How To Make a New Mother Paranoid
Is It Ever a Good Decade to Have a Baby? Any Good Ideas to Make a New Mother Paranoid? I dedicate this post to new mothers everywhere. Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers, but especially to first time moms. My mother smoked a half pack of cigarettes each day she was pregnant with me. As […]
MoreProblem Solved: Scream At Picky Eaters
Picky Eaters Are Extremely Annoying I understand when my child turns up her nose at completely foreign food (foreign to her, that is.) I’d probably balk at someone serving me a fruit bat or some such. Even if it was covered in chocolate. I have standards, people. I even empathize with the little fussy punks. I […]
MoreHey Ladies: You’re Only As Good As Your Face Cream
I had to concede that maybe it was time to invest in some real beauty products that weren’t located next to juicy fruit gum.
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Addiction Is a Disease, Not a Moral Failing
Do You Believe Addiction Is a Disease? I suspect nearly every person who is reading these words has been touched by addiction and pondered whether addiction is a disease or not. Some believe it is. Others think it’s a matter of self-discipline. Philip Seymour Hoffman’s abrupt death rocked the foundation of the addiction community by […]
MoreMyth: Addiction is a Choice
Part Two: Do You Believe Addiction is a Choice? (Read Part One here.) When you are in the throes of dealing with the chaos an Addict creates, it is hard to see the disease clearly through a lens clouded by your completely justified anger and disappointment. Addiction is unlike any other disease. You would never […]
MoreWhich Superhero Are You: Empower or Enable?
Recognizing Professor Empower and General Enable Do you use your superpowers for good or evil? Do you empower or enable the people around you? Here’s a simple motto: Empowering people = good. Enabling = bad, mkay? The superhero I just made up, Professor Empower, knows that healthy relationships are those that empower, not enable. The […]
MorePassive Aggression in marriage: netflix is your secret weapon
Forms of revenge between married partners used to involve old-fashioned passive aggression. Now we have Netflix.
MoreAddiction Myth: Addicts Must Hit Rock Bottom
You have heard it hundreds of times: Addicts must hit rock bottom before they can get better. The more I read and understand about addiction makes that until recently uncontroverted “rule” seem as sound as putting leaches on my skin to suck out the demons. When have you ever heard of a problem, health or […]
MoreSubstance Abuse vs Substance Addiction
It is a common misperception that substance abuse is the same as substance addiction. In fact, each of these conditions affects different parts of the brain. It doesn’t help that abuse looks similar to addiction and can ultimately lead to addiction. Substance Abuse vs Substance Addiction: Defining Abuse The essential feature of abuse is a […]
MoreWhat Does It Feel Like To Live With An Addict?
To Live With an Addict Is To Live With Shame As an adult, it felt like someone in the passenger seat was pulling the steering wheel into the path of an oncoming truck on an unfamiliar curvy mountain road. It’s scary as shit and fraught with stress, instability and humiliation. As a child, it felt […]
MoreRationalizations mean never having to say you’re sorry
Rationalizations Mean You Are Never Wrong Do you have people in your life who are self-delusional about their motivations? Michael: “I don’t know anyone who could get through the day without two or three juicy rationalizations. They’re more important than sex.” Sam Weber: “Ah, come on. Nothing’s more important than sex.” Michael: “Oh yeah? Ever […]
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Addiction Stigma: Being Anonymous Isn’t Helping
The Addiction Stigma of Anonymous I am a proponent of any addiction rehabilitation program, be it medical, spiritual, physical or magical, that helps addicts get a handle on their addiction. It is amazing to me that at this stage in my life that I am still susceptible to the pitfalls caused by the stigma of […]
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