Six Ways to Maintain Your Sobriety at a Thanksgiving Celebration I first tried to quit drinking on November 11, 1995. By Thanksgiving of that year, I was clean, but I was scared to death of facing a holiday dinner without a drink. I remember standing by the bar in my grandmother’s house, downing Diet Coke […]
April is Alcohol Awareness Month. This is an excellent time to have conversations with friends, relatives, and medical professionals about drinking and its impact on our lives. Several problems are specifically related to women and drinking. These are particularly important for us to talk about. These issues include but are not limited to: pregnancy and […]
Today, I’m sitting at a desk in a hotel in Paris, looking out over the city as I complete my writing and prepare to give a presentation this afternoon about the role of naturopathic medicine in addiction recovery. I am at the International Conference on Naturopathic Medicine. This is touted as the premier international conference […]
I am blessed to have a beautiful garden. My home is surrounded by live oaks, their thick branches protecting my house from the ravages of the Texas sun. Out my bedroom window, I look onto Japanese magnolias and from my office see an array of flowering and fruiting trees. When I moved onto the property, […]
Alcoholics and drug addicts often erroneously believe that their drinking affects no one but themselves. However, those who are parents, especially if their children are still at home, are causing lifelong damage to their children. Children are the most vulnerable members of a family and are deeply affected by a parent’s drinking or drug use. […]
One of my favorite quotes is by the psychologist and philosopher William James. He wrote, “Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.” I’m not one of those people who suggests that if you believe in something hard enough or think about it in the right way, that it […]