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Well, missed yesterday’s post! Sis says that’s Ok, it’s a sign of being human. I then went on a rant about socialism and how our current approach to treating addiction is starting to take shape. Our old strategies were not working. The present epidemic on our hands demonstrates this need for something different, a more broad based approach, one that understands…

Remember lighthearted pleasure? As I work in this field, it’s easy to lose sight of having fun. Many clients started out trying to do just that. When they first experimented with getting high, drinking alcohol or using recreational drugs, it was more than likely fun. It was probably like that first time you spun yourself…

Working on staying clean and sober? This is actually the hard part of addiction remission. Getting there is extremely challenging too, no doubt; but, long term abstinence is tricky. It’s that marvelous aspect of our brains, called neural plasticity that makes it such a challenge; it conditioned us to become sensitive to cues and triggers that…

Caring and loving are wonderful traits to exhibit toward a person with an addiction. Becoming consumed by this caring and loving dynamic, as with potential death of that loved one, is where dysfunction begins. Constant fear of losing your loved one to a heroin overdose produces excessive anxiety. Not knowing where they are or if they’re ok…

The value, treatment wise, of keeping a journal is more than can be expressed here, in today’s entry. Let me touch upon it briefly. If you’ve noticed, recent blog entries have been just random dialogue about this or that, mere expressions of my soul. This is because I am actually attempting to heal from a…

Making journal entries daily is a nice way to improve your discipline. Right now I’m unsure of what to write. There is only half an hour left in the day and my goal is to make daily entries. When things start to flow comfortably, it’s important to realize the things that are helping this flow. I’ve already…

Talking with my buddy today and I realized something. Really, I remembered having an extremely profound experience, a short time ago. I was driving along in my van, listening to the radio, and suddenly thought, I am going to die someday. I may have another decade or two or maybe even three; but, the thought…

While in the clutches of an addiction, the only real purpose and meaning to life is to feed that addiction. Sure, while high, prior to being completely out of it, there may be thoughts and dreams; but, there they remain as simply thoughts and dreams. My Dad tried to wake my up out of my…

I’m alright today! In fact, I’ve been alright since I found a way to cross and got there. And now, I’m going to leave it all out there to dry. If this sounds familiar then you’ve probably heard Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats. I am often inspired by music and this particular song grabs…

I’ve heard it many times over the years. I’ll ask the following question: “What do you think happened that allowed you to give yourself permission to lapse?” Common response is that they don’t know. It’s a lot like love I suppose. It just seems to happen all by itself, without intention. Subliminal cues and triggers…