Ah, Christmas! The very thought of it brings to mind warm, loving families, cozy fireplaces, sugar plum fairies, and the very gifts you’ve been secretly hoping for. Definitely the most wonderful time of the year… Unless… Unless you are the loved one of someone with an addiction—and then that beautiful snapshot can look completely different. In truth, the Christmas season is the most difficult time of the year for people who love someone struggling with addiction. The anxiety that … [Read more...] about It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year–or is it…?
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Rape is Rape
“Rape is rape.”That’s what Barack Obama said on the Jay Leno show.Unfortunately, he was compelled to comment on this issue because the male Republican misogynists are at it again.It wasn’t enough for Todd Akin to oh-so-stupidly announce that women who are “legitimately raped” have a biological mechanism that will enable them to spontaneously end their resulting pregnancies. Now Richard Mourdock has outed himself as a bona fide idiot by stating that when women find themselves pregnant as a result … [Read more...] about Rape is Rape
Groovin’—Clean & Sober—On a Sunday Afternoon: Vancouver Celebrates “Recovery Day”
A few weeks ago, to the delight of all the recovering addicts in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson declared that September 30th would be “Recovery Day.” The last weekend of September saw a variety of Recovery Day events in many places across Canada and the US. While cities like Atlanta, Georgia celebrated their 4th annual Recovery Day, Vancouver enjoyed its first of hopefully many more days like this to come. As a recovering addict myself with 25 years clean and sober, I was … [Read more...] about Groovin’—Clean & Sober—On a Sunday Afternoon: Vancouver Celebrates “Recovery Day”
Terror in Colorado: The Dark Knight of No-Soul
I must admit—I am stymied. How could such a thing happen? How could somebody be so completely insane to have committed such a treacherous, deliberate, premeditated, totally horrendous act against innocent people? And what does this mean for our world as we’ve known it? First we have those two terrible, very recent shooting sprees in Toronto—one in the mall and the other at a community barbeque—and now this inexplicably crazy act in Colorado. It’s mind-boggling. As a very experienced … [Read more...] about Terror in Colorado: The Dark Knight of No-Soul
Sir Elton: A Man of Courageous Moxie
This morning I listened to Elton John’s interview with Matt Lauer on the Today Show. This amazingly brave man spoke candidly about how he “squandered” (his word) many years of his life by giving in to his enormous appetite for alcohol, drugs, and food. He also openly discussed the great shame he carried around for a very long time, after watching many of his friends die all around him—from addiction as well as from AIDS—while he spent his time running away from his feelings by using a variety of … [Read more...] about Sir Elton: A Man of Courageous Moxie
