For many of us, drinking over the holidays is part of the holiday festivities.  It’s fun to relax and party with our friends, co-workers, family, neighbors, etc.   The holidays enable us to dress up, mingle with people, and just have a lot of fun!  However, if you are feeling a little “over indulged”, it’s time to clean up your act.

I can speak for myself when I tell you that my boyfriend and I were invited to many parties over the last three weeks.  Of course we wanted to see everyone and bring in the holidays and new year with lots and lots of good times.  We went to most of the parties we were invited to, and although we had a ton of fun… we also gained weight and some mornings felt absolutely overtired and hungover.  Yuk.  Yuk.  Yuk.  We both love to be fit and active and to feel as good as possible, and even though partying throughout the holidays made us feel good (while we were doing it), we didn’t always feel good about it afterwards.

So we set up a simple plan.  It goes like this:

1-  Drinking only on Weekends & Wednesdays, when we don’t have our kids (that’s every other week actually)

2-  No hard liquor.  Only beer and wine, and ONLY up to 3 drinks per night each. That’s it!

3-  Water down in between those 3 drinks.  Hydration is a big factor in feeling good while indulging.  So, drink water or coconut water in between each drink.

That’s pretty simple, isn’t it?  I believe that social drinking is acceptable, IF you are responsible and if you do NOT have any alcohol or drug addictions.  Also, I believe that if you complicate your “drinking/partying rules”, then you won’t stick with them.  So, keep it simple and clean it up, so you can stay tuned-in, healthy and happy!

Remember to Buy your Blox.  Keep it near you.  Pick it up, turn it, and read it all the time like this:  

“When I am CLEAN, I am Strong, Empowered, Healthy, and Free!” If you see it and read it, you will believe it and become it!!!

Stay Tuned and subscribe! Also, comment on our facebook page.

Chief Executive Blogger

Photo By Simoney_B

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In your darkest day, just when we thought you would never see the light of another day… you did.  You are here.  You made it.

We dedicate this poster “In the dark, may you always find Light” to you in hopes that your recovery is strong and you are even stronger.  We know that sometimes you are afraid that you will use again.  We understand that you want to be clean but sometimes in your darkest moments,  you may feel weak.   We hope that this poster will help guide you out of those dark moments, those moments when you are most likely to slip.   We hope you will use it to stay in recovery knowing that there is always light waiting for you.  Just get past the dark, because the light is waiting to shine on you.

*Click on the photo below to download the full size poster!*

Enjoy the poster and know that you are not alone. 

Remember to Buy your Blox.  Keep it near you.  Pick it up, turn it, and read it all the time like this:  

“When I am CLEAN, I am Strong, Empowered, Healthy, and Free!” If you see it and read it, you will believe it and become it!!!

Stay Tuned and subscribe! Also, comment on our facebook page.

Chief Executive Blogger

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Holidays can be hard for those in the recovery path, the stress of seeing family and friends or not having someone to share the holidays with, can make a person regress back to their unhealthy habits. It’s important to remember that we are human beings and we can fail, but at the same time, we have the power to succeed.

Staying Clean During the Holidays

This holidays season, strive to stay focus on your new healthy lifestyle and remember that you are not alone. Here are five things to remember this season to stay on the path to recovery:

Go to meetings

Meet up with sober people that can understand what you are going thru. Keep your sponsor’s number handy and any other people that have supported you on the road to recovery.

Release the Stress

Don’t sit at home dwelling and stressed out full of anxiety about your current situation or whatever other thoughts that have you thinking of regressing. Go for a walk, exercise, meditate, or see friends that are sober. Meditation and physical activities can help you release your anxiety about the holidays. Volunteering at a shelter or a charity will help you stay focus on what the holidays are about too.

The Drink of Choice

Before going to any celebrations, dinners, or parties decide what you will be drinking. Practice saying “I’ll have ginger ale” and to be sure, bring what you will be drinking in case that the host might forget about you. I tend to do this all the time, I make a plan about what I’ll be drinking at a party and if I know they may not have what I drink, I make sure I bring my own drinks and some to share with everyone else that may want to have it too.

The Food

For those of us who are on a strict eating lifestyle, I don’t like to call it “diet”, it’s important to be prepared with our food too. For example, if you recently started a cleanse or a new vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, don’t let that stress you out. Everyone will be eating hams and turkeys and other things you may recently quit too. Don’t think about the things YOU CAN’T HAVE, instead think of all the things your body will be thankful for later.

