A New Way of Life Coaching

Asking for help is surprisingly difficult for most people. It is hard to GET what you need if you don’t let anyone KNOW what you need. I would seem that asking for help would be a “no-brainer.” However, most people… Read the rest

A recent column in The Washington Post began with this line:  “The face of the nation’s opioid epidemic increasingly is gray and wrinkled.”1  Throughout the rise in the opioid epidemic and its expansive media coverage, the face of the addict… Read the rest

Loving someone who has a problem with drugs or alcohol is life changing for the entire family.  Those of us who have been down this road know that we have spent huge chunks of time and energy trying to help… Read the rest

  I read this quote from a person in recovery and it broke my heart for many reasons. First, because I have known so many families that have been torn apart by the disease of addiction. And second, because there… Read the rest

There is a  slogan in every 12 step recovery program (although it originated elsewhere) that says “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.”  Since most slogans have at least a morsel of truth in… Read the rest

  The Twelve Step recovery program is essentially a program for living, even if the person is not suffering from an addictive behavior. But there is a stigma associated with Twelve Step programs that make other people leery of considering… Read the rest

Am I enabling or helping and what is the difference?  This is a question I have been asked by clients many times.  It is also a question I have asked myself.  We can all think of fact patterns that we… Read the rest

As we begin 2018, many of us seek to engage in new and healthy behaviors.  We plan to eat better and sleep better.  We plan to give up cigarettes or video games.  We also say we want to repair our… Read the rest

The Norman Rockwell version of the family holiday party exudes warmth, peace and connection. In a family with a loved one in early recovery, the mere idea of a family gathering can cause enormous stress. Before our loved one entered… Read the rest

  Stephen Covey is said to have communicated the following concept:  “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”  In my opinion, truer words were never spoken.  Effective listening is a… Read the rest