Just Say No Didn’t Work the First Time | Commentary on President Trump’s Opioid Crisis National Emergency Declaration
October 26, 2017 was a landmark day in the fight against addiction in America. It was the first time a President declared “drug demand and the opioid crisis” a national public health emergency. I commend and thank President Trump for this action. But I was concerned when he made these comments, which you can listen…
Read MoreRaising the Bottom | Q and A with Author Lisa Boucher
I invited author, Lisa Boucher, to share this Q and A about her new book, Raising the Bottom: Making Mindful Choices in a Drinking Culture, because of its focus on women. As she explains, and as I’ve observed in the work I do with individuals and families, women have a complicated relationship with alcohol, both individually…
Read MoreRaising Workplace Awareness About ACEs | Adverse Childhood Experiences
I first learned of the CDC-Kaiser Permanent Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, “one of the largest investigations of childhood abuse and neglect and later-life health and well-being,” in 2009. I was shocked to learn the original study was conducted at Kaiser Permanente San Diego from 1995 to 1997 with two waves of data collection. Over 17,000 Kaiser members participated by…
Read MoreHow the Zero Left Campaign is Fighting the Opioid Crisis
There is no doubt America is in the midst of an opioid crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “Opioids (including prescription opioids, heroin, and fentanyl) killed more than 33,000 people in 2015, more than any year on record. Nearly half of all opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid.” According to Facing Addiction, in the last…
Read MoreWorking the 12 Steps With a Little Help From Brain Science
Millions struggling with addiction* have found their pathway to recovery through the 12 Steps — AA and NA, as examples. Millions of their loved ones have found their recovery from secondhand drinking | secondhand drugging (SHD)** through 12 Steps, as well — Al-Anon and Nar-Anon, as examples. But there are many more who report having a problem with the…
Read More7 Things to Know When Looking for Addiction Treatment
Are you looking for addiction treatment for a loved one or friend? You’re not alone. Every week I receive calls and emails from family members and friends trying to find treatment for their loved one’s addiction,* aka substance use disorder. These kinds of phone calls and emails are heartbreaking. Their panic, anger, fear, frustration, sadness, desperation and anguish…
Read MoreWe Can’t Treat Cancer in 30 Days. Why Do We Think Treating Addiction is Any Different?
I’ve tried to verify who came up with the idea that addiction* could be treated in 30 days. One version was reported by Shari Roan in her November 10, 2008 Los-Angeles Times article, “The 30-day Myth,” in which she wrote, Dr. David Lewis…who in the 1970s helped establish the first addiction treatment program in the U.S. Air…
Read MoreThe Trauma of Children of Addicts and Alcoholics
The trauma that children of addicts and alcoholics experience can be life-changing. Frequent guest author, Darlene Lancer, JD, MFT, explains what it can be like her her article below. To read her longer version, please click Children of Alcoholics/Addicts. Darlene is the author of Codependency for Dummies and Conquering Shame and Codependency: 8 Steps to Freeing the True You, and…
Read More