So many people rush into relationships in early recovery. This may be related to neurochemistry: we’re suddenly deprived of the substances that made us feel good and we need to find a substitute. I’ve spent the last six and a half years of recovery wondering why I have been so emotionally immature when it comes… Continue reading Sober Romance: Why We Act Like Teenagers When It Comes to Relationships
Tag: Features
Enabling, Self-Seeking, and Recovery
Every moment there’s the possibility of falling back into self-seeking after having recovered much of our spiritual, financial, and physical health. Recently, I was accused on a community website of being an enabler. The article and discussions that followed were regarding a proposed affordable housing project in our community and how some members of the… Continue reading Enabling, Self-Seeking, and Recovery
Should You Breastfeed Your Baby If You're on Methadone?
My daughter was born with neonatal abstinence syndrome but I was not allowed to nurse or have her in the room with me; the hospital staff said the methadone in my breast milk could be dangerous. They were wrong. Earlier this summer several news outlets reported on the death of an 11-week-old infant in Philadelphia… Continue reading Should You Breastfeed Your Baby If You're on Methadone?
Let’s Get Real: How To Handle the Tough Stuff in Recovery Without Using
Of course, people had good reason to think that I couldn’t handle upsetting news. Every time a hardship, breakup, or something unsettling happened, I wound up in the psych ward, detox, ER, or a bloody, tear-filled mess. When I was drinking, I was the girl who took pulls of rail vodka right from the bottle.… Continue reading Let’s Get Real: How To Handle the Tough Stuff in Recovery Without Using
My Journey from AA to NA, with Stops Along the Way
While making my own transition from one fellowship to another, I interviewed people with experience in both AA and NA to find out what’s working for them, and what’s not. For a long time, I considered myself an alcoholic with drug addict tendencies. This is why, for the most part, I was a member of… Continue reading My Journey from AA to NA, with Stops Along the Way
Dopesick: An Interview with Beth Macy
It takes the average user eight years and five to six treatment attempts just to achieve one year of sobriety. And in an era of fentanyl and other even stronger synthetic opioids, many users don’t have eight years. As recently as a few years ago, the opioid crisis could be referred to as a “silent… Continue reading Dopesick: An Interview with Beth Macy
Real Housewives of Recovery: Reality TV and Addiction
It is no secret that alcohol is readily available on set while filming these shows to grease the wheels of conflict, and not everyone who drinks alcohol misuses it. When I got sober, I started watching reality television like it was my job. The mindless escapism helped me fill the stretch of evening hours that… Continue reading Real Housewives of Recovery: Reality TV and Addiction
Pawn Stars: The Opioid Edition
If you are at risk for overdose or use needles to shoot up drugs, come see Brandi and she’ll take care of you – no frills, no questions, no judgment. On a cold November morning in 2015, Brandi Tanner and her husband stopped to pick up their 10-year-old niece from her grandmother’s house. “Grandma’s sleeping… Continue reading Pawn Stars: The Opioid Edition
A Month of Heart Attacks: Withdrawing from Antidepressants
My doctor tells me not to worry. The medication is safe. I worry he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I worry this was a big mistake I made at 18 and am paying for the rest of my life. My obsessions start as small thoughts. Random sparks catching kindling in my mind, eventually blazing… Continue reading A Month of Heart Attacks: Withdrawing from Antidepressants
Suboxone: A Tool for Recovery
With medication-assisted treatment (MAT), people with opioid addictions are given the chance to rebuild their lives—often from the ashes and debris of drug-induced destruction—without having to fight cravings and withdrawal. Suboxone is a prescription medication that treats opioid addiction. It contains buprenorphine and naloxone, active ingredients that are used to curb cravings and block the… Continue reading Suboxone: A Tool for Recovery