How do we measure our own worth? This is arguably the most important question that underpins everyone’s mental health journey. Most people today are preoccupied by how much they are worth, how much others value them, and how to increase their self-worth not only in their own eyes but also in the eyes of others. […]
Gratitude is a core concept in recovery circles. It’s one of those things a sober person is encouraged to demonstrate. For those who work a secular program, the concept of ‘gratitude’ merits closer examination. If you have migrated from a traditional Twelve Step recovery into a secular program, it’s hard to shake some of the […]
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, and Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav are three works I’ve ready many times. The Alchemist is a novella that is basically an extended parable on following one’s true heart in life. The treasure we seek is often hidden in plain view. The Prophet […]
I’ve been most fortunate to have many wonderful teachers. I don’t believe I can put one above all the rest, since the strength of each teaching (and thus the influence of its teacher) really depended upon my own capacity to be teachable in that moment. This remains true for me to this day. What does […]
I write about recovery from addiction without religion, but spirituality has always been something that has given me great meaning in life. And the meaning of spirituality has changed for me over time. I was raised without any religious belief and was encouraged by loving parents to ‘find my own path’. I visited a couple […]
When the Twelve Steps were created in the 1930s, the founders didn’t know as much about the disease of alcoholism as we do today. But they understood how alcoholism feels and how it destroys lives. They also found a way to help people recover that has worked for almost 90 years. Back then, alcoholics experienced […]
When the Twelve Steps were first formulated in the 1930s, its founders didn’t have the understanding of many aspects of alcoholism and the human condition that we have today. Nevertheless, they did have a very accurate and intimately personal understanding of the experience of alcoholism, its destructive progression, and a nascent grasp on a very […]
I recently came to the realization that, for a good portion of the last few years, I’ve been steadfast in the activity of ‘not-dying’ as opposed to truly ‘living’. In the fall of 2022, I made a decision to not end my life and instead reached out for help. At the time, I had been […]
In my daily meditation reading, the author talks about how addicts avoid uncomfortable feelings through substance use. They reassure the reader that pain, like all things, will pass, and that all feelings must be experienced and not intellectualized. I agree with most of what the author put forward; however, I never avoided feelings when I […]
The Peace of Wild Things 
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