Tag: recovery stories
The Betrayal Brigade The first time I ever went into detox after spewing up bile for a week, as a welcome home present, my old friends treated me to a shandy down the local pub. “No more triple-brandies for you,” they tutted playfully, as the…
12-step fellowships advise addicts to seek out similarities in others’ stories. In this guest article, award-winning memoirist Michele Kirsch shares how seeing her benzo addiction as different kept her in denial; and how identifying and connecting with other addicts helped her recover. My Anxiety Medication Led…
A guest post by certified parent coach, Cathy Taughinbaugh Like many moms, I struggled to cope when two of my children became dependent on drugs. Marijuana and crystal meth were the substances that led my kids astray. My children’s addictions also affected my middle son, who thought…
After celebrating 32 years of 12-step abstinence-based recovery, Marilyn Davis, Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist and author, shares 32 lessons that helped her heal, change, and grow. Finding Recovery After Treatment When I got out of treatment on November 8, 1988, I wondered if I could…
How to Break the Bulimia Cycle: Guest Post by Callie Bowld If you’re struggling with bulimia, I have some really bad news; it is one ferocious, nasty habit. I also have some great news; habits can be broken. After a 20-year battle with my own wicked…
As the subtitle suggests, Drink, by Ann Dowsett Johnston, is focused on the various ways in which women enter into problematic relationships with alcohol. With chapters covering the insidious rise of booze in women’s cultural conscience, the reasons that lead to over-consumption in females, insights…
Guest Post by Zachary Phillips: Writer, Speaker, Coach & Mental Health Advocate – On why writing is so important for people who have suffered trauma. My Traumatic Childhood I grew up as the son of an addict, paranoid schizophrenic, chronic hoarder and drug dealer. At…
I am both honoured and intrigued to interview Paul Garrigan, a man who beat his alcoholism after two decades of entrenched drinking. He went on to become a mindfulness teacher, nurse, writer, and inspiration. After deteriorating through alcohol, it seemed like there was absolutely no…
Just like the song by the late, great Amy Winehouse, when I was told to go to rehab, I also said “No, no, no.” In fact, I used much stronger terms than that. Something more along the lines of “Not on your effin’ life!” I…
