A friend suffered a recent relapse. “What do I do now?” he asked me. My simple answer was, “Do the next right thing.” Where we get off the rails in recovery is by making things too complicated. We don’t relapse because we don’t know what to do, but because we don’t do what we know. …
Every so often, it is wise to review our five primary triggers for acting out. You can remember them with the acronym B.L.A.S.T. We tend to be at greatest risk for relapse when we are: Bored Lonely Angry Stressed Tired Don’t let your triggers stop you. The temptations and roadblocks to recovery can seem overwhelming.…
It happened on this date in 1986. I remember it well. On January 28, 1986, the U.S. space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff from Florida, killing all seven aboard, including a school teacher who had been selected as the first American civilian to travel in space. That was a devastating day for America,…
Underwater somersaulting is not yet an official Olympic sport. But that never stopped Marta Fernandez Perez from setting a world record in 2001, when she completed 28 backward somersaults underwater – on one breath. How did Marta come to be the queen of underwater somersaults? I’m not sure, but I’m going to guess that she…
What role do rewards play in recovery? Dr. John F. Kelly addresses this in his article, Recovery from Addiction. He writes, “It is now well known that the repetition of rewarding behaviors produces changes in brain function and structure that facilitate habits and, for some, sustained compulsivity and addiction.” Dr. Kelly is saying that one…
What did they do with the two guys who were caught stealing a calendar? They each got six months. What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear. Okay. I’ll stop. There is one thing worse than a bad joke. Two bad jokes. Is anything worse than two bad jokes? Yes –…
“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” – Jaws, 1975 Actor Rob Scheider played Brody in the movie. Citing the great shark, and contemplating what it would take to bring him in, he said, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” This famous movie line has become an appropriate metaphor for life. Many times, our biggest problem…
The Bible has a lot to say about anxiety. Jesus said, “Do not be anxious” (Matthew 6:25). Solomon said, “An anxious heart weighs a man down” (Proverbs 12:25). And Paul added, “Be anxious for nothing” (Philippians 4:6). So what is the problem with anxiety? Why is it such a bad thing? Author Amelia Aldao writes,…
In his fascinating book, Exactly What to Say, Phil M. Jones writes, “The real world tells us that people will work far harder to avoid a potential loss than they will to achieve a potential gain.” This is exactly why most addicts don’t seek help until they hit bottom. Their greater motivator is not the…
After retiring from coaching, John Wooden was asked what he missed most. I’ll give you a hint: it wasn’t the games, trophies, or championships. In a word, Wooden said what he missed most was practice. As a chaplain for the Houston Rockets, I often sat on the sideline watching the players go through their pregame…