Early on in my work with addictive behaviours, I noticed that most addicts struggle with addiction their whole lives, while a smaller group seemed to be able to completely recover. At that time, I was about three years clean and sober—and I was intrigued because I wanted to be part of the group that stayed in recovery. So I dedicated my life’s work to figuring out what made the difference between the few that decided to remain in recovery while the rest chose to relapse time and again. … [Read more...] about The Secret to Stopping Addiction in Your Family—Forever
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From Fantasy to Reality on Valentine’s Day: Loving Yourself with Healthy Self-Care
Ah, Valentine's Day, the fantasy-filled holiday that comes right after we've managed to get ourselves through another year of Christmas and New Year's Eve! Have you ever wondered whose bright idea it was to have those three holidays in a row? For many people, the 3-month period of December through February can be the most difficult and depressing time of the year, and this is especially true for those whose significant relationships are problematic. For people with addictive behaviours, as … [Read more...] about From Fantasy to Reality on Valentine’s Day: Loving Yourself with Healthy Self-Care
New Year’s Resolutions? Try Intentions Instead
In the immortal words of John Lennon, another year is over and a new one’s just begun. Isn’t it interesting how we, as a society, agree that this is the time to give ourselves and our lives a complete and total new makeover? We have decided that at this time of the year we will revisit the year we’re leaving behind, dissecting it to see what worked for us and what didn’t. And on top of that, we need to make sure that we meet all of our “resolutions” quickly and perfectly or else we have … [Read more...] about New Year’s Resolutions? Try Intentions Instead
Addicted to Christmas Chaos? Taming the Madness this Holiday Season
First published on December 14, 2012. Has anyone else noticed how early the Christmas chaos began this year? I recall a few years ago here in Vancouver, a number of people became so disgruntled by the early onset of Christmas music in some of the stores—in the middle of October—that they took to Facebook en masse and complained. One store in particular, Shoppers Drug Mart, appeased the naysayers by stopping that music, but only after they drew their line in the sand, assuring us that the … [Read more...] about Addicted to Christmas Chaos? Taming the Madness this Holiday Season
“A Star Is Born” and “Beautiful Boy”: Two New Films about Addiction are Released
SPOILER ALERT! Read no further is you haven’t seen these movies—but are planning to do so. But—for all of you who have seen them both . . . keep reading! MY OPINIONS (aka “I’m just sayin’ . . . ”) I’ll begin by saying that these are my opinions and I understand that yours may be different. That’s okay with me—it’s fine for us to have our own points of view, and to agree to disagree. Addiction is a subject that triggers a lot of people and can cause many rifts, and I believe that there are as … [Read more...] about “A Star Is Born” and “Beautiful Boy”: Two New Films about Addiction are Released
