Many people consume alcohol with the belief that it helps them relax. This effect is only temporary. Alcohol is a depressant that slows down the brain and Central Nervous System. Understanding this distinction, along with the health risks associated with excessive or frequent drinking, is essential for making informed choices about alcohol consumption.

ALCOHOL ABUSE:

It is the excessive and harmful consumption of alcohol that leads to negative consequences in various aspects of life, including health, relationships, and daily functioning. It often involves drinking in large quantities or drinking frequently, despite the awareness of its adverse effects. This pattern of behaviour can lead to physical dependence, psychological problems, and social issues.

In today's world, many people turn to alcohol as a way to cope with their problems, believing that drinking is a positive solution. However, this often leads to alcohol abuse. They overlook the fact that once the effects of the alcohol wear off, their problems remain unsolved and unchanged. The temporary escape that drinking provides does not address the root of their issues, leaving them still seeking real solutions.

ALCOHOL AS A STIMULANT:

When consumed, alcohol stimulates the release of dopamine in the brain, which can create an initial sense of euphoria, reduced inhibitions and increased energy. This temporary uplift may lead you to feel more sociable and confident. However, this effect is short-lived and can obscure the underlying issues that alcohol fails to address. 

IMPAIRED JUDGMENT AND RISKY BEHAVIOR:

Alcohol lowers inhibitions and impairs judgment, which can lead to risky behaviour. Actions that may seem harmless under the influence of alcohol can result in significant consequences, such as impaired driving or dangerous social interactions. The stimulant effect reduces your ability to make sound decisions, increasing the risk of accidents and injuries.

DISRUPTED SLEEP PATTERNS:

Although alcohol may help you fall asleep more quickly, it disrupts the sleep cycle, particularly REM sleep. REM sleep is crucial for mental and emotional restoration, and its disruption can lead to poor-quality sleep. As a result, you may feel unrested and irritable the following day.

HEALTH CHALLENGES:

●      LIVER DAMAGE: Chronic excessive drinking places considerable strain on the liver, potentially leading to conditions such as fatty liver, hepatitis, and cirrhosis. Over time, this strain can compromise the liver’s ability to process alcohol, resulting in severe long-term damage.

●      CARDIOVASCULAR ISSUES: Alcohol consumption can elevate heart rate and blood pressure, increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke. The added stress on the cardiovascular system from frequent drinking can have serious and lasting effects on heart health.

●      MENTAL HEALTH IMPACT: While alcohol might provide temporary relief from stress, it can exacerbate mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. The stimulant effects can mask these conditions, making them more difficult to address effectively.

●      WEIGHT GAIN: Alcohol is high in empty calories, which can contribute to weight gain and obesity. It also disrupts metabolic processes, raising the risk of developing diabetes and other metabolic disorders.

●      DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS: Regular alcohol consumption can irritate the digestive system, leading to issues such as gastritis, ulcers, and pancreatitis. Persistent irritation can cause significant discomfort and lead to chronic digestive problems.

THE RISKS:

●      Addiction and Dependency

●      Increased Risk of Chronic Diseases

●      Social and Legal Consequences

●      Cognitive Impairment

THE EFFECT OF ALCOHOL ON MENTAL HEALTH

1. MOOD DISORDERS:

Alcohol is a depressant, which means it slows down brain activity and impairs emotional regulation. While it might initially make someone feel more relaxed or euphoric, these effects are temporary. Over time, alcohol use can worsen mood disorders like depression and anxiety. It disrupts the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain, leading to increased feelings of sadness and anxiety when not drinking.

2. RISK OF MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS:

Chronic alcohol abuse is associated with an increased risk of developing severe mental health disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Alcohol can exacerbate these conditions, making symptoms more severe and challenging to manage.

3. COGNITIVE FUNCTION:

Long-term alcohol abuse can significantly impair cognitive functions such as memory, concentration, and decision-making. Regular drinking affects the brain's ability to process and retain information. Chronic use can lead to severe cognitive impairments, such as memory loss and difficulties with problem-solving, which may persist even after stopping alcohol consumption.

4. SLEEP PROBLEMS:

While alcohol might help some individuals fall asleep faster, it disrupts the quality of sleep. It interferes with the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage of sleep, which is crucial for mental restoration and emotional stability. Poor sleep quality due to alcohol can result in daytime fatigue, irritability, and a general decline in mental health.

