What caused my relapse (inner circle violation)? What had I neglected from the program I was working (outer circle, preventive behaviors)? For how long? Why? What else should I have (and can now) put in that outer circle as recovery behaviors? What slips had I ignored, not made amends for (middle circle)? What else should […]

With any addiction to chemicals or to a habit, loved ones trying to help addicts need to realize and continually remind themselves of three things:  “I didn’t cause the addiction, I can’t control it, and I can’t cure it either.”  But you can make it easier for addicts to keep their addiction going.  How?  The counterproductive efforts people make to help and reform their addicted loved ones […]

  IS IT A BAD HABIT, SIN, DISEASE, OR ADDICTION?  At most big family gatherings, there will be an alcoholic, a nicotine user, or a drug abuser present. The table likely plays host as well to a few non-chemical bad habits that also threaten the family. Nearly every family has folks who have an eating, […]

  NATURAL QUIET AND SIMPLICITY INSPIRE ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT August 2022 At midlife, I had been building and launching both my family and my career for over 20 years.  I was stressed out from trying to make ends meet.  My business supported employees and counselors, but during its last years, I reached a point where I […]

  Four-Circle Sobriety Plan          Four concentric circles represent three important lists of behaviors, and one list of warning signs. These lists will be fluid, and you will need to add and subtract new items on a regular basis, at least from the boundaries list and the recovery behaviors below.   Use these lists to structure […]

What exactly is a 12-step program?  It is the people, principles, prayers, and lifestyle practices of recovery from addiction that was started by Alcoholics Anonymous back in the 1930’s.  To work a program successfully, you need all four—the people, principles, prayers, and practices.  You can’t just read and learn at home, just go to meetings […]

Can People Recover from Trauma and Abuse?              It is with both pride and embarrassment that America has become known as a victims’ society.  We can be proud that we prosecute perpetrators of rape, domestic violence, and child abuse at least as severely as most developed nations.  But we should […]

  ARE THERE HEALTHY WAYS TO DRINK ALCOHOL?   Researchers keep finding that those whose alcohol consumption is one glass of red wine most days, and only that, have a longer lifespan due to fewer heart problems.  I find that interesting. I wonder if it’s the little bit of wine that helps the heart, or […]

I’m Thankful that I’m an Addict Last week on Thanksgiving Day driving to visit relatives, it took my wife and me an hour and a half to finish thanking God for all the blessings in our life. One of the biggest gratitudes for me was that that day was my 30th “birthday” of my new […]

Online Addictions in Young People: How it Starts, and How it Stops   I recently attended a training conference in Arizona which dealt in large measure with online addictions. Anyone who cares enough to learn what causes and cures them needs to know that they typically begin in childhood. I am writing three columns to […]