A Thank You Note to My Sobriety in Uncertain Times
Many years ago, I co-owned an art gallery. Art is a business characterized by booze-laced openings. And if the truth be known, I kept a bottle of plonk in my desk drawer in our distressed-brick communal office for the “down times”. When I look back on the genesis of my active addiction, Spiller Vincenty Gallery […]
WGVU Morning Show – How Pets Can Improve Recovery
Pets in recovery? Clinical Therapist Ali Kitchin, author of the article, Power of Pets in Virtual Addiction Treatment, was interviewed (virtually) by the WGVU Morning Show with Shelley Irwin. In the interview, she talks about why our furry friends can be a tool for lasting sobriety. The power of pets is consistency. We’re all looking […]
Power of Pets in Virtual Addiction Treatment
Updated March 2024 Floofer. Doggo. Pupper. Good Boy. These are some of the most cringe-worthy but intensely heartfelt phrases I find flying out of my mouth whenever I see a dog. It can get very embarrassing for those around me whenever I fail to regulate my reaction to pets. All of a sudden, my […]
Newcomers to Recovery – Building on the Basics
I love the phrase that says, “The newcomer is the most important person in the room.” And as I get further into my recovery journey, I recognize how true this is. In my early days, I was not really helping anyone else in recovery. I was too busy helping myself. Now however, the newcomers […]
Hiking Michigan – This is your Brain on Nature
In the rafters of the historic home I live in, there is a bird’s nest which has provided a snapshot of nature in the past three months. While I sheltered at home, I studied the wren who built the nest through my bathroom window. She attempted to warm her eggs during the March drizzle […]
Alcohol Ruins Relationships and Marriages, Even Brad Pitt’s
In a spate of articles and talk show banter over the past few years, actor Brad Pitt has blamed his alcohol use for the demise of his marriage to Angelina Jolie. It seems there was a defining incident on a private plane when Brad was inappropriately rough with one of his children. I can […]
Extenuating Circumstances in Recovery – COVID-19 UK
I don’t know about you, but my mind is very easily led to catastrophe. And in light of the current extenuating circumstances and COVID-19, it all feels a little like an episode of “The Walking Dead”. Reality does remind me that this pandemic is not going to wipe out society as we know it. (Although […]
Social Distancing, Isolation and Addiction Recovery COVID-19
As a person in recovery, I have been taught that isolation is bad for me. And that connection and community is good. In fact, everyone in recovery from a substance use disorder (SUD) has had this concept drummed into their heads for good reason. Folks with active SUDs isolate so they can protect their addiction. […]
Unmasking the Face of Addiction – WWMT3 News Interview
Thank you to WWMT3’s Alexis Berdine for this sensitive interview of Sanford Addiction Treatment Centers House Manager Shelby Wirth. At a time when everyone is anxious and worried about the future, it is nice to hear the good news about a heroin recovery success story. And Shelby not only works in the addiction treatment field, […]
The Motivation of Rock Bottom in Recovery
Rock bottom is a phrase that I have heard a lot since finding sobriety. And I realize that the term “rock bottom” is subjective. I originally thought rock bottom was an event that would define a singular course of action for me to recover from my addiction. In fact, my first rock bottom happened on […]
