For some time, I have been thinking about perfectionism – my own as well as the people I have met in almost thirty years of recovery. The image that comes to me about perfectionism led to the title of this article. Perfectionism can often be a curse! I see the drive to be perfect as …
I have been in recovery for almost thirty years and have been part of a 12 Step group for the same amount of time. In this article, I would like to share some struggles I have had with the idea of Higher Power – an important concept in recovery through the lenses of the 12 …
An on-going issue for all of us who are aware of our addictions is simply how to continue to live in recovery. This really is a life-long challenge, isn’t it? It is for me, as addictive triggers can burst upon my life at any moment. In this article, I am sharing the importance of expressing …
As I prepared to write this article, I was seeking to find a word that speaks about how I see the impact that stress has upon us and our recovery. The word that came to me was “tricky.” There can be too much stress in our lives that can lead to distress, and there can …
There are many different ways to look at what helps us choose a way of recovery as well as maintaining sobriety — whatever be our addiction. As I continue to reflect upon what I have learned in my journey to recovery, it is the importance of others with whom I have been blessed to journey. …
I chose the image of a key as a way to describe accountability, which I see to be an important aspect of recovery — whichever addiction we are dealing with. As we begin this reflection, I would invite you to think about how important keys are in our lives. Keys help us to get around …
As the New Year has begun, I am sure we are all aware that we are living in a time of chaos – wars, divisions, homelessness, immigrants and polarization, to name a few realities. There don’t seem to be any simple ways to resolve these conflicts and differences. We also are looking ahead in this …
Yes, another year — 2023 — is in the books — a tough and challenging year for many of us. The calendar has now shifted us into a New Year — 2024. This shift into a New Year often raises the practice of making some resolutions for the New Year. Many times, if we make …
I read with great interest Mary Lou Logsdon’s recent article in the September-October issue of The Phoenix Spirit: “The Cost of Loneliness.” Mary Lou’s reflections resonate with what I have been thinking since I also read the Surgeon General’s Report – Vivek H Murthy – in which he describes loneliness as a major epidemic in …
Many years ago in the late 70s, American Express had an ad about their credit card and their hopes for people who had one of their cards – “Don’t leave home without it.” With their credit card, a person would never be in a situation where if the spirit moved them to make a purchase, …
