The Boundaries We Keep

The boundaries we keep and the kinds of boundaries we make can return our lives to sanity. That’s a bold statement to be sure. Yet it’s the only thing that can help someone coping with a loved one’s drinking take back their life — their physical and emotional health and the quality of life they…

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Key Information About Alcoholism

alcoholism and secondhand drinking

How many times has your loved one promised to stop or cut down their drinking only to relapse – again? How many times have they looked you straight in the eye and said, “No,” when you ask if they’ve been drinking? How many times have they driven, ruined a family gathering or hurt your feelings deeply…

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Wondering if You Drink Too Much?

Wondering if you drink too much? This can be a tough question to answer. And who even knows or decides what’s too much? Is it drinking a couple Scotch on the rocks most evenings? Is it buying a 24-pack of beer on Fridays and finishing it by Sunday night but not drinking the rest of…

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Communication in Families with Alcohol Use Disorder

Communication in families with alcohol use disorder can feel like a minefield of misunderstandings. It’s just about impossible to say what you really want to say because that would be taking a stand against drinking behaviors. And we feel paralyzed just considering doing something like that. Think about it. Can you imagine telling someone who…

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Change your life – Change where you think

End Stigma | Shame Surrounding Addiction

Change your life – change where you think. When I first read this concept, I had no idea what it meant. From where else would I think if not my brain? In time, however, I learned about concepts like brain wiring, mapping and development. I learned about the evolution of the human brain, and how…

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Courage to Change for Recovery’s Sake

courage to change for recovery's sake

Courage to change for recovery’s sake. “What do you mean?,” you might ask. Followed by, “I have courage, and I’ve tried just about everything I know to do to change things. How in the heck do you think I’ve lasted this long in a marriage with an alcoholic?” (or some similar close relationship: parent, brother,…

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Don’t Let Someone’s Drinking Ruin Your Holidays

Don’t let someone’s drinking ruin your holidays is easy to say, but doing it? That’s another matter. You’ve likely been hurt, frustrated, concerned, angered, and/or scared by a family member or friend’s drinking if you’re reading a post with a title like this. So what can you do when holiday celebrations involve drinking? The short…

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