Why I Have Hope

In the last 3 months our world changed in what seems like a split second and we have all faced the profound fall out of COVID-19 on our communities and the world at large. The ramifications will be long-lasting and each day we are faced with loss of human life, economic security, and the rituals […]

Finding Hope for Change

If you love someone who struggles with substance, you may be facing increased stress during the pandemic. Maybe you are sheltering in place with the person you are concerned about and coming face to face with the fall out of their use of substances. Maybe you have not been able to have contact with your […]

Where is the Antabuse?

While we are all facing the limitations of our health care system during this pandemic, some people suffering from alcohol use disorder have been struggling unnecessarily for months due to a sudden and unexplained shortage of a life saving medication, disulfiram.  Alcohol use disorder is a medical condition that kills thousands of people every month […]

It’s Okay to Cry

Our world has changed and you have probably read every article about how we need to cope by staying mentally and physically engaged and connected to those we love. All of it is sound advice and worth taking. But, what about your heartache? Your sadness about the world? People are dying and life as we […]

Inviting Change

If you have someone in your life who is using substances in a problematic way, you may often wonder what you can do to help them decide to change. You may be frightened or mad at them for making bad choices. It’s also likely you have absorbed the cultural message that there isn’t anything you […]

A Shift in Understanding Can Someone Change

Having a family member struggle with substances can be physically draining, emotionally exhausting and downright confusing. It can kick up a bunch of emotions that can be really crushing: shame, guilt, anger, betrayal, and the desire to isolate away from it all. Many family members can fall into quite a deep hole as they struggle […]

Blame, Shame and Stigma are Hurting Families

We all know that substance use disorders can exact a terrible emotional and physical toll on the person struggling. A person overusing substances can suffer lower quality of life, impaired functioning at work, school and in family roles, and financial, legal and health problems. What you may not realize is that a significant part of […]

Re-Thinking Communication

Human beings are social creatures; we are wired to communicate with each other for survival, for companionship, and for progress. After practicing this skill for all of human history, talking to another person seems like it should be easy for us. Yet somehow we seem to struggle with it, especially when we are trying to […]

Let’s talk about Reinforcement

People spend a lot of time trying to change behaviors. Everything from changing your diet, exercising more, spending less, and changing your substance use is behavior change. In many ways, we’re so used to trying to change our behaviors that we don’t focus on the basics anymore. We just want to change better and faster! […]

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