It’s hard to believe that a whole year has gone by since our last Recovery Day here in Vancouver. Some of you may remember my VO blog post about it at that time: http://www.vancouverobserver.com/blogs/psyched/clean-and-sober-vancouver What a great day it was! There was excitement in the air as those in recovery, as well as many of their loved ones, laughed and sang and danced together on the lawn of the Art Gallery in Downtown Vancouver. Children enjoyed the face painting and balloons that were … [Read more...] about Even More Recovery in Vancouver: Our 2nd Annual Recovery Day is Coming Soon!
Archives for 2013
Cory Monteith’s Death: What Was He Thinking?
I can’t tell you how odd I felt when I realized that I had passed by the very hotel Cory Monteith died in, just several hours before his overdose. For those of you who know Vancouver, I’d been at a tourist attraction at Canada Place with an out-of-town friend on Friday. On our way to lunch, we walked right by the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel a mere 24 hours before his body was discovered. This is not a ‘claim to fame’ I would have knowingly chosen. I hate the fact that Cory Monteith is dead, and … [Read more...] about Cory Monteith’s Death: What Was He Thinking?
About Matthew Perry
Last week I did something I rarely do anymore—I bought a People Magazine.I used to buy one faithfully, every week, pouring over it to see what was going on with the rich and beautiful who seemed to have much more interesting lives than the one I was living at the time. Even today, whenever I travel, I always allow myself to buy a People Magazine and devour it from top to bottom. Along with luscious dark chocolate, this is one of my guilty little pleasures that I don’t indulge in very often … [Read more...] about About Matthew Perry
What if… Addiction Isn’t Really a “Disease”?
Almost 26 years ago, on July 18, 1987, I made the decision to stop my addiction and begin my recovery in earnest.MY STORYI started by going to daily meetings of both Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous—sometimes three meetings a day, when I was feeling particularly at-risk for relapse. From there, I gravitated into the rooms of Al-Anon, Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA), and Codependents Anonymous (Coda) in order to develop a deeper understanding of where my addiction began. Although … [Read more...] about What if… Addiction Isn’t Really a “Disease”?
Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone: Recovery from Addictive Behaviors
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone—so true. I love this saying, and wish I could take credit for thinking it up. In my humble opinion, whoever came up with it is a genius—and when I saw it on a fridge magnet many years ago, I bought several of them to give as gifts to people I recognized as being entrenched in their comfort zones. (Sometimes it really does take one to know one.) Having given most of them away, I am now down to just the one that lives in its special place on the side of … [Read more...] about Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone: Recovery from Addictive Behaviors