Being a single mom is probably the toughest job on Earth. You must be everything for your children. You play all roles and offer everything your kids need. Depending on the father, you may be doing so without any support at all, financial or otherwise. If you are also facing recovery from an addiction, your…
The statistics are sobering and discouraging: about one-quarter of American women will become victims of domestic violence at some point in their lives, while one in eight will suffer from an addiction to drugs or alcohol. But these two problems should not be seen as entirely separate. In reality, the connection between substance abuse and…
The road to recovery is a unique journey that each newcomer takes once the commitment to sobriety has been made. How many times has someone new to the clean and sober state wished for a guide to living in sobriety, one that could prove useful in avoiding the common mistakes and setbacks – or just…
Life is filled with challenges, interpersonal conflict, physical and emotional pain, loss, and stress. It doesn’t matter who you are – no one goes through life unscathed. Some people also experience significant trauma, be it a childhood scarred by abuse, neglect or the tragic loss of one or both parents; a near-death experience as an…
Essentially all adults in the modern world are intimately familiar with stress, a reaction in the mind and body that produces effects such as increases in normal blood pressure and heart rate, as well as an increased susceptibility to the distorting influence of anxiety and fear. For several reasons, alcoholics typically have unusually elevated stress…
“…God seems to have a kind of laid-back management style I’m not crazy about.” – David Foster Wallace, from “Infinite Jest” The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released survey results in late 2012 that caused a stir. The results indicated continued growth in the number of Americans who mark “none” on surveys asking…
It can be a life-altering experience to go through rehab and find that you have entered recovery without a clue what to do next. Granted, you probably heard a few recommendations during the final phase of treatment, generally centering on relapse prevention and the advice to live one day at a time. Most of this…
Everyone wants to have a quick and simple remedy for how to “make it” in recovery. Who wouldn’t desire an easy, painless solution to how to overcome the anxieties and doubts, the fears and guilt and shame that often trail along even after completion of a drug and/or alcohol treatment program? Sorry to disappoint anyone…
There are many reasons men who are struggling to remain sober from alcohol or drugs relapse. Taken in reverse order, the four most common reasons are: They refuse to give up the friends, connections, and world of their addiction. There is a saying in 12-step recovery: To achieve lasting sobriety, you only need to give…
“Ask yourself the secret of your success. Listen to your answer, and practice it.” – Richard Bach, American writer (born 1936) When we hear the word “success,” we may have a mental picture of someone who has it made, someone who realizes his or her dreams without having to go through a whole lot of…
