Every time I re-awaken to the notion that self-care is an important part of managing the three-legged healing “stool” of denial-busting, mourning and tender re-parenting I seem drawn to immediate, quick fixes. These fixes are likely a leftover of the family’s immigrant legacy of learned helplessness, victimhood, ignorance, superstition and catastrophizing. My parents on both

The mind is an amazingly persistent machine that pursues questions hoping to find an answer. What happens to the unanswerable questions? Why do un-answerable questions about situations from our past or concerns about the future plague us? Why does irritation show up as frustration, anger or depression? The mind motor over works, slips gear and

No point in telling yourself that Chardonnay tastes like Windex. It doesn’t. It tastes like walking under waterfalls, like sinking backwards into bed with the guy you flirted with at the bar. It smells like a necklace made of daisy chains or the waft of Queen Anne’s lace on a summer Sunday. It always has.

Why Breathe? Silly question. You know- that dying thing. But what I mean here is – why breathe with consciousness, with intention, with volume? Why breathe deeply, deliciously, divinely? Breathing in a healthy deep manner can help heal your body, mind and spirit. It does this in several ways; cleansing, calming, recalibrating and revitalizing. Here

  Addiction takes a lot out of a person, often leaving the body devoid of essential nutrients, even during recovery.   Studies have shown that a nutrient deficiency, coupled with alcohol or drugs, can severely disrupt the body and mind’s ability to function as required.  This can lead to multiple deficiencies and imbalances, malnutrition, and in extreme

What’s the difference between opiate dependency and addiction. Some say none. I say, there is a big difference! Having spent the better part of last year with chronic back and pelvic pain I have been on and off and on and off opiates. Only to be back on again. This time while I await surgery

When I first left residential treatment, I knew I couldn’t go back home if I wanted to stay sober. I had decided to do outpatient treatment, but I was still worried that wouldn’t be enough to keep me sober. Moving from residential to outpatient meant my time away from structure and therapy was about to

When I was using my idea of a healthy diet was coffee, a donut, crack, heroin, and maybe a McChicken. I know, sounds very well rounded. Forget about exercise or any sort of healthy movement, no daily walk or bike ride, in fact I think the only moving I was doing was to peek out

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