For all those who “take it personally” — When an abusive tyrant singles you out, it’s easy to feel like you have a target on your back. It’s actually hard not to take it personally when the pattern of insults feels like a premeditated character assassination. You might ask yourself: What did I do to deserve this treatment…

A story about the harsh realities of recovery — You could see it in her face. Her eyebrows pinched downward and her eyes narrowed as she targeted Sam with a tractor beam of disdain. We all knew she was pissed, but none of us knew what was coming next. “You think this is a joke?! You’d better listen up,”…

An authentic approach to overcoming social isolation — The world is very loud today. Everyone seems to have a microphone, but few have an audience. There’s so much noise and so many claims on individual attention that it can seem nearly impossible to get others to listen. When they do pay attention, are they really listening? Or are…

Our oversimplified narrative completely misses the real problem — Addiction is a scary, debilitating thing. Its all-consuming vice grip can hollow out even the most resilient of loved ones, leaving them no more than a shell of their prior selves. It consistently defies logic, stubbornly resists unwelcomed help and will stop at nothing to prolong its existence. Close personal…

And how to do “the work” — Have you ever been “sick and tired of being sick and tired?” I know I was. The world of recovery is full of catch phrases — some of which can feel superficial, empty or cliché. Maybe you’ve heard recovery described as “an inside job” before. …

Recovery challenges in NYC during a pandemic — If you live in New York City, you know that space is a precious commodity. Unless you knock down a building, every square foot of Manhattan real estate is spoken for. Some hypothesize that this is why NYC is so lively. The limited space forces the intermingling of those who…

Don’t let yourself be fooled — our world isn’t supposed to make sense — Friends, gather round. I have a story to tell. It’s a story of false expectations, magical assumptions and a crippling reliance on the way things “should” be. It all started long ago in a land not far away — back in a time when we were little. The great brainwashing…

A strengths-based view might make you think twice — If the U.S. healthcare system does one thing well, it’s the diagnosis of conditions. Our medical treatment model focuses on identifying disease and disorder. What is perceived as abnormal is pathologized, and the default response is treatment designed to return one to a “normal” state. Since this model is the…

How stories shape reality for better and worse — No matter what you think you know, someone else disagrees. It’s a veritable certainty. There are far too many of us on this big, blue-green marble hurling through space for someone not to disagree. More precisely, what some of us believe jeopardizes what others believe. Each and every one of…