As Summer Approaches Post-Covid, I imagine many of us will be getting out-and-about once again. I thought I would offer a few short pieces, some from clients, some not, that you might find entertaining and/or enlightening. This first is an example of a tiny example of assertiveness applied. Jane and her husband had fallen [...]

Planning Your Escape Regardless of what habit you decide to escape - whether self-medication, AA, abusive relationships and/or any condition or cult that is negatively affecting your life – the process is much the same. First, obviously, is acknowledging that it is time to make a change, or changes, and defining what you want [...]

“Contemplation Hell,” the “Security of Familiar Miseries” the “Pretend Trap” & Other Procrastinations One of my favorite descriptive terms for that state most of us spend too much time in is “Contemplation Hell.” That’s the purgatory we self-inflict on most of the decisions we are unwilling to convert into action. This state is reinforced [...]

Outpatient vs Residential Callers, as well as clients, find themselves being accused of “taking the easy way out” if they work with me instead of going off to “rehab” which, “everyone knows,” is the only thing that “works.” A lot of “…” in that sentence. And for good reason. But… First, I am not the [...]

The Fear of Leaving AA and its Pseudo-Relationships I frequently hear from people who want to leave AA but who have been so brainwashed by AA mythology they are afraid to take the chance that they will end up “in jail, a mental hospital or dead.” That’s a reasonable fear if it were true, [...]

Happy 2022! Time for an update for anyone who is interested. After a few months of Newsletter silence, work reconfiguration, geographic relocation and considerable pondering, I have the following to report: I will be continuing to provide services to a select few clients; “Select” means, mostly, over 50 years of age, motivated and capable [...]

Back From a Working Vacation Three weeks ago, I wrote that I was suspending the Newsletter for a couple of weeks while I took a break and went visiting back east. I did and the results were a little surprising. First, it’s always disconcerting to visit the part of western Pennsylvania where I grew [...]

“Doing Stuff” We provide clients with a “Goal Setting” handout (attached to this email) which is designed to help identify areas which could stand to be improved in one’s life. Mostly, we tend to see our lives as one big ball of twine and change looks far too complicated to untangle. The result is, overwhelmed, we do nothing.

Fall is Approaching Once Again… Usually this is the time of year when I suggest that you “fix” things before the holidays. Beyond the previous sentence, I’m not going down that road again this year. Instead I’m going to ask you to reflect on what autumn means to you. As readers, most of you could be described as entering the autumn of your life, in my case that would, optimistically, be late autumn. Happily for me, autumn has always been my favorite season.