Women hold themselves to this standard where we’re supposed to be perfect. We all have our own image of what that should be, and it doesn’t involve taking psychiatric medication. I’m walking up Lexington Avenue towards the subway on a cold Manhattan winter day from my psychiatrist’s office. It’s a route I’ve walked for five… Continue reading Not Crazy: How I Overcame My Double Standard About Taking Psychiatric Medication
Tag: Features
David and Nic Sheff Help Adolescents Navigate Drugs, Alcohol, and Addiction in New Book
Nic Sheff: “It’s what I say to kids who are struggling like I struggled. Hold on. Don’t give up. Get help, and it’ll get better.” In the new book High, best-selling authors David Sheff and Nic Sheff shift the failed War on Drugs mantra of “Just Say No” to the more enlightened “Just Say Know.”… Continue reading David and Nic Sheff Help Adolescents Navigate Drugs, Alcohol, and Addiction in New Book
The Problem with "Addicted Babies"
The “addicted baby” issue is not simply linguistic. You’re not just contributing to stigma when you use this term, you’re misrepresenting medical facts. “She was born addicted, but without methadone, she may never have been born at all.” That was the last sentence of my first published article with a major media outlet, Vox. The… Continue reading The Problem with "Addicted Babies"
Sober and Sleepless: 13 Tips to Help You Get Some Sleep in Early Recovery
Most of us experience sleep problems in early recovery, leaving us cranky, unable to function effectively, irritable, and reaching for coffee and sugary foods for a quick boost. Lack of sleep can also put our recovery at risk. Sleep is as crucial to one’s recovery as regular exercise and a nutritious diet, but sleep disturbance… Continue reading Sober and Sleepless: 13 Tips to Help You Get Some Sleep in Early Recovery
Microdosing Marijuana at 9 Years Sober
I got a nice buzz from microdosing marijuana, but a buzz no more intense than a glass of wine sipped slowly and on a reasonably full stomach. Despite this buzz, I had no craving for more pot and I did not pick up a drink. Microdosing. All the cool kids in Silicon Valley are doing… Continue reading Microdosing Marijuana at 9 Years Sober
Sober and Still Addicted: Compulsive Behavior in Recovery
There are plenty of us who discovered that even though the dope was laid to rest, that fiendish mentality kept on kicking, making us slaves to compulsive behaviors like overeating, gambling, sex, or shopping. Seems I need to make amends. You’re supposed to be reading right now about how after we put the dope down,… Continue reading Sober and Still Addicted: Compulsive Behavior in Recovery
Winter Is Coming
Then I heard it. I’ll never forget it. The worst sound I’ve ever heard in my life. My mom began to wail. No words, just tones of sadness and helplessness. I used to wonder why a lot of people seek treatment around the winter time. And it’s weird because for people in recovery, the winter… Continue reading Winter Is Coming
How to Keep Your New Year's Resolutions, Ten Minutes at a Time
You can keep your New Year’s resolutions just by devoting ten minutes to certain simple daily tasks. I’ve seen people build websites in 10-minute increments, write screenplays, do taxes, and even date! I want to work out more. I want to lose five pounds. I want to drink less. Have better relationships. I used to… Continue reading How to Keep Your New Year's Resolutions, Ten Minutes at a Time
Rage Bender: Addicted to Anger
Anger can be an addiction: it’s energizing and makes you feel powerful. When I was using and even afterwards, I used my rage to control, bully, and manipulate people. “Anger is a short madness.”– Horace I just got off a rage bender. Two full weeks of terrifying my friends and family. Days of driving around… Continue reading Rage Bender: Addicted to Anger
What 8 Days of Silent Meditation in Sri Lanka Taught Me About Myself
I wanted to get something out of this week of mindfulness meditation. I wanted to live mindfully, feel spiritually connected, to be less of a disconnected, frenzied entrepreneur run by self-will and ego. When we arrived at the meditation center in the middle of the Sri Lankan jungle during a downpour, we were greeted by… Continue reading What 8 Days of Silent Meditation in Sri Lanka Taught Me About Myself