crayons

Singing the Praises of the Adult Art Therapy Coloring Book

  I am an art therapist. When I tell people about what I do, I get a lot of: “What the heck is that?” “Like on Law & Order?” “Oh, how New Age!” (Answers to those questions later).   Art Therapy… We art therapists are a small community, and our work is often either unseen […]

A Clean, Well-Lighted Sanford House

  For some reason, whenever I look back on my first visit to Sanford House, I am reminded of the Hemingway short story โ€œA Clean, Well-Lighted Place.โ€ Which is weird when you think about it, because Iโ€™m not an old, deaf man and Sanford House is not a cafรฉ and I no longer drink brandy […]

house

Eating Disorders โ€“ The Mean Girls of Addiction

  After more than two years of sobriety, I still find myself qualifying my addiction. Iโ€™ll read someoneโ€™s biography and think to myself, โ€œGod, at least I didnโ€™t drink my perfume.โ€ As if guzzling the Chanel Number 5 is somehow worse than plucking a dead fly out of a glass of Chardonnay and taking a […]

teenage girls gossiping

Sober Sex Part One: Inhibited and Tongue Tied

  I have a confession to make. I felt sexier when I was drinking. That is not to say I was sexier when I was drunk, but I felt more attractive. And as a single woman, there is no question I was more daring, friendlier and more approachable. I havenโ€™t had a drink in over […]

dancers

Seasonal Affective Disorder: How SAD Can Derail Your Sobriety

How SAD Can Derail Your Sobriety I got dressed this morning in my usual black ensemble with boots. It is October after all and autumn is my favorite season. I opened the door and a blast of searing, wet air enveloped me like a life-sized, airline hot towel. Mother Nature gazumped me once again. Iโ€™ve […]

woods at night