Be Grateful

Practice being grateful to yourself for taking the path to recovery. It’s a great decision that your body will be thankful for and no matter how hard the holidays are, you have made the right choice! Practice repeating your favorite affirmation and remember that you are strong and you can do this!

Remember to Buy your Blox. Keep it near you. And read it all the time like this:

“When I am CLEAN, I am Strong, Empowered, Healthy, and Free!” If you see it and read it, you will believe it and become it!!!

Bloxster

Be Clean!

http://www.mentalblox.com/blox/get-clean/

Photo By mtsofan

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In 2005, I watched a documentary that was recommended by a health leader I trust and follow. I didn’t believe at the time it would affect my view of health as I considered myself pretty health. The film was about cancer: Crazy Sexy Cancer! So why would it affect me if I don’t have cancer, and I’m too young to be worried about cancer? I asked myself.

I wanted to watch it anyways, but the day it aired on TLC, I was out so I left my TIVO to record it. I came a little later and discovered my TIVO had only recorded half! I was upset because I had started watching and really wanted to know what happens to Kris Carr as she goes through this journey of cancer.

Crazy Sexy Cancer the Movie

This documentary was life changing for me even though I was not a cancer “thriver” as she calls herself now.  I own a copy and all Kris’ books too and I find myself way too often lending them out to friends my age who are looking for answers and other views on cancer.

What a Small Change Can Do

I was so inspired by Kris’ journey that I decided to change my lifestyle and diet and I have seen so many amazing benefits from my change; not just physical but emotional, spiritual, and professional. I learned that my life is much more valuable than my addictions to food or unhealthy habits. I learned that my life is more valuable than my negative thinking or holding to the past.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and it’s important for us to help spread the word about prevention and where to find information for those who are in need of guidance.

Remember to Buy your Blox. Keep it near you. And read it all the time like this:

Bloxster

Be Clean!

http://www.mentalblox.com/blox/get-clean/

Photo By Cubosh

The post Crazy Sexy Cancer | Get Clean from Inside Out appeared first on Motivational Tools. Inspirational Blogs. Community..

Can someone be bullied into addiction? A study on the brain reveals that people with addicted behaviors have a harder time saying no to drugs because of the way their brains are wired. October is the month for bully awareness and as we study and talk about this topic, it becomes more obvious that bullying is a growing problem that needs to be address.

Bullied Into Addiction

Teens and people being bullied face many negative emotions that come from the trauma of being bullied. This can drive a person with a brain that has less self-control to use drugs or other substances to become an addict. In addition, a person can be bullied into using drugs or drinking etc. This is an equal case as victims of bullies using substances.

What You Can Do

As a person in the recovery path, you may have been a victim of a bully, may have even started your addiction because of a bullied, or have been bullied into using too. Sharing your experience is the ultimate way to prevent this from happening to others. Silence doesn’t help anyone. Not you, not them. Demi Lovato is one the most popular celebrities speaking about addiction and bullying as seen in the video below. Breaking that silence is not only healing for you but for someone who may need guidance and knowledge that they are not alone.

I remember the first time I met a victim of someone who had committed suicide. It was shocking to learn that the person who died had committed suicide and had left so many behind. Learning about the suffering and the pain that the death of a loved one cause those left behind helped me get over suicidal thoughts.

Breaking the cycle of bullying and addiction is critical in helping our communities with these two growing problems. Talk to your families and friends that may be experiencing being bullied into addiction and share your own recovery story.

Remember to Buy your Blox. Keep it near you. And read it all the time like this:

Bloxster

Be Clean!

http://www.mentalblox.com/blox/get-clean/

Photo By red yet blue

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As any addiction, people including teens and children can be addicted to bullying and being bullied. Bullies may enjoy the feeling they get when they bully others, it’s a satisfaction of seeing others suffer. The victim, the person being bullied can also get satisfaction by playing the role of a victim. They get satisfaction on feeling they are treated badly and having another reason as to why their lives are not good enough.  October is the Bullying Prevention and Awareness month, and as we discuss all sides of bullying and addiction, we can start a dialogue with those in our lives that may play either the role of being the victim or the bully and how it relates to addiction.

