Over the winter, a blog began making the social media rounds: “How Mommy Drinking Culture Has Normalized Alcoholism for Women in America”. Reading any comments section is akin to inviting a poke in the eye but, not unlike Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole, I couldn’t resist the temptation to gauge reader response. The author’s…
When entering certain addiction treatment facilities, new clients may be dismayed to surrender their cellphone as part of their program regimen. Removing access to mobile devices for thirty to ninety days is a fairly common treatment procedure. Advocates of this practice argue that cellphones are a detrimental distraction from recovery, while opponents propose that too…
We all know at least one person who loves to rant and rave about the shortcomings of the younger generation: “I can’t believe kids these days! They are so selfish. They’re the cause of the problems in our society!” Perhaps you don’t just know that person…perhaps you are that person. This outpouring of intergenerational frustration…
When you ask a room of recovering individuals – “how do you know when a treatment center or sober house is safe?” – nothing can prepare you for the gut wrenching moment when the overwhelming response is “you can’t really know for sure”. The fact that the very same individuals who face this terrifying reality…
When we launched our blog in the Spring of 2017, one of the first issues we tackled was the disease model of addiction. Addiction is a brain disease. It’s a scientifically proven fact. Until the science is accepted and the asinine debate is permanently laid to rest, the stigma around addiction will continue to block…
Harry There really is no pressure like the pressure I’ve felt attempting to write someone else’s story—especially my father’s. I somehow feel as though I owe it to him to be honest, which means reliving and acknowledging the many secrets he held. It meant asking my mom for answers that I didn’t really want to…
Valentine’s Day is the holiday everyone loves to hate…but are we getting it all wrong? Is there more to it than heart shaped chocolate, overpriced dinner and, for singles especially, an overarching sense of inadequacy? As with many holidays, Valentine’s Day is rooted in ancient Roman tradition. According to an NPR article written by Arnie Seipel,…
Please allow me to introduce myself: My name is Sarah Gilman and I am a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer with Lambert Funeral Home in Manchester, NH. I also hold a seat with New Hampshire’s Funeral Directors Association. Today, however, I am coming to you from a different angle: I am speaking as a “Last…
As young children, we are frequently asked: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Instantly, our minds dart from a doctor or a lawyer, to a famous athlete, or even a rockstar. I remember feeling a jolt of excitement over the endless possibilities. Never once did I consider being a drug addict;…
There is arguably nothing more complex than the subject of family. While experts have reduced addiction in the family to a series of roles – the addict, the enabler, the scapegoat, the mascot, the lost child, and the hero – these labels, however accurate they may be, don’t even begin to scratch the surface of…