5. STRESS AND ANXIETY:

Many people use alcohol as a way to manage stress, but this can have the opposite effect. Alcohol increases the production of cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone, leading to heightened stress and anxiety. This creates a cycle where individuals drink to alleviate stress but end up feeling more stressed as a result of their drinking.

CONCLUSION

Understanding that alcohol primarily acts as a depressant rather than a true relaxant helps clarify its effects and associated risks. The stimulating properties of alcohol, combined with the health challenges of excessive or frequent drinking, emphasise the importance of avoidance. Exploring healthier alternatives for relaxation and seeking support if needed can lead to better health outcomes and overall well-being.

Understanding the impact of alcohol on mental health is essential for making informed choices about its use. While alcohol may offer temporary relief from stress or emotional pain, it ultimately contributes to a range of mental health issues and fails to address underlying problems. Adopting healthier coping strategies, such as therapy, support groups, and lifestyle changes, can provide more effective solutions for managing mental health and overall well-being.

#Treasure Your Mental Health.

The most powerful weapon you have in the world is your mind. What do you feed it with?

If you feed it with fear, which is an intense negative emotion, it will keeps you in bondage and hinder your prosperity.

It usually leads to other negative emotions like uncertainty, worry, anxiety, doubt, unbelief, and vice versa.

Common examples are the fear of making mistakes, fear of the unknown, death, failure, the future, acceptance in the society, new government policies, and losing a loved one or a relationship, to list but a few.

It is not unusual to experience fear which is commonly defined as an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain or harm when one is faced with such. In this case, it can keep us alert and make us avoid danger. However, fear can also be a trap, existing constantly in the mind even without the threat of danger, pain or harm.

Some may even be in bondage by the fear of leaving their comfort zone to explore something new even when they are convinced that they need a change of lifestyle, job, career, relationship, environment, position, school, subject and so on. This intense fear negatively affects their willingness and convictions to take risks in life.

Fear is a thing of the mind. If you allow it to win in your mind, then you are already a slave to it.

What if you fail? Learn from your mistakes and move on. The world won't end because you failed.

Living a fearful life is a mental suffering and bondage which can lead one into depression, high blood pressure, having suicidal thoughts, or even become suicidal.

You can overcome fear when you start to replace it with positive emotions such as faith, hope, optimism, love, compassion and so on while realising that entertaining fear actually has no effect on the outcome of any situation except to generate tension.

#Treasure Your Mental Health.

A woman is a prayer warrior, a fighter, the embodiment of understanding and patience, a peacemaker, a cheerleader, and a backbone. She is the silent strength that holds the family together, the unsung hero who sacrifices her comfort for the well-being of others. As a wife, she is the partner who stands by her husband through thick and thin. As a mother, she is the nurturing force that shapes the future. A woman’s heart is vast, her resilience is boundless, and her love is unconditional.

THE JOURNEY OF MOTHERHOOD:

The cry of a baby is cherished in our society, while the mother's struggle to bring that life into the world is often inadvertently overlooked. Women experience unanticipated physical discomfort, swelling limbs, morning sickness, stress, interrupted sleep and sleepless nights for months while they are pregnant. They manage their homes and take care of their husbands while navigating uncomfortable situations and mood swings. The labour room can presents unique difficulties such as trauma, extreme labour pain, loss of blood, fear, and anxiety, tears and cuts, invasion and so on. Whether giving birth naturally or by caesarean section, it is a difficult procedure that leaves many women emotionally and physically traumatised.

THE SILENT STRUGGLE POST-DELIVERY

Following the birth, it is not unusual for all the attention she was used to getting while pregnant to suddenly be directed toward the infant, neglecting her and she notices and feels this. This new status quo hits her hard and leaves her in shock with memories flying randomly and negative emotions starting to grow in her. Even though she is still recovering from giving birth, she still has to endure seemingly endless restless nights caring for and nursing her baby. Physical and mental wounds from childbirth never fully heal. Her spouse, her biggest supporter and comforter frequently fails to affirm her efforts, which puts her at risk for postpartum depression.

THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF NEGLECT

Neglecting new mothers can have serious repercussions. Physically and emotionally, they struggle to adjust to their new duties. A lack of support can cause emotions of isolation, sadness, and resentment towards her husband, her baby and others. The link between husband and wife can get worse, harming the family's harmony. When the husband and family fail to provide adequate assistance, the mother feels neglected and alone. This emotional neglect might lower her self-esteem and limit her capacity to fully participate in her new position as a mother.