Why It Happens

Without judgment, perhaps we all been there… happy at the misery or suffering of others. Think about when you watch a football game and the other team loses and one player may even cry. You were happy for your team but may have found some pleasure and maybe gratification in their misery. What about the ex that broke your heart and you were enjoying their suffering as someone else broke their hearts? Bullies feel pleasure in seeing others suffer. They feel redeemed and confident when they see their victim in pain. They “feed” from that pain as other addicts “feed” from using substances, drinking, etc. Victims can get satisfaction from self-pity and self-blame. They use this as another reason to invite the negative energy to their lives and to excuse their self-destructing behavior and addictions.

Punishment Doesn’t Work

What both bullies and victims need is counseling. Punishing the bullies only feeds the need to take their anger and resentment on someone else. It doesn’t correct the behavior and instead creates a reason for them to continue the behavior. Reinforcing positive behavior and mentoring these children/adults works and teaches them how to disassociate from the story they tell themselves or the labels they have been given by others. The Department of Health and Services provides resources for parents, educators, and anyone in their website stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov.

During this month, we invite you to read our articles about bullying and sharing with others to help bring awareness to this topic and help break the cycle of addiction and bullying.

Remember to Buy your Blox. Keep it near you. And read it all the time like this:

Bloxster

Be Clean!

http://www.mentalblox.com/blox/get-clean/

Photo By Sharon Drummond

The post Addicted to Bullying appeared first on Motivational Tools. Inspirational Blogs. Community..

Bullying and addiction are strongly linked. Many addicts were driven to use of substances, be it drugs, alcohol, or food, because of an event in their life that let them to believe that they were “not good enough” or not loved enough. Worst yet, they were made believed that something was “wrong” with them.

How Bullying Affects a Person

When a person has been told that they is something wrong with them, whether by a bully at school or at home, they begin to believe it. And once you begin telling yourself that story, it’s pretty hard to erase it. A person’s self-esteem has to be extremely strong to not let others’ words sync deeply.

How Addiction Starts for Those Being Bullied

Bullies are not born, they are taught to be bullies by those in their lives. Many bullies and people/children being bullied begin addictive behaviors to avoid feeling bad and hide their emotions. Maybe starts with food, candy, cigarettes, alcohol, and it may escalate to harder substances. Either way, the cycle begins.

Stopping the Bullying Cycle

Addiction to bullying can happen too. Bullies grow up to be parents/adults and can continue the cycle of teaching both habits to others, whether is the addictive behavior or the bullying. For those in recovery, it’s important to identify how we can make a difference in the lives of those around us and begin implementing healthy habits when we communicate and treat others.

Teaching other people about bullying it’s also important. Letting them know that we don’t appreciate negative comments or name calling or any behavior that we can carry a negative feeling that something is wrong with us. As you continue on the journey of recovery, it’s easier to let negative comments go, and let go of the past. However, it’s key to break the cycle of both addiction and bullying.

Remember to Buy your Blox. Keep it near you. And read it all the time like this:

Bloxster

Be Clean!

http://www.mentalblox.com/blox/get-clean/

Photo By MyTudut

#mentalblox #mental blox #bullying #addiction #getclean #getbullyfree

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On the road to recovery there can be many bumps and some that may set you back. But it’s important to forgive yourself and stay focused on the ultimate goal. Many of us stay stuck in the past and that is also a “road block” on the path to recovery and creating new healthy habits.

Letting go of the past is key to move forward and build your new life. We must understand and learn to forgive ourselves for what we may have done or felt before. We may have hurt people around us and even ourselves. But being on the path to recovery is not about judging what we did before, but instead to move forward and learn from our mistakes.

How to Do it?

It’s easy for people to say: Let It Go! But one thing is to actually understand what that means and implement it in our lives. There are many ways to do it and at the beginning it may sound impossible, but like any new habit, it takes a little time to learn to let go and get past the past.

One way I have learned how to actually do it is by visualizing what the actual “Letting Go” and understanding what it means for me. I understand letting go as: “A Future Without _______ (fill in the blank)”. Whether is a feeling, a thing, a person, a habit, a need, a thought, etc.  A Future Without Guilt, Anger, Regret, and Fear… and the list can go on.

Practicing Letting Go

Because I’m a visual person, the only way I can learn a new habit is to see myself doing it every day. I have learned to let go by visualizing what I’m letting go of. I close my eyes and picture A Future Without whatever it is. For example, I used to be obsessed with a thought of emotionally hurting a person who had hurt me before. I wanted to make this person suffer by letting them know how great my life was now and making sure they felt bad for missing it. Once I realize I was hurting myself and this person too, I was able to consciously say I need to stop and let go of the hurt. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and pictured a future, specifically 5 years ahead where that person was not part of my life and I had no need to hurt them emotionally. And whenever the urge to make contact with that person for the purpose of hurting them came, I started my routine to close my eyes and picture myself not doing that anymore and a life without that emotion and need.

