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Gambling Addiction-The One Armed Bandit

Published under Health by Patrick Glancy. No Comments .

by Sara Mendez

According to PBS.org, two decades ago 48 states outlawed gambling. Now 48 states have some form of gambling, only Hawaii and Utah do not. Whether you are betting on a game, playing online gambling, watching the World Series of Poker on TV or spending the weekend in Las Vegas, gambling is everywhere. Unfortunately, where there is gambling, there is addiction. According to PBS.org, 5% of gamblers are addicted. Sure this number seems small. But think about this, PBS.org also reported that in 1997 alone, 87% of people who visit Las Vegas gambled. Of those 87%, 67% played the slot machines. That was ten years ago, those numbers and stats have only gone up. Many people are ok gambling for fun, but others become addicted and obsessed.

Just the thought of winning the jackpot is enough to intrigue anyone, but for someone who suffers from addictive behaviors, this thought only leads to problems. The link to addiction can sometime stem from a memory. It could be something as simple as being a child and hearing your parents talk about winning the lottery and never having to work again. You and your parents might have talked and dreamed about what you would do with all that money, it most likely was a happy memory. As you get older you associate happiness and financial freedom with the lottery.

Marketing sends a powerful message to gamblers as well. When you walk into a casino or enter an online gambling website, you are greeted with bright colors, flashing lights and visually appealing games or machines. No one wants to walk by a diamond themed progressive slot, it’s pretty and has sparkly icons, you simply must play! Every time you see these images, an emotion is triggered, maybe a happy one, an excited one or simply one of anticipation. These can be very powerful feelings and persuade you to play, it is like you can not stop yourself.

Obsession quickly follows the addict. You start playing the slot machine or online game and you start small, maybe a few bucks. Of course you lose your money, so you play a little extra to win back what you already spent. Next thing you know, you are gambling away your house payment, each time thinking to yourself, the next one I will win big. This obsession quickly takes over your mind and you life. Before you know it you have gambled away everything in your life you were trying to save, you marriage, house, savings account and the kids’ college fund.

It is difficult to admit when you have lost control of something, especially something as large as your life! You have already taken the first step, if you are reading this, you know you are suffering from an addiction. There is help out there for you. Gamblers make excellent candidates for hypnosis because they are able to regularly fall into a trance. Hypnosis will help you identify why you gamble in the first place and pin point emotional attachments as well. The subconscious mind is very powerful and while in hypnosis, you are able to replace negative triggers such as bright displays. Instead of wanting to gamble, after hypnosis you will simply be able to walk by with no problems.

Imagine what your life could be like without gambling. You will have extra money to take a vacation (not to Las Vegas), fix up your home, or save money for a special occasion. You will have all kinds of extra time as well. You can start exercising, working in the yard, hanging out with friends, and simply stop being a house or casino hermit! Addiction with anything, whether it is drugs, alcohol, or gambling, but with help is out there for you. Once you find a treatment for your lifestyle, you can begin leading a normal happy healthy life. Conquering addiction is possible, but difficult without help, don’t delay.

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Stress Management-There is No Time Like the Present

Published under Health by Patrick Glancy. No Comments .

by Sara Mendez

Learning to manage stress is vital to leading a healthy happy life. You are as unique as your body’s reaction to stress, everyone is different. Stress is how the body responds to outside situations and problems. Sometimes these situations become out of control and your body responds by developing health problems or by lashing out emotionally. It is trying to make you stop the stress. You might develop high blood pressure, ulcers, or have a heart attack. Sometimes the response is different, you might be angry, aggressive or overly sensitive. Only by learning to control both the stress trigger and your response to it, will you be able to have complete stress management skills.

Triggers can be a variety of things. It could be something immediate such as the threat of physical danger, preparing for a date or a speech. These situations are instant and usually over quickly allowing your body to return to normal. The trigger could be something more serious and long term such as a divorce, financial problems, moving or a sick family member. These long term situations tend to have a more dangerous effect on the body and person.

Learning to deal with triggers is crucial to stress management. Hypnosis can assist you on your path to inner peace. It will help you to learn what your trigger is and it can change your body’s response to that trigger. Some people know their triggers but others might require help finding them, hypnosis can do this. Hypnosis is a highly effective treatment for stress management.

The body’s reaction to stress is different for everyone. Stress can be the cause of low work performance, sleep deprivation, or other addictions such as alcoholism, drugs and smoking. Your body might respond through skin breakouts, grinding your teeth, a panic attack or a low immune system. Just having some of these problems can lead to even more stress. Most people want to lead a happy and peaceful life free of stress.

You can manage your stress through treatments such as, counseling, medication, exercise or many use hypnosis. As I mentioned before, hypnosis can help you deal with your triggers and your response to those triggers. Hypnosis can also help you to simply relax by learning to control your breathing and centering your mind and body. By learning to relax and deal with your stress you will avoid many chronic problems that come with stress.

Many new discoveries and theories are being made each day regarding stress management and treatment. The choice is yours. Only you can decide what is best for you and your lifestyle. Stress is something we are all going to have in our lives and something that will most likely not ever go away since our lives are forever changing. But you are in control of your body and it’s reaction. There is not time better than now to decide what will work best for you, make a choice.

