Yea, that’s how I felt when the addiction research industry started - and continued - to talk about trauma. (Now that I think about it, The Brady Bunch is a good reference for this blog post. Those kids were YOUNG when their respective parents died. They had an understood “don’t ask, don’t tell” rule about talking about their grief and...[ read more ]
Party Time! In an older blog post titled “What Do I Do At Parties,” written to support persons in early recovery navigate social settings in which there will be alcohol, I wrote the following paragraph: “Finally, let’s be honest about the “how can I have fun without alcohol?” The answer to that is as varied and individual as there...[ read more ]
I believe in an intentional gratitude practice. There is science behind it. Since dropping down to “just” one job setting (my business for self/private practice), I have been working on developing a more consistent a.m. and p.m. routine which includes a gratitude practice. I am a certified Appreciative Living Leader; a way of structuring a spiritual and personal development practice...[ read more ]
But, What Do I Do At Parties? One of the first questions I get asked early and often in working with clients who are trying to change their relationship with alcohol is “But what about parties?” Here are some of the forms that question takes: What do I do when someone offers a drink? What do I say when someone...[ read more ]
"Age of First Use?" What the Hell Does THAT Mean? Go to any intake or assessment for drug and alcohol use, and one of the questions you’ll be asked is “What was your age of first use?” The question might seem trivial. Because it’s when your use got problematic that is the concern, right? Yes. Right. And no. The age...[ read more ]
A Happy and Sober Holiday Season 2020 Version Last year I wrote a series of posts that I called “Your Definitive Guide to a Happy Sober Holiday Season.” It accurately described many of the challenges persons in recovery can face during the holiday season. Click here for the blog post on an accurate assessment of recovery status. Click here for...[ read more ]
Your Definitive Guide To a Happy Sober Holiday Season - Tools And Tips Welcome to the Tools and Techniques Entry. So far, you’ve reviewed your current status of recovery in general, and you’ve assessed your upcoming holiday specifically. Today we’ll build a list of tools and techniques that can help you curate a holiday season that you enjoy free of...[ read more ]
Your Definitive Guide to a Happy, Sober Holiday Season - People, Places, and Traditions “The Holidays” Those 2 words create feelings, emotions, and begin a series of automatic responses in people. For some, “the Holidays” creates feelings of fun, festive, family celebrations. They remember and anticipate laughter, Aunt Jen’s sugar cookies, Dad’s turkey, and watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade...[ read more ]
7 Reasons You Should Start a Gratitude Practice Today November is known in the Recovery Community as “Gratitude Month.” Go to a 12-Step Meeting in the month of November, and the selected topic is even more likely to be “gratitude.” (In case you are not aware, gratitude is a common meeting topic the other 11 months, too.) Meeting attendees are...[ read more ]
The Science of Woo: Contemplative Movement This is the next in my series “The Science of Woo: How the practices of spiritual disciplines, positive psychology, and other “out there” ideas are backed by science.” You can read earlier posts in the series below: I covered forgiveness. Here you can read about the science of gratitude. And you can LMAO yourself...[ read more ]
