Recently I was speaking at a CLE program about lawyers, and chemical addiction. I talked about the need to understand the signals one gets from the dashboard of the physical/mental/emotional vehicle that we call the self. After the program I talked with a lawyer who told me that the only emotion he was aware of […]
“Anger is liquor to the “dry drunk” alcoholic. Once anger comes in, just like alcohol, it has to wear itself out; it goes through the body just like liquor.” These were the words of a PALS volunteer to me recently. They struck home. I have been working with lawyers and judges dealing with alcohol issues […]
Some time ago, I had the opportunity to have an e-mail discussion about anonymity with a law student who was trying to decide whether he should disclose information about being an alcoholic and in recovery in connection with applying for a judicial clerkship. The conversation got me thinking about how we deal with this time-honored […]
The alcoholic came first. At least that is the answer from recent alcoholism research on the often asked chicken or egg question of which came first: the alcoholic personality or the alcoholic. In an effort to increase our understanding of alcoholism and develop more effective treatment programs alcohol researchers are studying the development of the […]
“It’s just coke that you smoke,” the dealer said. “It’s direct.” John drew on the pipe and blasted off into the ecstatic edge of consciousness. This was John’s escape from the problems, as well as the responsibilities, of his practice and his relationships. Although it was not John’s intent to become addicted, he did. Within […]
For a long time there has been much research on addiction but there hasn’t been much research on the solution. I like to talk about recovery, the solution. Now for the first time there is exciting research about recovery. Using addictive drugs can evolve from controlled social use into the compulsive relapsing disorder that characterizes addiction. This […]
One of the most dramatic struggles in pre-history recorded in the Bible and myths of old was the conflict between the old order of hunter-gatherers and the new order of farmers. Gradually of course the farmers won, but not entirely. In a way the struggle still goes on in the neurochemistry of our brains. And […]
“You can’t solve a problem with the very mind that created it.” Albert Einstein Often I find myself being told, “Don, I would like to get sober but doesn’t AA involve God, and I don’t know about that God stuff?” Or, “I would like to come to the depression support group, but is it okay […]
Alcoholism is the primary chemical causing addictive disease in our country. It is responsible for thousands of fatalities each year, but there is another drug that is having a profound effect both on how we think about chemical dependency and on addictions medicine. In the 1980’s and early 1990’s it became the “in thing” in […]
I made it through junior high school and high school drinking regularly on weekends. I could drink a lot. Miraculously, no one seemed to know how inferior I was and I was somehow elected as president of everything honor society, junior high, freshman, junior, and senior class, key club, and high school fraternity. My grades were […]
Introduction My name is Kent S. and I am a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. I am sober today through the grace of God and the fellowship of Alcoholic’s Anonymous. I am also a husband (married thirty-four years), father of five children, and an active member of the LDS faith. I have been a member […]
If you are bewildered by the workings of 12-step programs but think that you or someone you know might benefit from one, this article is dedicated to you. If someone (or more than one person) has recommended that you check out a 12-step program but you don’t think that you have an addictive or compulsive […]