A CALL FOR CELEBRATION AND RESPECT

Our exceptional new mothers should not be overlooked, particularly by their husbands who is her rock, and by family and friends. They should stand by her side, honouring her sacrifices and encouraging her recovery, realising the enormous responsibility that motherhood is. Let us recognise our women more and honour their multiple responsibilities as moms and wives. They are our life' hidden heroines, and they should be cherished every day.

CONCLUSION

A woman's inner strengths and selflessness are profoundly demonstrated by her role as a mother. She should not be neglected after experiencing the ordeal of childbirth because her emotional wounds may become more amplified as a result of her husband’s and family's lack of appreciation, making her feel alone and unappreciated. A woman must be respected and loved, her challenges must be acknowledged, and we must provide constant support. Only then can we genuinely honour a woman. By doing this, we support her and fortify the foundation of our families for a greater society.

PROCRASTINATION

The swift current of time, hmmm,

Time is constant,

Time is time,

Only God can change time,

Time is a force beyond our control,

Time slips away through our fingers like sand in the wind,

Don’t procrastinate, make use of the time, treasure your mental health, get yourself engaged in sporting activities to keep your mental health intact,

Talk to a counsellor, don’t die in silence, say no to depression, say to mental distress, anxiety and suicide.

Cope and Live Mental Health Awareness Foundation - Treasure your mental health

Keep a positive and resilient mindset.

We have all experienced betrayal in one way or another. When we start to share our stories or scenarios, we often become emotional and tear up because we recall the pains we felt. Sometimes, when betrayal comes from our own family members, we tend to accept it as a normal part of life. However, this acceptance comes at a cost, as it affects our mental well-being and shapes our perspective on life, often without us even realising it.

 When it comes to infidelity, society frequently casts the finger at men, while women receive less scrutiny. However, many married women commit infidelity, which is frequently concealed by societal biases that provide them with additional cover. This mismatch means that female infidelity is usually underestimated, leading to misunderstandings concerning the true scale of the problem.

UNDERSTANDING BETRAYAL AND INFIDELITY

 Betrayal: A profound breach of trust that causes deep emotional pain.

 Infidelity: The act of being unfaithful in a committed relationship, breaking the bond of trust.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF BETRAYAL

 When a wife and mother commits infidelity, the emotional consequences on her family are severe. The husband, taken aback by the betrayal, experiences a severe loss of trust and self-esteem. This emotional suffering can show as rage, grief and a profound sense of inadequacy. Even when forgiveness is extended, the experience often leaves an invisible scar, making it difficult to reestablish intimacy and trust.

 The wife, weighed down by guilt and regret, struggles with her identity and self-esteem. She may experience depression and anxiety, feeling she has failed in her roles as both wife and mother. The realisation of her actions leads to a profound sense of failure and self-loathing.

 Children who witness their parents' emotional dispute may develop feelings of insecurity, confusion, and mistrust, leading them to question the stability of their relationships and harbour doubts about fidelity and love. This experience can shape their future relationships, making them wary of commitment and vulnerable to emotional instability.

REASONS FOR INFIDELITY

Women may cheat for various reasons, including:

●      Emotional Neglect

●      Opportunity

●      Association with bad friends and negative influences

●      Lack of contentment

●      The lies and falsehood of social media

●      Dissatisfaction

●      Human vulnerability

●      Seeking Validation

●      Feeling Undervalued

●      Desire for Excitement and Adventure

SOLUTION TO DISCOURAGE INFIDELITY:

To avoid the devastating effects of infidelity, couples should prioritise open and honest communication. Here are some other steps to help prevent infidelity:

●      Seek Counselling: Professional help can provide tools and strategies to navigate relationship challenges effectively.

●      Express Appreciation: Regularly acknowledge and appreciate each other's efforts and contributions.

●      Foster Intimacy: Create opportunities for emotional and physical closeness, ensuring that both partners feel connected and valued.

●      Address Dissatisfaction: Discuss feelings of unhappiness or dissatisfaction openly and work together to find solutions.

●      Prioritise the Relationship: Make time for each other, nurturing the bond and intimacy that forms the foundation of a strong marriage.

●   Think about the consequences of your actions on you, your family, your friends and your circle.

