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Then there's abstention - no more
drink ever. Though it's a solution for some, for others, the prospect of
spending a lifetime thinking of themselves as a ‘recovering alcoholic’,
having given up completely, is both bleak and scary.
Why I developed my workshop
I learnt, as a Planning and Research
Director for one of the largest drink companies in the world, that our
motivations for drinking are complex. Counting units is a rational
solution to an emotional issue. And abstention is another way of making
alcohol your boss.
The way forward that I'm suggesting is fairly new in terms of alcohol
management, but the approach became very popular for sports training and
personal development of all sorts, in the last century.
My method uses 'creative visualisation'
This term, creative visualisation, is best
described as ‘using our imagination’. It is the most powerful asset we
have to change our minds and our behaviour. In 'THE GLASS HALF FULL'
workshop, participants use their imagination to discover the wisdom that
they have deep down inside themselves. They do this through a series of
exercises, learning through them to enjoy alcohol 'responsibly' and
build positive goals.
In the workshop:
-
Participants explore how they connect with
drink and discover the image of alcohol that lies in their
subconscious.
-
They work out ways to feel more
comfortable with their drinking behaviour.
-
They develop their own vision of the
person they want to be in the future.
-
They do not engage in a confessional or
where others tell them what to do or think.
My aim for the people who take part is
that they have fun discovering their own powerful spirit inside
themselves. This is truly a self-help system, a winner once they engage
with it.
Some statistics on drink in later life
-
21% of the over 65's drink at least 5 days
every week. For men, this percentage is 26%.
-
Though those in managerial employment
drink the most regularly, the more disposable income people have
(whatever their age), the more they drink.
-
Alcohol consumption is higher among
divorced and separated men aged over 45 - 20 % of them had drunk over
8 units on one occasion in the past week.
-
The percentage of those who drink 'too
much' is lower in older age groups, but there is evidence from America
to show that you keep your drinking habits through life.
-
Drink-related deaths are on the rise. In
2000, there were between 15,000 and 22,000 estimated alcohol-related
deaths in England and Wales. Most of these deaths in both sexes
occurred between the ages of 55 and 70.
-
The number of directly alcohol-related
deaths registered in England and Wales more than doubled between 1979
and 2000, from 2,506 to 5,543.
-
For comparison, in 2001 in England and
Wales there were 2898 deaths from drug poisoning.
Although a small amount of alcohol may
reduce the risk of a heart attack, for
many drinkers alcohol actually increases the risk of heart disease
One drink every second day gives almost all the protection that alcohol
has on reducing the risk of a heart attack. Health risks associated with
heavy drinking include: cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx;
oesophagus; larynx; breast; liver; colon; rectum. Also: liver cirrhosis,
hypertension, pancreatitis.
The cost for the one-day workshop, entitled The Glass Half Full, is £48,
to include all art materials, or the budget for one week's drink -
whichever is the greater. Numbers are limited in each location, so
please book early to assure yourself of a place.
For further details of Lisa's workshop programme, to be held around
Britain, please get in touch.
(website:
http://www.futureseeing.com/workshop.htm)
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