Do you ever think that you’re pretty solid in your recovery, only to wake up to an overwhelming feeling of frustration and dissatisfaction? That was my experience these last few weeks. Except this time, I knew that the problem was all me –cue Taylor Swift.. “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s meAt tea time, […]
14 years ago, I didn’t think that I had a problem. It was my loved ones who needed help. Not me. Boy was I wrong. If you are new to recovery, this may come as a shock, but we all need recovery. But, what exactly does that look like? Let me share some thoughts, but […]
I am a decent cook. I used to be a good cook. Cooking has taught me many things. Growing up in the 70’s & 80’s, I ate my fair share of casseroles. Back then, I was not a fan. There were too many things mixed together. I wanted food that I could identify. My mother […]
Chipping away at the stigma of addiction is near and dear to my heart but it wasn’t until I was asked to speak on the topic of engaging families and parishes into recovery where I gave any thought as to how or where to start dealing with such a big job. The stigma surrounding addiction, […]
The last two weeks, I’ve been building up to a talk that I initially gave to an audience at Guest House at their annual dinner that highlights the important work that they do with Roman Catholic priests and religious in recovery from drugs, alcohol or mental health issues. Then this week, I gave the same […]
When I learned that my family members suffered from an addiction to drugs and alcohol, I knew 2 things for sure: I knew that their addiction was a spiritual problem and I knew that I could not take this problem to my parish for support. This knowledge left me baffled about what to do next. […]
It’s been a very busy season. In October I was offered a unique opportunity. I was asked to be the keynote speaker for the Bishop’s Dinner honoring Guest House, a treatment center for Roman Catholic priest and religious. This year’s theme was, “Recovery as a Bridge: Engaging Families and Parishes into Recovery.” The morning of […]
I remember the day that I showed up for my first ever 12-step meeting. I was early. No-one was there yet. I sat nervously outside the basement door of the Episcopal Church dreading the next hour. I did not want to be there. I did not want to be a member of this club. One […]
My beloved readers, I know that most of you have been negatively affected by drugs and alcohol and so let me ask you to please indulge me in this post. For the sake of growth, I’d like for you to read it with an open mind. I grew up in a small town in a […]
I used to watch the reality television program, “19 Kids and Counting.” Could you really disconnect from society and be as happy and successful as they appeared to be? Could you develop a system of rules that would keep everyone in line and insure success in the family? Well, it would certainly be nice if […]