May 4, 2022The Healing and Hurting of HeartstopperHelping the 14 y/o in me feel heard, seen, and loved — while allowing them to hurt and cry. I’m still just a teen inside. I recently finished watching “Heartstopper” on Netflix…and then quickly proceeded to rewatch the series from start to finish again. I had to. My mind couldn’t stop thinking about what I had…Gay6 min readGay6 min read
Mar 18, 2021A Slip is Not Always a Fall: Rethinking RelapseThe myth that every slip in addiction recovery is a relapse must end. Is Relapse Always A Part of Recovery? According to one of my teammates who is in recovery and supports others in achieving their recovery, the answer is: “Sometimes, though it doesn't need to be.” The Current Definition of Relapse Doesn’t Reflect Reality There are multiple definitions as to what constitutes a relapse…Addiction5 min readAddiction5 min read
Feb 12, 2021Stop Saying Addiction Disease is “Invisible.” It’s Killing People.Addiction disease is just as visible as a heart attack. We need to open our eyes to actually look and listen. Two Emergency Room Case Vignettes Below are two different scenarios which describe the experience of two different people before, during, and after their visit to an emergency room. When you read the case vignettes…Addiction5 min readAddiction5 min read
Dec 30, 2020How I’m Learning to Leave My Anxiety Fuel Tank on EmptyI can’t remember when I started feeling it exactly, but I don’t remember a time without it. Anxiety. That ever-present tightness in my chest or inescapable thought process involving every possible world-ending scenario that would happen when I leave my home. It’s gotten better in the past couple of years…Anxiety5 min readAnxiety5 min read
Dec 18, 2020The 5 Why’s: How to Turn Resolutions into CommitmentsResolutions don’t work. It’s time to turn them into Commitments and more specifically, commitments to yourself. 2020 is Ending…Finally. It has been an eternity of a year with all types of events contributing to increases in mental health and addiction disease concerns. Many of us may be thinking that to make up for…New Years Resolutions5 min readNew Years Resolutions5 min read
Dec 17, 2020I Can’t Hear You, My Addiction is Talking Too LoudlyWhat can we do to quiet the loud, obnoxious voice of addiction? I was doing supervision with my teammate, Chris, yesterday when she said something that got me thinking. She’s new to our team at Halcyon Health and already off to an amazing start as a Certified Peer Recovery Coach…Addiction4 min readAddiction4 min read
Dec 16, 2020The Miracle Question in RecoveryUsing the Miracle Question to hone problems into solutions. One of my favorite therapeutic tools is the Miracle Question It comes from Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) which was developed by the therapist couple Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg in the 1980s. The goal of SFBT is to examine the client’s problem in the here-and-now. …Addiction4 min readAddiction4 min read
Dec 11, 2020Substance Use Isn’t the Problem. Addiction is the Problem.Substance use is a symptom of addiction disease. And therein lies the actual focus of recovery support. Substance use disorder is not addiction disease. When we talk about people who use alcohol and/or other drugs and what they need, the focus has traditionally been more on ending substance use. This is the wrong focus because the resulting…Recovery3 min readRecovery3 min read
Nov 25, 2020Why We Need to Stop Using “Addiction Treatment”We’ve got it wrong when it comes to using “addiction treatment” as the way we talk about helping people with their substance use and addiction diseases. It’s not surprising when you think about how we as a society continue to perpetuate the stigma around addiction. The view of addiction as…Addiction4 min readAddiction4 min read
Nov 13, 2020Holiday Blues 2020Why COVID May Make the Holiday Blues Even Worse and Tips to Help For many, the Holiday Season is not so holly jolly. Even for people who do get into the spirit of the season, they sometimes feel stressed. …Mental Health3 min readMental Health3 min read