Repetition works too, saying it to yourself, that you are letting go of your past or thoughts, emotions, and feelings that don’t server you anymore. We all have ways to learn new habits to help us stay strong, empowered, healthy and free on the road to recovery. Share with us one way you have learn to let go of the past.

Remember to Buy your Blox.  Keep it near you.  And read it all the time like this:

Bloxster

Be Clean!

http://www.mentalblox.com/blox/get-clean/

By Lina Gonzalez, a vegan environmentalist raw foodist tech yogini. She loves books, music, the beach, writing, and all things purple! She’s a certified yoga teacher and blogs about the Alkaline lifestyle at her personal blog.

Photo By ~BostonBill~

The post Letting Go of the Past | Recovery Motivation appeared first on Motivational Tools. Inspirational Blogs. Community..

In most recovery programs, they go over nutrition and health. Water as we all know is a very important source of hydration for our bodies, and teaching your body new healthy habits is part of the recovery process. Unfortunately, most of us live in cities where our running tap water has been packed with antibiotics, chemicals, chlorine, and tons of fluoride not to mention copper and mercury. We can get filters “over the counter” to clean most of the impurities in tap water but it doesn’t clean it to a level that can improve our health.

What to Do?

Nano Filters are a new technology that helps clean the water and keep the “good stuff” that our bodies need such as minerals including calcium. This technology doesn’t use chemicals to clean the water, instead uses high pressure to separate the bad from the good at a nano level.

Not Just Drinking

Shower filters are also important. If you think about it, the skin is the largest organ we have and it absorbs anything we put on it… including water. When washing our hair, the scalp absorbs not just the shampoo and conditioner but also the water. What better way to help your body stay strong and healthy while in recovery than to change your shower to the best water you can give your body? None!

You don’t need to run to get these all at once, but it is important to be aware of any solutions you can start implementing in your daily routine to help your body stay empowered and free of toxins.

Bloxster

Be Clean!

http://www.mentalblox.com/blox/get-clean/

Photo By MicMacPics1

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As I learn and read more about the different types of damage we all cause to our body, I become more aware of what affects my body. On the road to recovery, it’s important to understand other ways one can become healthier and empowered by freeing the body of toxins and toxic elements in there. One of those is mercury in silver fillings. If you are over thirty like me, you are very likely to still have mercury in your teeth from childhood cavities. At the time, most dentists used mercury and of course now it’s a no-no.

Why Clean It?

Mercury can affect people in different ways. Mercury is been linked to affecting emotions, from mood swings to anger and anxiety. It affects the memory and studies show patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s dementia had high levels of mercury in their system. It’s been documented to cause long lasting damage to the heart, immune and nervous system; and for women, it may affect the reproductive system. Yet, no study has proved a direct connection to having silver fillings to serious health problems. So why do it? It’s a personal preference for people who believe they can benefit from removing the silver fillings from their teeth.

How To Get Rid Of It

It’s important to understand the process before you venture out to your dentist’s office to get the mercury out. First, your dentist needs to have experience removing the mercury the proper way and explain the process and risks to you in a manner that you clearly understand how the procedure will go. If they haven’t perform a mercury removal before or don’t have the correct equipment to do it, find yourself another dentist. Many health magazines will have ads for holistic dentist that have done this procedure and have the equipment. Dentist cannot simply remove the mercury; they need to ensure it doesn’t go to your other parts of your body and their bodies while the removal process is happening. They need to have a sort of “vacuum” that absorbs the mercury, you will have oxygen to breath, and they will have masks to not breathe the mercury. They cut the mercury out in a specific shape to ensure it doesn’t go anywhere else but the “vacuum”.

After the procedure, you will need to detox by taking a special kind of vitamin C that cleans your body. There are other pills and detoxing methods your dentist will ask you to do in addition to ensure you detoxed and no mercury stayed.

If you believe that this is a “detox” your body needs, do your research and find a dentist that understand the process to free yourself from the mercury in your teeth. As always, keep you Get Clean blox near to remind you of your ultimate goal on the road to recovery.

By Lina Gonzalez, a vegan environmentalist raw foodist tech yogini. She loves books, music, the beach, writing, and all things purple! She’s a certified yoga teacher and blogs about the Alkaline lifestyle at her personal blog.

Photo By svennevenn

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