How Does Deep Breathing Affect a Craving?
People find it surprising to learn that a deep breath is a measurable physical event and not just the sucking in of extra air through those two holes at the bottom of their nose. Just as [...]
Conquering Inevitable Exposures
Maybe some people at your job use. Maybe someone you live with uses. Believe it or not, these situations can be what you make them. One of my clients who works in a pizzeria has a [...]
Why Have Drugs Lost Their Stigma?
Way back when, drugs were the domain of losers where back-alley transactions and inner-city ghettos were the only places to score. Not anymore. In the same way that tattoos have gone mainstream, drugs have come out [...]
Internal Triggers, External Triggers, Unconscious Triggers
Let us start with the triggers that are internal. These triggers come from responses to circumstances. Your relationships, obligations, disappointments—all these and many more create feelings, and feelings create your mood. A mood of anger is [...]
Humility or Being Cocky
It is humbling to acknowledge that you have become powerless, but when you are in the throes of addiction, that is exactly what you are. It is a downward spiral that holds you tight in its [...]
When Is Enough, Enough?
This is a question with as many answers as there are addicts. For some, enough ends when they die because it is never enough. For others, their life has become so unmanageable they know if they [...]
Lessons Learned from Relapse
We know that relapse happens. We know that multiple attempts are the norm. Certainly not for everyone, but certainly this is true for some. Why does relapse happen? It happens because you let your mind have [...]
Will I Ever Be Trusted Again?
The answer to this question has more than just one answer because it involves more than just other people; it also involves you. Will you ever be able to trust yourself again? Maybe you have had [...]
Responsibility to Yourself
You have a lot of responsibility to yourself. You are responsible for feeding yourself, keeping yourself clean, clothed, and housed. Of course there are responsibilities to others as well, but for now, let’s just keep the [...]
How Do I Begin to Think Differently?
You begin by starting. That’s right: like anything else you want to learn, you start at the beginning. The beginning here is to become aware of how you think right now. Are you someone with a [...]