Have you ever wondered if you are an alcoholic? Do you continue to drink despite one or more negative consequences associated with drinking? Do you look forward to drinking? Do you drink alone, and not just socially? Do you sometimes drink to control some emotion? Is your drinking causing suffering for you or a loved one?

Stress is an everyday part of life. In active addiction we may have dealt with stress in unhealthy ways. This video will provide simple ways to deal with stress in more productive ways.

Addiction, as the saying goes, is a feelings disease. Whenever I used to find myself feeling a certain way, say depressed, angry, upset, etc., I would find a way to use some kind of chemical to alter my emotion. In the end, it didn’t matter how uncomfortable I felt. I knew that all I had to do was to get high, and voila, that would do the trick. Addiction, a feelings disease, begins in part by being uncomfortable with what you're feeling.

No one ever says, "When I grow up I want to be a drug addict." As for myself, I recall my mother using that term and I had not a clue as to what she was talking about. I could not conceive of the idea that a person could not control his behavior. Becoming an addict was the furthest thing from my mind.

The addiction culture, the addiction lifestyle, can make it very difficult for an addict to get clean or stay drug-free. As they say on the street: “it’s not the drug that will kill you – it’s the addiction lifestyle.” One of the main causes of relapse has to do with the old way of living.

If you have ever dealt with addiction then you know how devastating it can be. It has the ability to strip a person of any sense of decency, reducing one to an animalistic level. When I look back on all of the despicable things I did to fuel my addiction it filled me (initially) with a sense of guilt, shame, and self-loathing. It got me to a place where I did not know where to turn or what to do. But….I did pray.

I am an addict.  Yes, I am in recovery (24 years and counting) but that doesn’t mean that my addictive qualities do not rear their ugly heads from time to time. This is most commonly exhibited in the form of obsession and compulsion. 

This weekend marks the start of the summer holiday season. Events like picnics and parties can be a dangerous place for people in addiction recovery.

There is a common belief in many cultures that human beings have been given free will in determining their lives.  On one hand, being able to make our own decisions and choose our own fate is what has allowed our world to become what it is, for better or for worse.  On the other hand, free will is like the proverbial double-edged sword.  Sometimes, too much freedom may not be such a good thing.

Early on, I was very aware of addiction stigma and the stigma surrounding mental illness. That's why, even though May is designated Mental Health Awareness Month, I focus on my mental health and reducing addiction stigma every day of the year. This has not always been the case. When I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and struggling with addiction issues over 30 years ago, I didn’t have much to honor. In fact, I pretty much hated life as I knew it.