Blogs

Real people sharing real stories about their experience with substance abuse and mental health.

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.

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…

Living Active Recovery

Why do people relapse after leaving treatment?

Throughout my years as a substance use disorder recovery activist and interventionist, I’ve helped scores of people enter treatment. And while these folks flourished in a highly-structured setting,

Alumni Services: Community Collaboration

I recently got the opportunity to attend the Treatment Professionals in Alumni Services (TPAS) Collaborative in Malibu, California and was asked to share my experience. Allow me to break down what an amazing time it was.

First off, I got invited t

Your Recovery Must Come First

Imagine that you suffer a heart attack and collapse to the floor. Paramedics rush to your side. Examining you from head to toe, they find can’t find a pulse or breath.

From the way your wrist lies twisted on the floor, it’s clearly broken.