Adolescence is a time in our lives when we’re naturally curious and eager to explore the world in new and exciting ways.  However, the brains of teens and even young adults are not fully developed enough at this stage to make rational, informed decisions and lack mecha...

After I published “Could Your Brain Be Wired for Alcoholism?” last month, a number of my followers requested some similar information on how pain meds (opiates) affect the brain.  As I was putting that together I realized that with pain meds there are some safety conce...

Much like diabetes, alcoholism is most often the result of biochemical differences present in certain people.  A genetic predisposition if you will.

I can’t tell you how many times in my career as an addiction counselor and interventionist, I’ve heard problem drinkers s...

As an interventionist and addiction counselor who has worked with hundreds of families, many clients have shared with me that deep down they’d known for a long time that they or their loved one had a drinking problem.  My hope is that this article will help you underst...

I had the opportunity to spend some time with Daniel Rich, Program Director for 365 Sober Living this week, and find out why he feels so strongly about incorporating family work into his programs. Here is what I learned about why the family is such an important part of...

Drug treatment is very important, but treatment alone is not enough to stay sober on a long-term basis. You need something that is more sustainable and can be a part of your day-to-day life. While you were in treatment, you were in a different environment. You were als...

As a highly trained, certified and experienced interventionist, my job is to work with families on how to motivate loved ones in need of treatment to get the appropriate level of care.  Here are some things I believe every family should know about professional interven...

Addiction is not a spectator sport – the collateral damage affects the entire family.  This is a well-documented fact, and professionals in the field work diligently to help the non-addictive family members recover from the trauma and learn to cope with the addiction....

Just about anyone with any appreciable amount of recovery will tell you that getting sober is only the beginning – staying sober is the real challenge.  For most of us, living in addiction was a full time job and we have either never learned or lost many life skills....