Holidays and Addiction – Happy or Horrifying

Home Holidays and Addiction – Happy or Horrifying Families dread the holidays and addiction scenario that is played out somewhere in almost every community – the person who drinks too much. The holiday season can be a time of good cheer, or in the case of...

High Risk Situations Must Be Avoided!

Home High Risk Situations Must Be Avoided! High-Risk Situations are to be avoided at all costs! When I first got sober I was told things like “you need to change people, places, and things.” I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant but as time went on I found out....

Heroin Addiction – A Tragic Love Affair

Home Heroin Addiction – A Tragic Love Affair Heroin addiction is reaching epidemic proportions. February is Valentine’s Day, a time when many people express their feelings to those they love. For some, there is a very harmful relationship going on and it...

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention

Home Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention [wpseo_breadcrumb] Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a term used to define a variety of birth defects and disabilities that can be caused by the mother’s consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. FAS can affect the physical,...

Emotional Sobriety: A New Frontier

Home Emotional Sobriety: A New Frontier These Emotional Sobriety videos by Chris S. and Beth B. are the first two presentations by people in long-term recovery from Alcoholism that we plan to share on a regular basis. Anonymity is highly regarded in AA so there is no...

Early Recovery Can Be Difficult

Home Early Recovery Can Be Difficult Early recovery can be a period of convalescing, which means recuperating or recovering one’s health and strength gradually after sickness or weakness…It takes time for the brain to heal and return to normal functioning. Early...

Dual Diagnosis, Double Trouble in Recovery

Home Dual Diagnosis, Double Trouble in Recovery A dual diagnosis is when an individual suffers from an addiction to a chemical substance (drugs or alcohol) and has another psychiatric diagnosis such as bipolar, depression, schizophrenia, or anxiety disorders. Not only...

Cross Addiction and Addiction Transfer

Home Cross Addiction and Addiction Transfer Cross Addiction: Individuals who are addicted to a specific substance and are in remission from active use can sometimes find themselves manipulating another substance in order to achieve the desired effect. This is called...

Cravings and Triggers of Relapse

Home Cravings and Triggers of Relapse Cravings and Triggers of Relapse: There are many aspects of working an addiction recovery program and part of that process is dealing with the issue of cravings and triggers. A trigger is something we see, hear, taste or...

Alcoholism Symptoms – the Disease Concept

Home Alcoholism Symptoms – the Disease Concept The alcoholism symptoms below describe what has often been called the Disease Concept of addiction — These symptoms can be seen in any addictive process including addictions to other drugs, gambling, sex,...

Coping with Alcohol – Friend or Foe?

Home Coping with Alcohol – Friend or Foe? Is coping with alcohol friend or foe? During springtime, I take a more focused look at alcohol and the impact it can have because April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Alcohol, in itself, is not really the problem; it is...

Alcohol and Anger Don’t Mix!

Home Alcohol and Anger Don’t Mix! “Alcohol and anger don’t mix!” It has been said that anger is a ‘smokescreen’ emotion. In other words, it is the feeling that is expressed outwardly but it usually masks other hidden or underlying...

Adolescent Addiction: Parents Greatest Fear

Home Adolescent Addiction: Parents Greatest Fear Adolescent Addiction: One of the greatest fears that a parent can encounter is to discover their child has a dependency. Once parents have evidence of drug use or they are no longer in denial that their child is using...

Addiction Games of the Inner Child

Home Addiction Games of the Inner Child Addiction games are habitual patterns of behavior that feed the three hungers of the Inner Child. If you have ever spent time taking care of a child you know that they can be a handful. There are three basic things a child does...

Addiction Denial Causes Problems

Home Addiction Denial Causes Problems Addiction denial causes problems! Father Joseph Martin, a well-known lecturer on alcoholism, said it best — “What causes a problem, is a problem.” I like that because it’s straightforward, simple, and...