I am a proud Canadian and an even prouder Vancouverite. But when I heard that our government was going to “help” drug addicts by making possession of a small amount of opiates and other street drugs legal – ostensibly so that addicts would use together instead of in isolation and somehow, someway, protect each other from overdosing – I felt absolutely enraged.
My immediate question for them was “Is this the best you’ve got?” THIS is their solution to the toxic drug overdose epidemic we’ve been battling for far too many years?
These “leaders” (who WE elect and whose salaries WE pay) have continued to try everything – everything, this is, except to do what will actually work. In order for addiction to stop, we need to get underneath it, to determine why people feel the need to blotto out their lives, and then provide some help for THAT! It isn’t going to help to make possession of small amounts of drugs okay so that addicts don’t feel the ‘stigma’ and will hopefully use together more often, so there are fewer isolated deaths. [Read more…]
When we learn how to deal with other people’s anger, frustration or disappointment toward us, we can then become emotionally free to be our authentic selves.
We all know how rampant addiction has become – we see it all around us and hear about it in our news nearly every day. Mostly, our society focuses on mind-altering addiction, consisting of drugs and alcohol. There are also many other kinds of mood-altering or process addictions, which are more behavioural in nature such as gambling, smoking, overspending, eating disorders, and sex addiction of various types.
Millions of families all over the world are grappling with some sort of addiction these days – and most of them have no idea how to find or access any help.
And even though there is plenty of help available to people who are addicted, there is still very little assistance or counselling for their loved ones. When there is addiction in a family, everyone is affected and everyone needs to heal – otherwise, the addiction just continues to hold everybody emotionally hostage.
So – how is a family supposed to find the skilled, experienced, and compassionate help they so desperately need? This article is intended to be a guide for you, if you are being run ragged by your loved one’s addiction. [Read more…]
Another year has gone by and “The Holidays” are fast approaching – although if you’re anything like me, you’re still wondering where September went!
The time has come when we are once again seeing commercials on TV and in magazines about how wonderful the Christmas season is, that it is better to give than to receive, and how warm and loving families are, especially at this time of year.
But the reality is that, for many people, this is not a time of peace and joy . . . And that is especially true this year – in our second Covid Christmas season. Like our first year of the pandemic, many people have lost loved ones – to the corona virus, to opioid overdoses, and to many other heartbreaking occurrences and diseases. Even though more vaccinated people are deciding to travel this year to spend time with loved ones, this will not be a happy time for a great many families.
Even for those of us who have not lost our loved ones, this can be quite a challenging time for a variety of reasons. However, because there seems to be so much awkwardness associated with not having uplifting holiday times, most people don’t talk openly about how difficult this time of year can be for them. This can lead to intense feelings of loneliness, disappointment, and even shame.
And when any form of addiction is thrown into the mix, this season of the year can feel anything but jolly.
If you and your family can relate to any of the following, then this article may give you some helpful tips for getting through the holidays. [Read more…]
