This post was originally published in June of 2013. 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 … [Read more...] about Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone: Recovery from Addictive Behaviors
Recovery from addiction
Addiction and Relapse: A “Normal, Expected” Part of Recovery?
Have you ever noticed that the same issue sometimes bombards us from all angles for a while? It’s funny how life seems to come in themes. Lately I’ve been receiving a number of articles into my inbox, talking about addicts who relapse after they come out of treatment—or even after many years of sobriety. Most of these writers are telling me that relapse is a ‘normal part of recovery’ from addiction. Some are even trying to differentiate between a lapse and a relapse, as if that jargon matters … [Read more...] about Addiction and Relapse: A “Normal, Expected” Part of Recovery?
Robin Williams, Dead at 63: Words No One Ever Wanted to Hear
“Robin Williams: Dead, Apparent Suicide” How could this happen? We are asking ourselves this question today as we shake our heads in disbelief. Robin Williams, the uproariously funny comedian, dead? Apparent suicide?How can this be??Yes, we all knew he had problems with addiction—he’d bravely allowed that to be common knowledge, probably in the hope that his struggle could also help others. He carried the message in the true spirit of one who was walking the walk of addiction recovery, and I … [Read more...] about Robin Williams, Dead at 63: Words No One Ever Wanted to Hear
AA Agnostica: Alternative Steps for Recovery from Addiction
I’ll always be grateful to 12-Step programs. Along with some other amazing Earth Angels that came into my life just at the right time, I credit 12-Step meetings for quite literally saving my life. Twenty-seven years ago, in the Springtime when many things begin to change and grow, I reached quite a low bottom with my drug addiction. From the time I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease in 1973, I began faithfully using the prescriptions given to me by my doctors: medications like Valium, … [Read more...] about AA Agnostica: Alternative Steps for Recovery from Addiction
The Portland Hotel Society: If It Looks Like a Duck and Quacks Like a Duck…
Maybe—just maybe—it’s actually a duck? I just couldn’t let this story go by without writing about it again. The long and short of it is that the higher (no pun intended) authorities of the Portland Hotel Society (PHS) and several of their own Board of Directors are stepping down, as ordered by the BC Government, in order to avoid receivership. So what does this mean? Well, according to the government, in the 2012-2013 fiscal year, PHS received a cool $21 million in funding. Of that money, we … [Read more...] about The Portland Hotel Society: If It Looks Like a Duck and Quacks Like a Duck…
