In my opinion, our society has become the worst ‘addict’ walking our streets. Its drug of choice? An old, outdated way of thinking that’s actually keeping our world stuck in the horrors of addiction. We’ve been taught to believe that addicts are powerless. Twelve-step programs have, for decades, been our country’s go-to solution for addiction in all of its forms. These programs teach us to implement Steps that are based on the notion that there’s a disease to blame, and that the only solution … [Read more...] about Let’s Give Addicts Their Power Back!
Recovery from addiction
Loving an Addict: Are You Enabling or Ennobling?
Last week, I went to see my doctor about something minor. I’ve been very fortunate to have had the same GP for the past 30 years. We first started together in the very early days of my recovery from addiction, so he has seen me grow from being emotionally despondent and very physically ill (Crohn’s Disease)—as I tried to stay away from the various prescription medications and pot I’d been using for years—into the very different person I am today. As I sometimes tell my clients, you wouldn’t have … [Read more...] about Loving an Addict: Are You Enabling or Ennobling?
From Fantasy to Reality on Valentine’s Day: Loving Yourself with Healthy Self-Care
This post was originally published in February 2013. 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 … [Read more...] about From Fantasy to Reality on Valentine’s Day: Loving Yourself with Healthy Self-Care
30 Years Clean & Sober: My Gratitude Speaks
On July 18, 2017, just a few days from now, I will be celebrating 30 years of continued recovery—primarily from prescription pills and pot. As I look back on these years, what I know for sure is that I definitely feel as if I’ve been born again within this one lifetime. So how did this happen? Truly, when I first started my recovery from addiction, if anyone had told me that I would someday have 30 years, I would have told them they were crazy. I couldn’t see past my own nose, at that point. … [Read more...] about 30 Years Clean & Sober: My Gratitude Speaks
Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone: Recovery from Addictive Behaviors
This post was originally published in June of 2013. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone—so true. I love this saying, and wish I could take credit for thinking it up. In my humble opinion, whoever came up with it is a genius—and when I saw it on a fridge magnet many years ago, I bought several of them to give as gifts to people I recognized as being entrenched in their comfort zones. (Sometimes it really does take one to know one.) Having given most of them away, I am now down to just … [Read more...] about Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone: Recovery from Addictive Behaviors
