A Different Kind of Independence Day
As we approach Independence Day, it occurs to me there is a connection to some of my work of the past eleven years and one of my most popular presentations requested by general audiences (e.g., Rotary Clubs, church fellowships, attorney groups, community coalitions), titled: “Alcohol and the Brain: How a Person Can Lose Control of…
Read MoreLGBT Pride Movement – Lessons for the Addiction Recovery Movement?
This week-end, I am moved to ask, “Are there lessons for the Addiction Recovery Movement to be learned from the LGBT Pride Movement?” I ask because I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and this week-end is Pride Week-end. City Hall is lit up in pride colors. The annual Pink Triangle installation took place on…
Read MoreGet Ready, Get Set – Recovery Month 2014
The 25th Recovery Month celebration is just around the corner, and September will be here in no time. Why should we ALL care? Because 23 million people are living in Recovery – something of which most people are not aware. Because 23 million more struggle with the chronic, often relapsing brain disease of addiction of…
Read MoreGiving Children the Science of the Brain to Break the Cycles
I was moved to write about giving children the science of the brain to break the cycles after reading Sarah Childress’s June 24, 2014, article, “As Child Abuse Persists at Spirit Lake, Congress Steps In,” appearing on the PBS.org Frontline page. And please know, I’m not trying to overly-simplify here and that what I share…
Read MoreAddiction in Family Owned Businesses
Addiction in family owned businesses can wreck havoc far and wide, affecting employees, other family members, vendors, customers, advisory professionals and of course, the financial health of the business, itself. Today’s guest post by internationally recognized family business expert, Don Schwerzler, covers this topic. Don has been studying and advising family business entrepreneurs for more…
Read MoreDarlene Lancer Shares Her Thoughts on People-Pleasers
Author of Codependency for Dummies and Conquering Shame and Codependency: 8 Steps to Freeing the True You, Darlene Lancer shares her thoughts on people-pleasers … Are You a People-Pleaser? Do you ever feel trapped? When you want to say no, you feel guilty, but sometimes feel resentful when you say yes – damned if you do and damned…
Read MoreNutrition and Addiction Recovery
Nutrition and long-term addiction recovery go hand-in-hand. Why? Because nutrition and brain health go hand-in-hand. The brain needs two “things” to function properly – glucose (blood sugar) and oxygen. It gets its glucose from the foods we eat. Unfortunately (or fortunately) it cannot store glucose, so it needs a steady supply and the best supply comes…
Read MoreThe Joey Song – Sandra Swenson Shares Her Story
By the age of twenty, Joey has OD’d, attempted suicide, quit college, survived a near-fatal car accident, done time behind bars, and been kicked out of rehab—more than once. The Joey Song, written by Joey’s mother, Sandra Swenson, tells the heartbreaking, frustrating, too-familiar story of a defiant, delusional addict and the mother who won’t give up…
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