Last evening I was sitting in a hospice meeting for what are called 11-th Hour Volunteers. That is, we sit with patients who are actively dying if they are otherwise alone, or if the family needs respite from the vigil. This can be at the...
Read moreRecovery is a Process
Arrested development is a sad relative that accompanies the already nasty beast that is addiction. Which means: the emotional development of an addict becomes arrested at the time, stage-in-life, level of maturity, that addiction began (Chapter...
Read moreWho Is an Addict?
Lessons from Phillip Seymour Hoffman It seems safe to assume that Phillip Seymour Hoffman never expected to become addicted to drugs—no one does. Nobody ever plans to become an addict. Addiction is an insidious and patient disease. Although it...
Read moreThe Three "C's" of Coping with an Addict
Hovering. Mothers do this from day one with their newborns. We search their body language, their cries, their coos, and their giggles to ascertain what they are telling us about their needs, their wants, what is working and what is not in their...
Read more