Answer Addiction

Tag: holiday season

  • Family Creates Christmas Light Show To Highlight Addiction Struggle

    Family Creates Christmas Light Show To Highlight Addiction Struggle

    A Maryland couple have dedicated their massive Christmas light show to their daughter who is battling opioid addiction. 

    In 2015, Jim Kurtz created a spectacular Christmas light show dedicated to the addiction recovery of his daughter, Caroline, and to those everywhere struggling with addiction. The light show was not only visually captivating but also synchronized the blinking lights to hit songs. 

    In a newly released video reported by The Maryland Patch, the Kurtzes say that their daughter has relapsed and is again in recovery. Caroline has been in 22 recovery facilities in four states over the past seven years.

    This year, Caroline’s mother and father have dedicated a special song in the light show to their daughter: “This Is Me” from the 2017 film The Greatest Showman.

    The Kurtz light and musical show can be seen from half a mile away. Their home in Harford County is decked out with blinking lights, including a 50-foot-tall pine tree, which is the tallest decorated tree in town, as far as they know. The tree is visible from a Starbucks off MD 543 and is hung with oversized, old-fashioned and brightly colored bulbs. Jim Kurtz appreciates the show himself, telling The Patch, “It is amazingly beautiful.”

    Kurtz originally began the light and music show in 2012 and received internet fame for the set piece orchestrated to the hit song, “Call Me Maybe.” Families struggling along with their loved ones battling addiction are becoming more transparent in an attempt to defeat the stigma of drug and alcohol addiction. Memoirs such as Beautiful Boy by David Sheff, and Tweak by Nic Sheff, are gaining national attention. Beautiful Boy is now a movie starring Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet. 

    Jim Kurtz gave The Patch the 2018 show scheduled songs and home information for anyone visiting or local who would like to take in this show dedicated to recovering from addiction.

    The light show features “The Greatest Show,” the theme from Star Wars, a dubstep version of “The Nutcracker,” Griswold track, “12 Days of Christmas,” “Christmas Vacation,” “A Mad Russian’s Christmas,” “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” “This Is Me” and “God Bless the USA.”

    Where: 1205 Corinthian Court, Bel Air, MD

    When: Friday, Dec. 7, to Monday, Dec. 31

    Hours: 5-9 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday; 5-10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday

    How to tune in: Listen to 87.9 FM for the music.

    Guests are asked to drive slowly and to refrain from blocking driveways in the neighborhood.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • How To Help Those With Eating Disorders During The Holidays

    How To Help Those With Eating Disorders During The Holidays

    Experts offer a variety of useful tips on how to help those living with eating disorders navigate the triggering holiday season.

    The holiday season isn’t fun for everyone. Spending time with family members, paired with indulgent meals, can be overwhelming in and of itself. For some—including people living with eating disorders—it can be a triggering time.

    An estimated 30 million Americans struggle with an eating disorder, defined as “serious and often fatal illnesses that cause severe disturbances to a person’s eating behaviors,” according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). If your loved one is among them, you can support them this holiday season.

    Bustle asked a few experts on how best to approach this issue.

    “The holiday season usually means three things: Lots and lots of… food, lots of time with extended family, and lots of unstructured time. Those three things can be incredibly rewarding, but for someone who is struggling with an eating disorder, they can also be incredibly difficult,” says clinical psychologist Dr. Stephanie Zerwas.

    Help them prioritize their recovery

    Their recovery comes first. Let them know it’s okay to sacrifice some holiday traditions in the name of feeling well. “Your loved one likely has a difficult time putting themselves first. They may need you to do it,” says Alex Gonçalves, PhD, Assistant Vice President and Clinical Director of The Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders in Philadelphia.

    Go over what to expect

    Having a conversation with your loved one may help suss out their fears, and how you can help. “Ask what your loved one is anticipating the holiday will be like, both the joys and the challenges. Ask what might be helpful. The discussion can provide some relief from the intense feeling of isolation that often accompanies an eating disorder. And you just might gain an idea or two about how to help,” says Gonçalves.

    Come up with a plan

    It may help to have a relapse prevention plan ahead of time, so your loved one is not caught off guard in the middle of a gathering. This may involve checking in with his/her treatment provider before and after the holidays.

    Sticking to a routine, like an eating schedule, can provide structure and keep your loved one from getting off track.

    Know the symptoms

    Does your loved one seem anxious or emotional? Intense mood swings, depression, anxiety and feelings of isolation are all symptoms of eating disorders.

    “They may experience intense self-judgment for not feeling so happy when everyone else appears to be,” says Goncalves.

    At their worst, eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa can cause thinning of the bones, damage to vital organs, infertility and death. Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any mental health disorder.

    It’s not your place to minimize your loved one’s eating disorder

    Even if you are being nice, it won’t help to downplay an eating disorder. “Eating disorders don’t respond to logic and argument. They do respond to love, empathy and compassion. Instead of trying to fix your family member by showing them the error of their eating disorder thoughts, let them know that you have empathy for how they are feeling, and ask them what kind of help they would like,” says Zerwas.

    For eating disorder help, call the National Eating Disorder Association helpline: 800-931-2237

    View the original article at thefix.com