The date turned out to be a boobytrap of triggers that I wasn’t totally prepared for. But mindfulness, resilience, accountability – recovery – kicked in when I needed it most. I startled as my phone buzzed a text against my thigh. It was my date. “I’m late, but I’ve got tacos!” Relax, I urged myself,… Continue reading Sober Dating: Overcoming Triggers & Temptations
Tag: Blog
Views From A Rehab Counselor
No amount of comfort is enough when there is a look of terror on someone admitting to treatment for the first time. “I want to be that little girl!” A woman in her late 40s is sitting in front of me in my office, sobbing as she stares at a black and white picture… Continue reading Views From A Rehab Counselor
Me, My Psych Meds & My 12-Step Recovery
Now that I have double-digit sobriety, I have no qualms about pulling aside people who disparage the use of psych meds in meetings. As I sat in my jail cell I had to question the admonition I got from an old-timer at a 12-step meeting I frequented. “If you trust your Higher Power enough, you… Continue reading Me, My Psych Meds & My 12-Step Recovery
No More Attendance Sheets In AA
Having court-ordered people at our meetings is like being, “a little bit pregnant.” We are either anonymous or we are not anonymous. Our Traditions are important to Alcoholics Anonymous. We also want to see AA continue to provide a way out for alcoholics. The responsibility statement located on so many meeting walls says it all.… Continue reading No More Attendance Sheets In AA
What Sets Suboxone Apart From Other Medication-Assisted Treatments?
When taken as prescribed by an opiate addict, Suboxone doesn’t allow me to avoid or escape reality. This is one way it differs form other MATs. I’ve used the same pharmacy for over a decade. The tech filling my prescription this morning was the same one that had filled my Vicodin prescription for four years,… Continue reading What Sets Suboxone Apart From Other Medication-Assisted Treatments?
International Conference of Secular AA Coming To Toronto In August
All members of AA are welcome to attend the conference, which takes place August 24-26 in Toronto, ON. The third biennial conference of Secular AA (ICSAA 2018), with a theme of inclusion and diversity, will take place in Toronto, ON from August 24th through August 26th later this summer. The conference will take place at… Continue reading International Conference of Secular AA Coming To Toronto In August
5 Tips for Parents Dealing With Teen Substance Abuse
Catching substance abuse early can help guide a teen back on track and potentially avoid years of physical, emotional, financial and legal repercussions. Teen substance abuse is serious. According a survey conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), more than 7,800 people in the US begin using illicit drugs every day and more than half are under the age… Continue reading 5 Tips for Parents Dealing With Teen Substance Abuse
Nature as Power Greater
How would I turn “my will and my life” over to the Earth which, as beautiful and awe-inspiring as it is, surely doesn’t care whether I get clean or don’t? When I was early in 12-step recovery and trying to get my head and heart around Step Two (as if Step One hadn’t been mind-blowing… Continue reading Nature as Power Greater
Touching What (I Thought) Was Gone
In the last 36 hours I’ve been to five meetings, sat three times in meditation and sobbed on a friend’s couch. But I’m OK. Love, in my experience, has meant seismic emotional shifts and condemnation, turning even “what do you want for dinner” into a combat zone. I was in a rage-fueled, co-dependent relationship with… Continue reading Touching What (I Thought) Was Gone
Clean, Sober And Using Suboxone
Suboxone users deserve a safe space, in and out of the rooms. And we deserve to proudly call ourselves clean and sober. It was pretty apparent when I began taking Vicodin for migraines that I was going to have a problem, but I was too ashamed and afraid to ask for help. On the… Continue reading Clean, Sober And Using Suboxone