‘ action that has made identifying Torsades difficult.

LQTS heart beat wave patterns
LQTS heart beat wave patterns

Onset Signs and Symptoms

Medical research and studies have shown that people with Torsades have their beginnings with ‘fainting‘ due to a drop in blood pressure causing dizziness . Use of an electrocardiogram (ECG) have revealed a ‘long QT interval’ and another term, ‘Long QT Syndrome‘ (LQTS).

A recording of the heart rate may not reveal Torsades in action but definitely that ‘long QT’ or ‘short variant‘ characteristics of Torsades, help provide clues for physicians and health care professionals.

An ECG showing Torsades in action displays an illusion of a swirled rotation (like a ballet dancers’ pirhouette hence it’s name Pointes) on it’s electrical axis, a long and short RR – interval precedes the arrhythmia and follows a premature ventricular contraction (R-on-T PVC). Other symptoms reported are palpitations, rapid pulse, nausea, cold sweats, lightheadedness (short episode) and outright fainting.

Where Torsades gets Found

Torsades is usually found in people that are malnourished, chronic alcoholics, or with hypokalemia (abnormally low potassium), diarrhea, and/or hypomagnesemia (abnormally low magnesium), heart failure, left ventricular hypertrophy (enlarged left ventricle), bradycardia (slow heart rate), hypothermia and subarachnoid hemorrhage.

It is these symptoms and existing disorders that are critical for a physician or health care team to be aware and identify quickly especially before giving medications, known to trigger Torsades.

Torsades can be found in many age groups. When identified in children, it is congenital and may accompany disorders such as Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome, Romano-Ward syndrome and triggered by effects of stress, fear or physical exertion (usually prohibited from competitive sports), whearas in adult years, it is considered acquired.

Treatment and Outcomes

Electrolyte disorders are usually the cause of acquired Torsades and treatable with correcting the imbalance and/or removal of triggering medications.

Treatment for Torsades is available and it’s known there are six different variants of Torsades. Effective treatment will depend on identifying the specific ‘genotype‘ which identifies whether it’s  sodium or potassium channels that are affected.

A family physician may refer their client to a cardiologist, electrophysiologist, or geneticist. Again, failure to identify Torsades has been due to it’s ‘return to normal’ activities and complications of persistent ‘ventricular fibrillations‘ that arise.

Continuous Medical Research

 The existence of Torsades has been known for a few years, and further studies at the molecular and cellular levels have provided leaps forward in better care and treatment. The ‘prevalence‘ of Torsades in the general population is an unknown. Could this be a cause of death for the homeless, mentally or medically challenged people, that have occurred when getting tasered by police?

Learning in Motion

Further Learning Resources

 Drugs with Risk of Torsades de Pointes

 My Majors

 Living with Heart Rhythms

 I hope you found this article informative. Please feel free to leave your comments and Share your friends and family. Use the ‘Ask a Question’ form and Send me request on a topic of interest you have, or to say hello.

 All rights reserved by AIC|An Informal Cornr. Ginsense creates and posts articles about business development, micro business, health, science, technology and society.

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