Promise #4: We will know peace. I entered Lakeview Health trying to negotiate a shorter stay than what was recommended. It wasn’t because I didn’t think I needed it – I was scared my family would learn what a horrible person I was. I felt I had to get home and control the narrative. My
Six Strategies for Staying Connected while Socially Distancing
To protect ourselves from the coronavirus, many of us are being told to isolate indoors when possible. This poses a unique challenge for those who suffer with addiction. Isolation is sneaky and it breeds addiction. What’s important to note about social distancing is that you can rephrase it so physical distancing to make it more
The Art of Alcoholism
My friend Tall Girl and I were having an email conversation. She had just come back from New York and she was telling me about going to MOMA and seeing “her favorite Jackson Pollack” on display.I said, “People have favorite Pollocks? All those paint splotches just look the same to me. I like his dribbly
Energy Drink Addiction – Chasing the High
Energy Drink Addiction – Chasing the High We live in a volatile time. We are a society addicted to more. Every time one turns around there is another product that has been developed with a primary goal of addicting the consumer. We hunger for the quick fix from easy weight loss without lifestyle changes or
How to Approach a Loved One Struggling with Chemical Dependency
For many, there’s nothing worse than watching a loved one struggling with chemical dependency. You may want to help them, but not know the best approach. This is particularly true when addiction is clearly “off limits” every time you try to talk to them about getting help. So how do you approach a loved one
Grief and Loss is Tricky and Unpredictable
The best definition of grief that I have found to date is that “grief is the normal and natural emotional reaction to loss or change of any kind.” I like this definition because generally speaking when one talks about grief, it is related to the death of someone or loss of something (i.e. loss of
Why not check out that AA meeting?
The longer I’m sober the more I realize that not a lot of people get sober via AA nor do they stay “in” the program after getting sober, and so I sometimes take on the AA spokesmodel persona and comment to someone, “Why not check out an AA meeting”. Of course I’m quite biased as
Recovery Work Starts With Finding The Self
We know that an addiction is used by an individual to avoid something that is unwanted. The unwanted is related to interpretations and perceptions each client experiences. These include feelings as well as consequences resulting from choices made, relationships formed, and losses incurred. The focus in recovery work assists the client with facing and transforming
Long Term Sobriety: Making it Stick
A friend of mine, who’s been sober for a few years now, is quite the raconteur. I love to hear her tales of drunken mayhem and redemption. She’s a female Tom Waits – Nighthawks at the Diner kind of stuff – with a sharp-edged gravel voice, and a verbal cocktail made up of equal parts
Regrets of the Alcoholic (Don’t Go There)
In what is probably my least favorite Frank Sinatra song, old blue eyes croons, “Regrets, I’ve had a few – but then again, too few to mention…” Too few to mention? Really? As a recovering alcoholic, I’ve had plenty of regrets to count, and I hate the smugness of the lyric. Sorry Frank. Early in