CONCLUSION:

Recognising the shared human vulnerabilities that lead to infidelity can create a more compassionate and effective approach to healing and prevention. Infidelity, especially when it comes from a wife and mother, leaves deep scars on a family, affecting every member in profound ways. Couples can work towards building a stronger and more resilient relationship, preventing the devastating effects of infidelity.

Betrayal is a wound that never heals. It leaves a scar that reminds you of a pain inflicted by someone you trusted. Just one experience of betrayal can cause negative emotions and mental health issues for the one who was betrayed. It could also motive offending as the victim may try to cash in on any available opportunity to address the worries and anger that follow the incident of betrayal. The negative consequences of betrayal on both the one that betrayed and the victim of betrayal cannot be overemphasised and include: perpetual rancour / acrimony, mental health sicknesses, loss of life, loss of trust leading to unfriendly relationship and existence, increase in high blood pressure, fear, anxiety and a host of other negative emotions and outcomes.

Betrayal is pain arising from broken trust due to high expectations from others. To lessen this effect, lessen your expectations from others, Don’t betray others because you reap what you sow, Learn to forgive for your own sanity, mental wellbeing and overall health.

An African adage used to have it that, "every child is everybody's child”. This adage was the basis for everybody's participation in the supervision and guidance of any child. Because of this, a child was always afraid to engage in any form of societal misconduct as the punitive measures could be implemented from any place and would often go as far as getting the child parents involved resulting in further consequences.

Within that time, say a period spanning up to the late 80’s, parents were seen in the fully involved in the guidance, support and supervision of their children with keen efforts towards ensuring that they are brought up in line with values, morals, standard and discipline. To a reasonable extent, remarkable achievements were made to the extent that integrity, honesty, resilient spirit and hard work were the order of the day as recognitions, importance and emphasis were laid on families with values and good moral upbringing of children. Unfortunately, many societal misconducts that were tabooed then are now points of celebration and recognition hence ‘’centres are no longer holding’’.

The fact is that major factors to the causes of deviant and truant behaviours in our children are often not considered till things go wrong. The home is the immediate environment of any child and is pivotal to any child’s development and growth. A child learns virtually everything primarily from the home.

This brings the issue of parenting to the front burner. What was parenting like then and what is it like now? Are there any changes in patterns and processes of raising children? Why the sudden deviation and development. Parenting has always been and should still be a serious business and plays a crucial role in child development and general well-being but in the 21st century, it has remained a challenge due to a myriad of pressures be they natural, social, man-made, environmental, religious amongst others. Parenting, like every other business endeavour ought to be undertaken by those who are passionate about child upbringing with right frame of mind, mentality and discipline. When parents don't play their child-development role effectively, there is always a responsibility gap which creates room for some behaviours which will be counterproductive to the effective implementation of our goals. Parental hypocrisy, ignorance, moral bankruptcy, relationship issues / failures, lack of discipline, commitment and dedication, and so on are all factors that pose challenges and limitations to parents in the upbringing of their children in our contemporary society.

A strong relationship between parents and their children sets the foundation for the child’s emotional, social and cognitive development. Good parenting involves providing nurture, support and guidance to help children develop into confident and independent individuals.

Family system and parenting in our present-day society have been faced with severe challenges such as relationship break-ups, marriage failures (dysfunctional families), single parent pressures, death of partner, lack of credible parent-support programmes that aid parental responsibility such as child welfare programmes like health, education, free transportations, free education and other empowerment programmes. These challenges usually leave children vulnerable and leave parents struggling for survival and existence while also carrying out these relevant tasks for their children resulting in various emotional and mental health challenges due to fear and anxiety, anger and overthinking. Some parents without a resilient mindset may become vulnerable and navigate to negative options and pathways to survive. Since the future of any society is predicated on the children there must be an enabling framework to aid parenting for them not to misstep.

The vulnerable parent with negative emotions and mental health issues, instead of being a good parent will rather be a conduit for negative parenting which in turns impacts the child’s overall well-being negatively leading them to develop behavioural problems, low self-esteem, emotional problems, substance and drug abuse use, lack of trust, inability to form healthy relationships and truant / delinquent behaviours. Bad parenting occasioned by negative emotions casts a long shadow over a child’s emotional and psychological wellbeing. The point here is that the mental health of children is dependent on the mental health of parents. If the mental health of parents is not in good shape, the child will suffer it more and will become a serious challenge to the society. Let’s join hands to together to achieve a society devoid of mental health challenges and with negative emotions.

Treasure your mental health.