There is no point in being less than honest. Recovery is hard work. It requires discipline and change – things that most of us resist, not just addicts and alcoholics. To overcome addiction it is important to recognize that there is a battle taking place with a powerful, chronic disease. It can be beaten, but [...]
Some would call it human nature, but perhaps it is more accurately described as a human weakness. I’m referring to our common desire to sugar-coat the truth, making things appear better than they are. People in recovery know what I am talking about. To everyone except a select few, the years of active addiction are [...]
For a parent, a spouse, or a friend, it is incredibly hard to watch someone you care about sink into addiction without taking action. The destructive behavior must stop. They must get help now. Any leverage seems fair, and appropriate, if it gets the addicted person into treatment. Unfortunately, while you may be able to [...]
WPSU radio station wanted to discuss the increased use of heroin and the inherent dangers. One of our graduates joined me for the interview and made a great contribution. Emily was celebrating her third anniversary of sobriety and we are so proud of her. She is proof that heroin can be beaten and life in [...]
Pittsburgh, Heroin, and the Road to Hell A Mother’s Call for Help Not long ago, a mother from Pittsburgh called me seeking help for her daughter. She described a two-year journey that began when her daughter started taking prescription meds for knee surgery. The family assumed the surgery had not gone well when she continued [...]
It’s frustrating. No matter how terrible the impact of heroin has been on a user’s life, they keep returning to the same sick relationship. The dependence is so great that the resolve to stop using can easily crumble. Why is it so hard to break free from opiate addiction? Why is it so hard to [...]
I will never forget the little speech that Sara gave at St. Joseph Institute during an evening discussion on relapse prevention. With strong emotions, she argued that the best people she knew were in recovery. The group chucked when she concluded by stating that everyone in the world should be required to go to rehab [...]
There was a time when heroin was seen as the drug used by those who had tumbled deep into the drug culture. It would never be found in nice neighborhoods or on the campuses of good schools. Heroin was not the drug that most parents feared would transform their children and destroy their dreams. All [...]
The people in the room have seen addiction destroy their careers, relationships and many of their dreams. They often feel anger, frustration and a sense of hopelessness. No one disagrees that “addiction sucks.” So when I ask the question “do you think that you could be a grateful addict,” there are always members of the [...]
When you are helping people begin their recovery, all of your instincts tell you to act like a sports coach. You want the addict or alcoholic to feel empowered, prepared to fight against the strength of their addiction, and ready to beat the odds. So often they begin from a broken place, and your prayer [...]
