What’s Wrong with ME? The purpose of the 6th and 7th steps in 12-step recovery is to uncover “character defects” and to pray to remove these defects.  I have two issues with this. First, the word “defect” sounds as if there is something wrong with me, something I think or do that is

As last year was drawing to a close I pulled a few old diaries (now called “journals”) from my shelf. It has been years since I looked at them. Some years due to fear and shame, other times avoided in disgust for the sheer repetition in the pain, but this time I pulled some down

“Love your addiction, love yourself.” When I first read these words, they stunned me. It was a complete paradigm shift. Away from guilt and shame and pain, and towards love and forgiveness and well-being. These words were the sub-heading in one of my favorite recovery books, 30 Day Sobriety Solution, part of Day 4: The Forgiveness Solution

  Plenty of things have been said about the road to recovery. It takes time,  patience and healing etc. etc. In truth, it can be like climbing Everest backwards and then starting from the bottom again. It’s hard, and like all things in life, it’s a journey. There are ways to make this road a little bit

DJ’s was the sober oasis disguised as a coffee shop that NutJob Bob introduced me to early in my recovery. It was Holy Ground. He and a motley group of brain-damaged followers would stroll in after their daily spiritual make-over, lifted from the meeting and ready for more coffee, cigarettes and fellowship, along with a

When I was in college my friends and I liked to party, which I always thought was normal until it wasn’t. Two weeks before my graduation I entered a drug treatment center. I think I was lucky to be able to get professional help. I also think I was lucky because I got to take

I believe that alcoholism is a family disease.  My father was an alcoholic, one of those unfortunates who never found recovery and died destitute and homeless at the age of 50.  I swore I’d never become an alcoholic, but at the age of 50 myself, my two glasses of wine had become 4 or 5

    Binging – when the feeling from doing something exceeds the reason for doing something. KH I am in recovery, I don’t’ smoke, drink alcohol, rely on relationships for self worth, or use intoxicants in any form. At least not traditional intoxicants. I have become more and more aware of my inclination to binge.

  If you are in recovery from alcohol and substance abuse, then one area that could fast become a priority, is rebuilding healthy, glowing skin. Alcohol and drugs can dehydrate skin and interfere with the natural process of collagen formation. They can cause skin to become dull, lose its firmness, and develop wrinkles and lines. Your scalp and

Addiction Recovery Boosted by Quality Sleep Adequate sleep is of great importance to our overall health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, nearly a third of Americans are affected by sleep-related problems according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While there are numerous lifestyle changes such as those involving diet and exercise that need to be made in order