I’ve been around people in recovery for about 17 years. I’ve been in a lot of recovery meetings in that amount of times, and I’ve heard plenty of people talk about depression in these meetings. There are some polarizing views on this subject, s...

When people begin thinking about getting sober, one of the topics that regularly comes up is how boring they think it is to be sober.  A person facing the idea of getting sober is still living with the fantasized idea that somehow, one day, their dr...

As the old saying goes: Holidays are a time to eat, drink, and be merry. And for this reason, the holidays can be tough to navigate when you’re sober. Depending on how long you’ve been sober, you may find yourself facing your first holiday withou...

My parents raised me in a middle-income home in a typical family neighborhood in a suburb of a city.  I was raised in the prominent religion of the area and went to church every Sunday with my family and friends.  I was a straight-A student and had...

What we really have is a daily reprieve (from our alcoholic or addict behaviors) contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 85. I heard this statement several times when I was early in my recovery, but never...

How to end the revolving door of relapse A friend of mine died yesterday.  I met her in recovery about 8 years ago.  She was tall and thin with big brown eyes and a delightful smile.  She had a beautiful heart, an old and wise soul.  She was fre...

When you are new to recovery, it’s pretty easy to be focused on recovery.  Often times, if you’re in a treatment center or an outpatient program, there are activities centered around recovery for most of the day. What happens when you leave t...

Ice, Meth, Speed, Glass, Crystal, Crank, call it what you want.. Methamphetamine, has become what I refer to as a substance that “destroys the soul”. A bit heavy for some to read, or admit, I’m sure. But as the title of this article suggests,...

I’m in Paris for work, which is exactly as great as it sounds. I eat dinner at a fancy restaurant and drink cognac — the booze of kings and rap stars. Somewhere near midnight, I tumble into a cab with my friend, and the night starts to stutter an...