One of the most powerful tools in the addiction arsenal has long been support groups. Younger alcohol abusers seem to have good results from the traditional 12- step programs where they will have an “older” — meaning more experienced —…
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The most shocking thing is that alcohol and tobacco are considered by many to be “gateway” drugs, as are inhalants and marijuana. Simply put, that means that drinking alcohol or smoking tobacco is widely considered a “gateway” to using harder…
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As millions of recovering Twelve Step members worldwide have discovered since Alcoholics Anonymous was launched 73 years ago, healing often begins when you share your story with others who can listen with attentive ears and understanding hearts. As someone once…
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“I did not enter my first meeting with hope,” recalls one member of Overeaters Anonymous. “I entered with despair. But I left with hope, because it was the first time in my life that I realized or heard that I…
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Recovery from alcoholism and other drug addiction often calls for breaking through layers of denial and shame. But people who face the task of recovery along with a diagnosis of cancer deal with an immediate threat to their sobriety.
“When people…
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Looking back on it, Bill Lee, author of Born to Lose: Memoirs of a Compulsive Gambler (Hazelden, 2005), realizes that his gambling addiction began in the third grade when he would wager his cherished baseball card collection in “pitch the card”…
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Tom was nine years old when he was diagnosed with diabetes, 10 when he began drinking alcohol, and 34 when he died from diabetes complications aggravated by daily alcohol use.
Alcoholism and diabetes are both chronic illnesses. When not managed, either…
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Except for the gold seal on the cover that announces its 20th anniversary, Melody Beattie fans will notice no difference in the recent edition of her much-loved book, “Codependent No More.” That is no accident.
“I’ve seen many a person at…
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