Read the previous two parts of Ricks story here My sons moved to Portland, Oregon and wanted to come and visit me up in Olympia. After getting over the tidal wave of emotions, I said sure. They arrived a week later in an over loaded Hyundai, with two of their friends. Through the process of elimination,
My son messaged me earlier on Facebook and was commenting on one of my articles that I had written for a magazine publication recently. The conversation started by him asking “dad, did that story really happen? Or was this just kind of a thing that you made up, to submit for this magazine
Read Part I of Ricks story here “On my second day in Germany, I got so drunk that the hangover lasted for three days…….” I drank and got drunk almost everyday that I spent in Germany. When I first got there, I fell in love with their beer and food. I never drank American
Trauma and the 12 step meeting is the rebel 12 step group where the tough conversations take place Dr. Jamie Marich is definitely one of my favorite people in the recovery community. Her wisdom, knowledge, passion and professionalism towards her work is undeniable. She is not only brilliant in her field on a clinical level,
On March 20th , 2013, something happened that changed my entire life and way of living. I can only hope and pray that this change is forever. I started drinking around the age of 14 but was introduced to alcohol much earlier. When I was about 4 or 5 years old, I would sneak up
I’ve been a photographer since I was 11 years old. I had my own darkroom and loved everything about the hobby. As an adult, I worked as a Still Man for commercials and movies and shot tons of modeling composites. Once my addiction progressed, I neglected photography like I did everything else. Fast forward to 10
In my previous posting to this site, I discussed the importance of Step 1 and ways in which it can be worked. In this post I will discuss Step 2 in similar fashion. Step 2 reads as follows: Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Thoroughly working Step
“We need to learn to stick to our boundaries and not bend” Sign up for Sherry Gabas Course HERE Sherry Gaba, LCSW is a Psychotherapist, Life Coach, and Certified Recovery Coach specializing in individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapy and maintains a private practice in Westlake Village, CA, as well as providing phone and skype
In today’s world, recovery from addiction typically starts in rehab, followed by addiction focused outpatient therapy, 12 step meetings, and step work. Most of the time, as recovering addicts grow comfortable with their sobriety, they rely less on professional help and more on 12 step support groups and continual working of the steps. This,
I quit drinking, That was hard; it was imperative, it was time, I had hit bottom. It was still hard. I quit taking drugs. Again, it was crucial; it was life saving, and it was hard. Working the steps: hard. Living life on life’s terms: hard. Learning to do things clean and sober for
