How to Recognize a Drinking Problem

Not everyone who drinks regularly has a drinking problem. You might want to get help if you:

	Drink to calm your nerves, forget your worries, or reduce depression
	Lose interest in food
	Gulp your drinks down fast
	Lie or try to hide your drinking habits
	Drink alone more often
	Hurt yourself, or someone else, while drinking
	Were drunk more than three or four times last year
	Need more alcohol to get "high"
	Feel irritable, resentful, or unreasonable when you are not drinking
	Have medical, social, or financial problems caused by drinking

Information from From the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Moderate drinking is defined as no more than one drink a day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men. Twelve ounces of beer; 5 ounces of wine; or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits (80 proof) counts as one drink. (US Dept. of Agriculture & USDHHS, Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 1995).


How to recognize Postpartum Depression

	Sadness and/or anger
	Cannot think clearly
	Lack of interest or pleasure in activities
	Guilt, especially about the baby
	Increased or decreased appetite
	Feels inadequate, especially as a mother
	Increased or decreased sleep
	Suicidal thoughts
	Extreme fatigue

How to learn from our failures?

Even our failures teach us something. The next time you feel you've failed, ask yourself these questions:

	Did I fail because of another person, because of my situation, or because of myself?
	Did I actually fail, or did I simply fall short of unrealistically high standards?
	Where did I succeed, as well as "fail?"
	What lessons have I learned?
	Am I grateful for this experience?
	How can I turn the failure into success?
	Practically speaking, where do I go from here?
	Who else has "failed" in this way before, and how can they help me?
	How can my experience help others someday to keep from failing?

The answers may surprise you.