A METAPHOR FOR THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

The Journey is a rock musical I initially wrote to simply tell a story about addiction and recovery. But over the years it's evolved into an entire...

What does it mean when we say that someone's drug or alcohol use is a ... "problem?"

The first step towards successful substance use intervention is getting clear about what it...

The other day I listened to a client talk about her experience of checking her husband into rehab:

"They said they would call. And I went home and waited. A week went by, nothing. I had no idea...

Happy New Year!

I thought I'd start the New Year out with something sort of fun...

Now, I know some of you aren't even old enough to remember Monty Python. But for those of you who do, you'll...

I've worked in the addiction treatment industry for a long time—like over 30 years. 

But I've actually been AROUND the treatment industry longer than I've been a professional in...

"What's this got to do with drug use?"

I get a lot of mileage out of the short video above in my work with substance use disorder clients. 

I simply ask them to watch it, and then tell...

There's no denying that substance abuse treatment “success rates” can be alarmingly poor. It is an all-too-common scenario to see a client go through residential treatment for a month...

I had an experience yesterday that really got me thinking.

About drug treatment.

And what it’s like for families who have a loved one in treatment.

More specifically, about how challenging...

"Rehab doesn't work."

"I don't trust those rehabs. They're only in it for the money."

In my line of work I frequently find myself in the position of suggesting to a family that it might be time...

I ran an adolescent outpatient substance treatment program for many years.

One night I was standing in my office with some parents. We had just finished a graduation group where their daughter had...

Last week I presented a webinar for The Greenhouse Holistic Healing CEU Series, a monthly training hosted by The Greenhouse, a leading substance use treatment facility here in Dallas, Texas. 

The video above includes two of the shortest—but perhaps most effective—lectures you'll find on how addiction impacts the family system:

• The 8-Second Lecture on Chemical Dependency
• The...