Annie asks: What do you mean when you say that addiction is a “choice”? Hi Annie – great question! I don’t believe that anyone chooses to become an addict – I know I didn’t. And in fact, most addicts never think they will be the ones to become addicted – that’s for the other guy. So I don’t believe that anyone signs up for Addiction 101, thinking “Yes, let’s be an addict, that will be fun!” But in every addict’s life, there comes a time when they know their lives are a mess. They look … [Read more...] about What do you mean when you say that addiction is a “choice”?
Choice point to stop addiction
New Year’s Resolutions? Try Intentions Instead!
Originally posted in December 2010In 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 … [Read more...] about New Year’s Resolutions? Try Intentions Instead!
Addiction and Recovery: What Do Addicts REALLY Need?
Whenever I hear clients repeating themselves in our therapy sessions, I take notice.Their repetition alerts me that something is really important to them. Sometimes they’ll tell me the same story more than once, other times they will ask the same questions a few times. In other cases, they will repeat words—especially when they are striving to let me know how they feel.So when I began receiving emails this past week from both colleagues and clients containing the same link to the same TED talk … [Read more...] about Addiction and Recovery: What Do Addicts REALLY Need?
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?
Philip Seymour Hoffman: How Many More Do We Have to Lose?
Seriously, I don’t know how many more articles like this I can write about celebrities dying of addiction.Along with everyone else who knew Philip Seymour Hoffman’s work, I mourn the loss of a gigantic talent. He was one of my favorite actors and I’ve seen most of his films. Of all the celebrity tributes I’ve heard about him in the past couple of days, the one that stands out for me is Rob Lowe’s—Lowe, a recovering addict/alcoholic himself, spoke of feeling angry about a number of things, not … [Read more...] about Philip Seymour Hoffman: How Many More Do We Have to Lose?
