Blog – Bottled Up

O is for Optimise your time when they are sober

O is for optimising your time when they are sober. There is a great temptation to ‘punish’ the drinker in some way when the alcohol has worn off. The ‘punishment’ may take a number of forms, eg the silent treatment or picking a fight.
These are very natural reactions to the heavy drinking that has preceded the period of sobriety. However, regardless of how justified those reactions may be, they are unlikely to result in any positive change. In fact, in many cases it may exacerbate the drinking instead.
In this video we discuss another approach. The rationale behind this approach is both short term peace and a demonstration that there is life after alcohol.

L is for letting the negatives happen

L is for letting the negatives happen. When an alcoholic drinks, negative things happen, the may get into arguments or fights, they may have an accident, they may fall asleep on the couch and never get to bed. There can be many negative outcomes.

Love an alcoholic You must be joking

LOVE is one of the powerful tools that are exclusive to Bottled Up. It was created to provide some guidelines on how to live with an alcoholic in a way that was positive and therapeutic.

Is guilt free detachment possible?

Can you detach from your drinker without feeling guilty and that you are betraying or abandoning your drinker? Does even the thought of detachment make you feel uncomfortable?

Is forgiveness just permission to drink again?

One of the issues that can hinder people forgiving someone that they feel has wronged them is the fear that they are just saying that "it was ok to hurt me" and that the wrong may be repeated. In this video we discuss some of the delicate issues that surround forgiveness in a relationship where …

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Journey out of Secrecy

Secrecy is very often a feature of families when there is a problem drinker in the family. The family often closes ranks because of the stigma and shame associated with alcoholism in the mistaken impression that they are protecting, or being loyal to, their drinker.

Can drinkers recover without seeking professional help?

Can drinkers recover without seeking professional help or going into rehab? Is professional and or medical help always needed.

Is alcoholism a disease?

Is alcoholism a disease? This is a real hot potato for the addiction field and I'm sure you have your own view on the topic. You may have even seen that every now and again, some study claims to have produce 'conclusive proof' that alcoholism is a 'disease' or is genetically transmitted. However, thus far, …

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Is my loved one an alcoholic?

There is no doubt that the way you view a problem, not just a drinking problem, will inform how you deal with the problem.

Whose problem is it anyway?

A common question that we are asked is "Is s/he an alcoholic?" The question is often accompanied by "or am I just making a fuss about nothing?" Our answer often surprises people as we tend to look at alcohol problems a bit differently. In this video we expand the traditional view of alcohol problems from …

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