In the early 1980s, a musical group called The Clash released a song whose title went on to become almost an anthem for many people in a variety of situations. The song was called “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” and it truly sums up the multitude of dilemmas that people experience in life. Today we will be looking at how this simple question presents itself when focusing on addiction – both for the addicts and for their loved ones. Is Addiction Actually a Disease? As many of you know, I … [Read more...] about “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” The Dilemma of Addiction
Addiction recovery
The Secret to Stopping Addiction in Your Family—Forever
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
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
How to Help the Addict You Love to Become Healthy: The Family’s Role in Addiction Recovery
Addiction is so rampant now in our society. We all know that more and more people are dying from the ravages of this horrific situation, especially due to drugs like fentanyl that take the lives of drug users in a split second. We simply don’t have the luxury of treading lightly around addiction anymore. We each need to do all we can to shift this and get the results that all families of addicts are looking for. It IS possible. STOP ENABLING AND MAKE THE SHIFT So how do we make that shift? … [Read more...] about How to Help the Addict You Love to Become Healthy: The Family’s Role in Addiction Recovery