The Insanity of a Family Disease

During my twenty-five year career in substance abuse treatment, I’ve frequently heard family members (and clients) insist that "Alcohol isn't his/her/my problem - drugs are!" and "Alcoholism isn't his/her/my problem - addiction is!" as if the same principles of recovery from chemical dependency don't apply to any dysfunctional situation where alcohol either isn't present or isn't present enough to be identified as the primary drug-of-choice.

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A Disease, Not a Moral Failing: Why the Mindset of Addiction Matters

When you come down with a cold or flu, you don’t think you’re a bad person, right? If you break your leg, do you look at the sky and curse…

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Replacing Drinking Occasions with Life Occasions

By: Mike Murphy, Manager of Alumni Services A while back I remember seeing something on social media along the lines of, “I’ve accomplished more in one year of sobriety than…

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I had a Black Dog His Name Was Depression

I had a Black Dog: His Name Was Depression

By: Lisa Blomgren, Alumni Coordinator As a dog owner, I know the importance of training a dog, trying to understand its ways, giving it grace when it acts out, and…

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All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter

All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter

By: Mike Murphy, Manager of Alumni Services If you’re like me, you hear things like “You seem so much happier” or “Life seems to be treating you pretty well, nowadays!”…

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Self-Service

By: Mike Murphy, Manager of Alumni Services One of the questions I get asked most by people, whether in recovery or not, is “What keeps you going?” For the first…

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Acronym Acrobatics

By: Mike Murphy, Manager of Alumni Services   If there is one thing Marines like, it’s a good acronym. And fortunately for me, A.A. is chock full of ‘em. But…

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Alumni Spotlight1

Once-in-a-Lifetime Grab

By: Bob S., Transformations Alumnus In February 2022, after a couple of years of abusing my body, mind, and soul with alcohol, I started my recovery journey by enrolling myself at…

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No Regrets

By: Mike Murphy, Manager of Alumni Services If there is one thing I have learned in recovery (well, one of the million-ish or so), is that people are very curious…

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Looking Back

By: Mike Murphy, Transformations Manager of Alumni Services Recently a very close friend of mine decided to waive the white flag of surrender and get sober. As I type this,…

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