Zero Drinking to Prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder | FASD – American Academy of Pediatrics

I was deeply troubled by the push back to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation that women abstain from drinking alcohol during pregnancy to prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. [See American Academy of Pediatrics’ Clinical Report on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) published online 10-19-15]. The push back was the topic of Nancy Shute’s October 26,…

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Addiction – Whose Fault Is It?

In families with untreated addiction where no one really knows what “it” is they are dealing with — is it a character defect, a moral weakness, a lack of love and respect or is it really a brain disease, like “they” say it is — all concerned spend endless hours blaming and shaming and slicing…

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Recovery Can Be a Gift

Addiction affects an entire family and so does recovery. I first ‘met’ John McMahon, PhD, who lives in the UK, when he replied to my blog post, “After Years of Sobriety, She/He Won’t Forgive or Forget,” recently. We exchanged a few emails, and I learned that he and his wife, Lou, a counselor, founded the website,…

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Saving Jake | Interview with Author D’Anne Burwell

D’Anne Burwell’s smart, athletic son—raised in a loving and prosperous home—begins abusing OxyContin as a teenager, and within a year drops out of college, walks out of rehab, and lands homeless on the streets of Boulder. Struggling with fear, guilt, and a desperate need to protect her son, D’Anne grapples with her husband’s anger and…

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Recovery Today Online Conference – September 21-25

Join me at the Recovery Today Online Conference September 21 – 25, hosted by the incredible Sherry Gaba, LCSW, Psychotherapist, Certified Recovery and Transformation Coach. Sherry has worked in the field of addiction and recovery for the past decade and is VH1’s Celebrity Rehab Expert and a media expert on CNN, HLN, Inside Edition, Showbiz Tonight, Inside Edition…

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Coping With a Son’s Death by Drug Overdose | MaryBeth Cichocki

MaryBeth Cichocki’s son, Matt, died of a drug overdose. She is determined to do whatever she can to help another child, another parent, another family, which includes working to extend insurance coverage for 90 days in residential treatment/rehab (vs the current 28 days) and to promote and support efforts to regulate sober living homes in Florida. She…

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