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Beach House Rentals - Peace at the Beach

Published under Family by Patrick Glancy. No Comments .

by Sara Mendez

Oregon is unique. There are many places to vacation for all types of people. You may choose to vacation at Sunriver, Bend, Mt Hood, Portland or as many do, at the beach. The Oregon beach offers many different accommodations and activities as well as beautiful scenery. Taking a vacation is a common practice for most families. Often the vacation is for an anniversary, summer break or a three day weekend. As a smart consumer I am sure you are always looking for the best value for the dollar.

Setting criteria is vital when selecting a hotel or other vacation lodging. Maybe you really want a hotel with a beach front or ocean view. Maybe serving continential breakfast is important as well or you may want a quite hotel. Often price is the deciding factor but don’t be so quick to take price over reality.

No one wants to go to the beach and see the parking lot from their hotel room window. You came to the beach to see it and enjoy it. After researching hotels in Lincoln City, most beach fronts’ range in prince from $80.00 to $200.00 a night before taxes and other fees, varying on the weekend. Typically the search ends here, it is expensive and no beach view.

Even if you choose to go this route, hotel rooms even without an ocean view are still $50.00 to $100.00 in Lincoln City, and then they try to lure you with the always questionable continental breakfast or free cable. Typically the continental breakfast is simply coffee, orange juice and some sort of pastry such as a donut. I don’t know about you but a single donut for breakfast isn’t going to do much for me except ruin my diet. Cable, who needs cable I am on vacation, I can watch TV at home!

Feeling rushed is usually associated with stress and the point of a vacation is to avoid that. Nothing is worse than being disturbed first thing in the morning by a knock at the door and someone yelling “house keeping”. Typically the standard check out time is eleven in the morning. That means up need to be up by nine to get ready and pack before house keeping comes and to make sure the good donuts are not gone from the breakfast! This is hardly relaxing. Then generally you still have to deal with 200 occupied rooms, which means, loud guests. Guests can be loud simply by taking the elevator up or getting a soda, you hear doors slamming and talking all night long.

Vacation homes are a unique fun way to enjoy your vacation. A vacation rental home provides many things a hotel can not. You are able to prepare all of your own meals, and save some money by not eating out, and you have options other than a donut. You know your sleep will not be disturbed from other guests, house keeping will not beat down your door early in the morning and you may come and go as you please. You are able to spend quality time with your family and have more meaningful candid moments together. You can enjoy ocean views and relax feeling no pressure to go anywhere or do anything quickly. Best of all, if you have a large group or others who want to tag along, a vacation home can be very inexpensive if you split the cost.

Regardless of your price range, you should be able to find something within your budget and criteria for a vacation home. Some beach front vacation homes are around $100.00 per night and can range up to $250.00 a night. The benefits of a vacation home far out weigh those of a hotel, this much is clear. Paying a little extra money might be worth it if it means you will have more time and less pressure while spending time with the ones you love the most. Do your research and decide for yourself, but remember people don’t often say they went to a hotel and had a fabulous, relaxing time, but they do say that about a vacation home.

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Hypnosis is all around you

Published under Family by Patrick Glancy. No Comments .

by Patrick Glancy

Hypnosis is not a closely held secret mastered by Las Vegas stage shows. Hypnosis is a simple state of mind that you make use of every day. After reading the next few paragraphs, I think you’ll see what I mean.

The state of hypnosis is a normal function of your mind. There is no big secret or special power involved. It is the state of mind your brain uses when accessing the huge amount of storage it contains.

The word hypnosis applies to the ways you communicate when asking for a favor or when someone else tries to appeal to your emotions to manipulate a decision. Hypnosis is a word with odd interpretations that describes everyday situations.

Hypnosis is in use when your critical faculty is bypassed. Analytical reason is set aside, or completely bypassed, in favor of emotional behavior Emotional behaviors are quicker and more consistent from person to person. So, more likely to elicit a predictable response. Like when you’re driving and you hear a horn honk behind you. What is your immediate emotional behavior response? Guilt? Anger? Fear? The honking horn may not even be directed at you. The honking horn was honked with the intention of eliciting a rapid response, and it usually does. Sounds complicated until you start seeing how common it is.

The beer advertisement shows video that stimulates feelings of happiness, satisfaction, and companionship. People like those things and now those good feelings will tend to be associated with the image of that particular beer brand. If you think of a remote, relaxing, sunny beach in Mexico, blue water, white sand, the sound of small, soft waves, two lounge chairs and maybe a slice of lime, do you think of a particular brand of beer? That’s emotional association at work.

Things like this are constantly happening around you, and everyone else. Many so minor you don’t even notice. Unnoticed until you try to change them. You might experience that as fighting a craving or urge. You’re likely aware that habits are formed in this way, but may not understand how powerful this can be and what a large influence on your life it can have.

A habit, once formed with emotional association can become more deeply rooted with repetition. The more repetition, the stronger and more automatic the reaction is. Once deeply rooted, it becomes more difficult to change an emotionally based habit.

This basic premise applies to all kinds of behavior, from your posture, to your food preferences. A smoker is often aware of when they started and why. Knowing this they may be fairly aware of the emotional associations involved. But, this doesn’t mean all smokers can just stop. Some can and do. Some stop smoking and replace the smoking activity with another. Like food, gum or candy. The behavior is still there and active, and still has the potential to cause trouble.

Understanding this concept gives you the power to intentionally change your associations. Some you can do on your own. If you need help, find a professional you can trust and make it happen.

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