Mental Health and COVID-19
Looking after your mental health and general wellbeing during the COVID-19 outbreak There are plenty of feelings of anxiety, worry, concern and sadness that individuals may experience during this time. This is an unprecedented event which may spark these feelings. This is a time to band together – apart. Maintaining social distancing, avoiding large gatherings and practicing only essential activities. At Foundation House we are committed to construction industry workers. We understand the current situation that the world is facing and are dedicated to assisting those in need. Finding a healthy balance It’s important to recognise that we are all faced with a magnitude of more negative information at the moment which can heighten feelings of fear, worry and anxiety. We believe that it is crucial to be informed regularly about COVID-19, but we also believe that it is useful to regulate the way media affects our lives. If it is becoming anxiety provoking every time you turn on the news or scroll through your phones – try and limit this time for both yourself and your family. Watch your alcohol and drug consumption! This may amp up when in isolation or quarantine as a coping mechanism and a way to help the 'time pass' - reach out instead. We don't need to turn to mood altering substances to change the way we feel. This is also a time to watch out for online gambling and gaming. There is plenty of support around that can assist if you struggle with this. Use reliable [...]
The Holidays Are Here…
Christmas and New Years can form critical make or break situations with many people - both in and out of recovery. Family dynamics, arguments, uncomfortable moments and even feelings of loneliness can affect anyone at anytime. But the question is, how do you engage in behaviours that align with who you want to be and how you want to act? How do you get through the holiday season without picking up a drink, a drug or having a bet? There are several ways to help yourself through this holiday season. Practicing mindfulness through guided meditation and deep breathing is one way that can help you be present in the moment and ‘ground yourself’ in times of stress or anxiety. Yoga and meditation at the hundreds of studios close to you. A great way to also ground yourself and be present in the moment Writing a daily plan. This is important to do around the big days like Christmas and New Years eve. Writing a daily plan will ensure that there is a course of action for your day and something to refer back on if you feel like you’re veering off track. Construct an exit plan! These sort of plans can be useful when you find yourself in the middle of a situation that feels uncomfortable. Gently remind yourself that "i need to look after my own needs". Keep it in the day! This is a simple way to keep your actions for the day. instead of saying, i’m not going to [...]
Foundo featured on VICE – Inside the construction industries substance abuse problem
Foundation House is helping tradies come to terms with mental health and addiction. Tommy sits in a room full of tradies and tells them all about how he used to drink methylated spirits with Coke. The mixer was to stop him throwing up blood; he’d keep a schooner of the concoction next to his bed at his parents’ house, where he lived at the time. Tommy was almost 40 then, and had been in and out of the construction industry for half his life. “I worked in construction, and I was a functioning addict from when I started when I was 18,” he explains. “At the start it was always pot. Ecstasy pills. Campbelltown coke. And then after that drinking came into it because it’s just part of the culture. “It’s construction: if you can’t drink you can’t be trusted and be part of it.” Tommy is a resident at the Foundation House rehabilitation centre, located in Sydney’s inner west. The 28-day residential program has been working with people like him for the past 18 years. A not-for-profit charity, Foundation House doesn’t get any government funding, but is instead supported by the construction industry itself. The centre receives a number of its referrals directly from the worksite via the Building Trade Group (BTG), through which they get most of their clientele. Sitting here on a Wednesday night, it’s hard not to think there’s something wrong with Australia’s construction industry culture. There are close to 80 men in this room: some of them alcoholics, some [...]
Women’s Health Week
Pelvic power, happier hormones, mental wellbeing – those are some of the focal points of this year’s Women’s Health Week (WHW). The first week in September has been dedicated to women’s health since 2013. It was founded by not-for-profit organisation Jean Hailes in a bid to encourage women to put themselves first and to think about their health and wellbeing. A different health topic will be focused on each day from September 3 to 7. No topic is off limits, the aim of the week to remove the “elephant in the room” which is why the WHW logo is an elephant. “We know women can be so busy taking care of others they often fail to find the time for their own health,” Jean Hailes executive director Janet Michelmore said. “The week is a good reminder for women to put their own health at the top of their to-do list.” More than 60,000 women are expected to take part in more the 1500 events around the country. There are already more than 25,000 women registered to receive free health content via email. “By signing up you’ll receive free health tips, recipes, videos, podcasts and more, aimed at inspiring you to live a healthier life,” Ms Michelmore said. Get involved with the week by hosting or taking part an event during the week. For more information about the week, go to: www.womenshealthweek.com.au. Alex Kalliris Psychotherapist
Thoughts of addiction from an addict
© TheBigSmoke.com.au I have some thoughts on being an addict, people’s perception of it, and what you can do for people who are suffering on a daily basis from a disease that actively wants to kill you. I am thirty-six-years-old. On Friday I will have nine months completely sober. That is the longest stretch of time I’ve had clean since I started using and abusing drugs almost two decades ago. I started with pot, moved on to cocaine, upgraded to pain pill, and graduated to being a crackhead and a heroin junkie. There is and always will be constant debate about whether one chooses to become an addict or if one is predisposed. From the thousands of people I’ve met who also suffer from this malady over the years, the ones who still use, the ones who, by the grace of a truly powerful force, are clean today, and ones that are no longer with us, I can tell you from my perspective that no one chooses to be an addict. There is a chemical imbalance in my body and I react differently than “normal people” to drugs and alcohol. Once I take that first sip, puff, or snort, I switch a flip that opens up a hole bigger than the Grand Canyon inside of me and a voice that sounds exactly like my own tells me to fill it. Fill that hole until it’s overflowing. Fill it, the voice promises, and you will feel whole. You will feel like you matter. [...]
Facebook allowing users to block alcohol adverts
For the first time in history, Facebook is allowing users to manage the advertisements they see on the social networking site. Trialing since September last year, Facebook has implemented a simple tool on their site to allow users to block advertisements that include alcohol. Alcoholic triggers can be all around us in everything we see, but with the largest social networking site in the world – we can now filter these out. Participants will be able to block alcohol related content for 6 months, 1 year or permanently on their feeds, allowing news feeds to be less saturated with alcohol-related content. For those struggling with addiction, it’s difficult to see adverts that show us that you can only have fun while drinking, or only watch the footy with a beer. Removing these ads allows us to create a different culture throughout our own social media – one that doesn’t include the need for alcohol in day-to-day living. We will always be faced with difficulties and triggers, and this is not to ‘hide away’ from them - but if you can control what you see on your own social media page, why would you not want to remove them? Below is a ‘how-to’ on how to manage these advertisements Step 1: Head to https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences/ Step 2: Scroll down to ‘Hide Ad Topics’ Step 3: Click ‘Alcohol’ Step 4: Choose your preferences and save